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 1:14 (ESV)]
The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation. [J.I. Packer]
During the children’s Christmas program at our northern church, the tots would sing “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” by the manger and then return to their room to enjoy birthday cake. Like them, most people would say that Christmas commemorates the birthday of Jesus but that’s not quite correct. Jesus doesn’t really have a birthday! He was God and, as God, He always was, always is, and forever will be. Although Mary gave birth, “incarnation” is the more accurate term for what began in Nazareth nine months earlier and culminated in Bethlehem. Coming from the Latin incarnare, meaning “to make flesh,” the word “incarnation” embodies the meaning of John 1:14: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Put simply, when Jesus came into the world, God the Son took on a human body and a human life like ours. The One who was there before the stars were hung in the sky, the One who was spirit and without physical body, came to earth clothed in human flesh.
When Jesus became incarnate, His nature changed but His position didn’t. He still was fully God and we see His “Godness” in His actions and words. He fulfilled over 350 Messianic prophecies—something no mere mortal could do. He was born of a virgin, had the authority to forgive, knew the future, stilled storms, healed miraculously, brought the dead back to life, and knew what was in people’s hearts. Jesus walked on water, cast out demons, and demons recognized Him. He accepted people’s worship (which would have been blasphemous were He not God) and He resurrected from the dead! Jesus claimed He fulfilled prophecies and existed before Abraham and said, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” [John 14:11] Indeed, Jesus was Immanuel—God with us!
Although Jesus was fully divine, at the same time, He also was fully human. He may have been conceived miraculously, but He developed in a woman’s womb like any other human baby. When Jesus entered the world through a birth canal, He took His first breath into his human lungs and cried like a baby. He grew into manhood the same way every other boy does—with skinned knees and bruises. Looking like any other Galilean of His day, Scripture tells us that Jesus ate, walked, spoke, read, listened, learned, and even paid His taxes. He wore clothing, went to the Temple, prayed, perspired, and bled. He grew thirsty and drank, grew tired and slept, was vulnerable to physical harm, experienced temptation, and could both touch and be touched. He experienced betrayal and abandonment and expressed human emotions like anger, joy, curiosity, sorrow, and disappointment. Even though He was fully God, Jesus chose to suffer as a man and die a mortal man’s physical death.
When Jesus became incarnate, He willingly gave up the majesty, glory, and divine attributes of God (apart from the direction of God the Father) to take on the limitations and pains of human life. He laid aside his “Godness” to live as a man with all the pain, discomfort, weakness, bodily functions, and limitations that accompany our bodies! Even though He wasn’t “born,” He was human in every way but one. Unlike every person since Adam and Eve, in spite of being tempted, Jesus managed to live a sinless life. He lived the life we should live (but can’t) and died the death we all deserve (but won’t receive). That’s what Christmas is all about!
Let us all celebrate the glorious day “the word became flesh” all year long!
I imagine the shepherds probably were more concerned with making it through the night warm, safe, and without losing any sheep than they were with the eventual arrival of the promised Messiah. They certainly never expected an angel to appear to announce His birth nor did they anticipate a host of angels singing God’s praises. Nevertheless, it was shepherds who received the good news that a child was born—a child who would be their Savior, Messiah, and Lord.
While browsing a bookstore (yes, they still exist), I came across a book offering more than 100 ways to say “Thank you.” It suggested ways to express one’s appreciation for milestone celebrations, business opportunities, assistance, social events, and assorted gifts. It even offered “damage control” for tardy thank you notes. There also were chapters devoted to topics like stationery, envelopes, and internet etiquette. One chapter offered a “thank you thesaurus” complete with several “glowing superlatives and energetic adjectives.”
Our fast-paced world is ever-changing and once ordinary items like slide rules, cassette tapes, boom boxes, floppy discs, dial phones, film, and VCRs are relics. My kids don’t use maps, write checks, or have a land line and my grands have never used a library card catalogue, set of encyclopedias, dictionary, carbon paper, or typewriter. We no longer need to get up to change channels, turn the lights on or off, or see who’s at the door. Our camera, maps, calculator, credit cards, compass, note pad, address book, plane tickets, and Bible all fit into our cell phones and everything on our phones (along with a fitness tracker and heart monitor) fits into a watch!
Because the nearby bird sanctuary/swamp gets its water from rainfall, the size of its lakes fluctuates substantially with the seasons. During the dry seasons of winter and spring, the swamp’s lakes gradually recede until the summer rains begin. When this annual dry-down occurs in springtime, the wading birds congregate in the shallow lakes. With the fish having no place to hide the shallow water, it’s as easy as catching fish in a rain barrel for the birds!
Novelist Salman Rushdie said, “In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips.” I agree. Granted, life can be as pleasant as a plain sugar cookie but, when you add chocolate chips to the batter or friends to the mix, it becomes something extra special.
Devotions of the Heart 