Last weekend my wife and I saw “Journey to Bethlehem” in Sisters, Oregon. It is a new movie on the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. The producers took some creative license with some minor aspects of the story but remained faithful, I believe, to the theme of the incarnation of Jesus. What does the word “incarnation” mean? The eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, embodied a human “flesh & blood” body. The redemption of the lost, sinful, human race required the incarnation. Jesus had to enter the human race as a “flesh & blood” human so in his humanity Jesus could carry our sin, become sin, as our substitute on Calvary. This is often called the “great exchange”. Paul describes this in II Cor.5:21. “Jesus became sin that we might become the righteousness of God” On Calvary Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness. Righteousness means to have “right standing” with God. This is amazing. This is the grace of God on full display. This redemptive act would not have been possible if Jesus had not taken upon himself human flesh in the incarnation. Jesus remained eternal deity while inhabiting a human body that needed sleep, daily nourishment and water to drink. Theologians have used a Greek word “kenow” or “kenosis” to describe the act of incarnation. The word “kenosis” means “to empty one self”. In becoming human Jesus “emptied” himself of the glories of his eternal state in heaven and limited himself to a human body. Paul describes this in Philippians 2:6-7. “though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being”. This is why the Old Testament prophet Isaiah would call this incarnational, virgin birth “Emmanuel”. This Christological Old Testament title for Jesus means, “God with us”. John would describe this child that was born in Bethlehem, “Word became flesh”. (John 1:14) As I read these verses again and again every Christmas it seems to me that adoration, wonder and worship are the only fitting responses. I agree it is hard to wrap our minds around this Biblical reality. Deity in humanity is nothing less then a miracle that suspends the laws of the natural world and logic. Yet, by faith, the wonder of the Christ child never grows old. A friend recently told me that he was becoming an old Scrooge because he doesn’t buy presents anymore. I will have to pray for my friend so that he can have a fresh encounter with the Resurrected and living Jesus, or maybe I should say, an encounter for the first time. In that encounter I believe my friend will get rid of his Scrooge-like attitude about Christmas. I pray for myself and our church that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may have fresh, new and living encounters with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and fall down before Him in worship and praise during this Christmas season. Read Colossians 1:15-20 to further develop your understanding of the Eternal Person of Jesus Christ.
God Bless You
Pastor Drew
