The birth of Jesus Christ, in a barn in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago, remains as one of the two most important moments in the history of mankind (the other is the resurrection)! Do not underestimate the significance of this moment. God broke through the fabric of the material world and — by doing so — initiated the rescue operation for all humans and His world.
Incarnation is a big theological word that means “God becoming a divine man.” Incarnation means that the son of God came down from heaven, took on a human form, and became a perfect union of both God and man — a divine human. It is because of the incarnation of Christ that we celebrate with joyful hearts, even in the midst of our burdens.
By taking on a united divine human form, God the Father enabled His Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to rescue the world from it’s broken disarray. Without the incarnation, we would not have His death on the cross nor His resurrection! So, we jump for joy, we laugh with our bellies, we kick our heels in the air, and we sing Handel’s “Messiah” with all our hearts in celebration of this birth!
For me personally, purposefully celebrating the Christmas season begins with three very specific practices. These things are like road-markers in my life:
- I set up a nativity scene that was made by a group of children as a gift to me, in my office. I love this nativity scene because Mary is gleefully tossing a giggling Jesus up in the air!
- I carry in my pocket a small copy of the little book, “On Incarnation” by St. Athanasius and read it often.
- Angie and I decorate our home and we include a dazzling Christmas tree.
These practices in my life remind my heart of the joy of the incarnation. What are the festive habits that you have, or can put into place, to commemorate this momentous event?
May our homes and our SFC community celebrate the birth of Christ!
