For Christians, the Christmas story begins with the mystery and miracle of the Incarnation.
It’s where we begin to understand the Gospel message and how big God’s love really is. In the virgin birth of Christ, we see God Himself coming from Heaven to earth on a mission to save us.
Our eternal God became God Incarnate. He clothed Himself in human flesh to bridge the gap between God and man that sin had created. Through His birth, death, and resurrection, Jesus would do what no mere man could do for us.
“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” (Matthew 1:18-23 NLT)
God Himself provided the seed for Mary’s womb, which means Jesus would have an earthly mother but a heavenly Father. He would remain Deity but also be human, supernaturally conceived in the womb of a virgin.
“So the Word (Jesus) became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (John 1:14 NLT)
“If Jesus Christ is not true God, how could he help us? If he is not true man, how could he help us?” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
What keeps many men from exploring a relationship with God is a fear that God is out to get them. Well, they are partly right. But God is not out to get us in a harmful way, to make us worse off. He is out to get all of humanity in a very good way.
This is why Christmas is such an important and joyful message for everyone. God came to be with us so He could save us (John 3:16).
Once, a family in the country found a squirrel had fallen down their chimney into the unlit wood burner stove. It was the dad’s task to remove it from the stove by coaxing it into a box so he could release it to freedom. Later, he thought, “Isn’t it funny how, before its redemption, our little visitor had frantically tried to bash its way out of its dark prison? It seemed that the harder it struggled in its own strength to get free, the more pain it caused itself. Perhaps the only way the frightened squirrel could accept its rescue is if the bigger creature became a small creature himself for a time so he could communicate his good intentions directly.”
On the night of His birth, Jesus visited the planet He created and began to make His home among us. Full of “unfailing love and faithfulness,” He became one of us so He could identify with us and show us God’s love up close and personal.
The Christmas carol “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” says it all in just a few powerful lyrics:
Offspring of a virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see
Hail th’ incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with men to dwell
Jesus our Immanuel
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
God loves us and pursues us so completely that He sent us the very best of Heaven—His own Son. That’s why Jesus’ birth was Incarnate. Christmas reminds us of the extent of God’s love and sacrifice to reach us and rescue us.
“Emmanuel. God with us. He who resided in Heaven, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, willingly descended into our world. He breathed our air, felt our pain, knew our sorrows, and died for our sins. He didn’t come to frighten us, but to show us the way to warmth and safety.” – Charles Swindoll
About
