DAY 15: The Incarnation
“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 was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1: 1-5, 14 ESV
My Thoughts:
While Luke told the nativity story from Mary’s perspective and Matthew told the story from Joseph’s perspective, the apostle John will tell the story in a very different way. John will not look at Christmas, the birth of Christ, through the eyes of Mary or Joseph. Instead, John will tell the story starting with the beginning of all things, the so-called first act, with the creation of heaven and earth, through the eyes of the Baby Jesus. John begins his book— marking the beginning of the second act of God’s redemptive plan for the world— with the same exact first line from the first act’s Book of Genesis: “In the beginning…”
John’s message is clear: the divine Word (Jesus) existed before Creation —the first act— and through Him the world was created. This is called the logos doctrine. Contained within the doctrine is the idea that God created the world by mere verbal fiat, by the power of His speech. And the divine and eternal Word came into the world He created to start the second act.
And I love the last line in John’s telling of the story, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us,” as some translations say. This reference harkens back to the first home or dwelling place– the Tabernacle– God made with the Israelites during the Wilderness Wanderings after the Exodus from Egypt.
A Scene from The Nativity Story (2006)
God became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, which we call the Incarnation. Jesus was both completely divine and completely human. As the Apostle Paul says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Col 2: 9 NIV). He was the Son of God. And Jesus used “I AM” statements seven times to describe Himself, as recorded in John’s gospel. Jesus was making an implicit claim to deity that harkened back to God’s revelation of His name as “I AM” to Moses at the burning bush—a connection that no Jew would have missed.
Thus, the incarnation takes God’s redemption plan to a new level, because in Jesus, God comes into our history and dwells among us. Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant, for in Him heaven and earth meet in a person, for He is both God and man. He, as the incarnate God-man, represents humanity and deity. And just as Jesus, as the God-man, will leave this world supernaturally by being raised from the dead and ascending into heaven, Jesus enters this world supernaturally, by being conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Quote:
“Christmas is a gift of love wrapped in human flesh and tied securely with the strong promises of God.”–Author Unknown
Prayer:
Gracious God, just as we love because you first loved us,
we give because you first gave to us.
In gratitude for all your gifts, we offer you ourselves, and all that we have.
We give you our bodies as living temples; may we be your hands and feet.
We give you our minds; may our thoughts support others and glorify you.
We give you our time; may our presence encourage and welcome others.
We give you our relationships; may our interactions be a light to the world.
We give you our work; may we always strive to do our best and help others do theirs.
We give you our play; may our leisure bring joy to many.
We give you our hopes and our dreams; may our goals reflect your mission.
Use these gifts, Lord, to bring about your kingdom, and by the power of your Holy Spirit,
make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
