Friday, December 3

Friday

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,  “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means,  “God with us.”  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.               - Matthew 1:18-25

All week we have been reflecting on the miracle meaning of the Incarnation.  Incarnation is the fancy term theologians use for the coming of God into our world through the birth of Christ. The word Incarnate derives from Latin (in=in or into, carnis=flesh) meaning "to make into flesh" or "to become flesh".  This is what John meant when he wrote in his gospel, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). 

The Incarnation ( along with the Resurrection) is the central truth of Christianity and the most significant event in human history!  Think about it…it is the moment when God himself broke into our world.  All of the OT history, prophets and miracles before the Incarnation were pointing to and leading up to it.  All of the history, miracles & teachings in the New Testament and since flow from it and point back to it. 

C.S. Lewis called the Incarnation The Grand Miracle…

“The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, into human nature, descended into his own universe and rose again, bringing nature up with him.  It is precisely one great and grand miracle.  If you take that away, there is nothing specifically Christian left.”

(C.S.L. - The Grand Miracle, “God in the Dock”)

But what was God’s reason or purpose for this grand miracle?  Did God just want to come to earth for a visit?  Was he bored and looking for something to do?  Did he want to get a first hand, close-up view of how things were going on earth?  Of course not, the Incarnation is a solution to a problem, more specifically, it is God’s solution to our problem.  What is our problem?  In a word – sin.  Each of us individually, and all of creation collectively has been marred and corrupted by sin.  Genesis tells us that we are made in the image of God, but that image has been so badly damaged by our sin and by the sinfulness of our world, that we no longer remember the One who created us or what he created us for.

The 4^th century Church father Athanasius wrote an amazing little book on the Incarnation (it is still in print today and remarkably readable).  In this book, he uses the example of a portrait that has been painted on a piece of wood to describe the effects of sin and the purpose of the Incarnation; 

“For as when a figure which has been painted on wood is spoilt by dirt, it is necessary for him whose portrait it is to come again so that the picture can be renewed in the same material -for because of his portrait the material on which it is painted is not thrown away, but the portrait is redone on it--even so the all-holy Son of the Father, who is the image of the Father, came to our realms to renew man who had been made in his likeness, and, as one lost, to find him through the forgiveness of sins; just as he said in the gospels: 'I have come to save and find that which was lost'.”  (Athanasius, On the Incarnation)

What a beautiful and powerful image!  The Incarnation is God’s way of restoring his image in us and in our world!

God became man so that we might become like God.

God became visible in flesh so that we might see the image of the invisible God.

God exposed himself to corruption and death so that we might live eternally.

God endured rejection and scorn so that we might receive his welcome and blessing.  God made himself weak so that we might receive his divine strength.

God humbled himself so that we might be exalted with him.

Do you know this God?  Do you see the depth of his love and compassion for you?  Do you grasp the lengths to which he is willing to go to rescue you from the corruption of your sin?  Do you understand that the God’s solution to our problem was to give us Himself!?