Incarnation

From 12/22/2020

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:1-5, 14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Incarnation

I remember when I was a child. I used to look at my body parts and marvel at their design. I would look at my hand and consider all that it could do, and then I would consider the designer of all that I am. I am sure that Jesus spent time taking it all in, as He was veiled in the human flesh that He had designed.

When I first grasped the true meaning of Christmas, as a new believer, I remember how it was difficult for me to fully comprehend the notion that the Creator would take on flesh and actuallly dwell amongst those He created.

“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

He entered the darkness and brought light. He laid aside the physical glory that He knew with the Father, and entered the mortal realm, where He knew pain, He knew hunger, knew fatigue, knew all the things that are the bane of existance. Making sense of this all with from my flesh based mind, was all but impossible for me.

If I were God, and I am glad I am not, I would have been born in the castle of a king, lying in fine linen, and fed from the best of foods. I would know warmth and great comfort.

But Jesus, came to earth as the lowest of the low, wrapped in coarse cloth, in cold, dampness, to bring the Good News from Heaven above. It is a message for the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the black and the white and the Jew and the Gentile.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The God that created us all has come to save us, and He is coming again.

““And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.””
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22:12-13‬ ‭NKJV‬

This has been one of the deepest, most emotional, Christmas seasons, I have ever had, as I am struck daily by the true meaning of the God/Man who came to die for our sins. In considering His birth, I can’t escape knowing about His death. They are inextricably tied, as Jesus was born to die.

As I consider the holiday this year, I also consider how the year has effected many permanently, as many lives have been changed. I consider the open doors that have been presented for the presentation of the Gospel, as so many people are pondering mortality in the face of the pandemic.

Brothers and sisters, may we use the coming gatherings and zoom get togethers as opportunities to talk about the Christ in Christmas. May this year’s celebration be one where people are celebrating salvation and the forgiveness of sins. May many receive the gift of grace this year.

Let us be faithful to speak of the incarnation, of the coming of Creator God, to humanity to save from sin and bring hope and light into darkness. Let us remind ourselves that Jesus is the reason for the season, that the greatest gift cost us nothing, but cost God everything.

Have a blessed evening!

https://www.allaboutgod.com/the-roman-road.htm