For instance, think about how important the Incarnation is to your Christian faith.  Most will agree that Jesus was born in order to die, that Easter is the reason for the season and other pithy little seasonal quotables.  For some, that may be pretty much the full extent of its impact.  In order to live a perfect life and die in our place, the Son of God had to first become one of us – hence the Incarnation.

As we often say in Cor Deo, if that were the whole truth then it would be reason enough to praise God for all eternity.  But it is not the whole story.  The Son of God did not become one of us merely to perform the rescue work at Calvary.  There is much more to it than that.

Here are a few paths to meander down in your thoughts:

1. Revelation. When Jesus became one of us at Bethlehem (or technically, at conception), his was a mission not only of rescue, but also of revelation.  He came to show us the Father.  That does not mean simply that Jesus’ morality revealed God’s standards, nor even that Jesus’ character reflected the Father’s values, but that in the Incarnation we get to see what kind of God God is.  He is the kind of God who is humble, who is self-giving, who is sacrificially loving, who is inclined towards those he loves, who will do whatever it takes to pursue and woo hearts bent away from him in abject rebellion.  Our God is an Incarnating kind of God, a God who moves towards us when we don’t deserve it, and a God who dives into our mess to lift us out.  Yes, Jesus was on a rescue mission, but it was first of all a revelation mission.

2. Identification. When Jesus became one of us at Bethlehem, he did not have tunnel vision for Calvary.  Yes that was the intended destination, but he did not simply come and bide his time until that mission became possible.  He truly became one of us.  He loved, he cared, he laughed, he cried.  We are told in Hebrews 4 that he was tested in every way just as we are, yet without sin.  Remember that temptation only needs to rise to the level of our compromise, but since he never did, it must have risen to full force.  Yet without sin.  He is more than able to sympathise with our weaknesses because he did not choose to hide in a castle until his Calvary mission, he came right into the heart of human life and human pain.  He truly became one of us, identifying to the full, so that now we have a high priest who can fully sympathise and represent us forever before the heavenly throne.

3. Union. When Jesus became one of us at Bethlehem, he was not on a thirty-three year excursion into humanity.  He did not pop into our world only to shift into celestial reverse and head back out to the throne leaving his humanity behind.  Jesus is fully God, fully man, fully one, forever.  The Incarnation was not temporary.  This means that he can continue to reveal the Father to us in a unique way forever.  This means that he can continue to represent us to the Father in a unique way forever.  And this means that his rescue mission was not to bring us to a better place, end of story.  It was to bring us much deeper into the wonder of God’s love than that – he became one of us so that he could become one with us.  The great union of the Trinity has moved deliberately into humanity through the great union of divinity and humankind in the person of Jesus.  And that great union of the Incarnation was a necessary step not only to forgive us for our sin, but to make possible our union with Christ that will be our forever delight.

There is more to add, but let’s at least start there.  God the Son became human so that we can know God in a way we never could before, so that we can be represented before the Father better than we could have ever imagined possible, and so that we can be brought right into the very heart of the Trinitarian relationship through marriage.  For God the Son the Incarnation was not just for Christmas, nor even just for thirty-three years and a rescue mission, it was forever, and it was for us.

As we head towards another Christmas let’s be sure to ponder the wonder not just of that first Christmas, but the daily wonder of a God who moved toward us in such a stunning way.

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Peter Mead’s Pleased to Dwell: A Biblical Introduction to the Incarnation is a great read in the build-up to Christmas.  24 short and gripping chapters make for a great devotional read during the days of Advent.  Now is the time to order a copy so you have it in time for 1^st of December.  If you have read it before, please share any positive reviews to encourage others to read it this Advent!

The post Just an Annual Incarnation Celebration? first appeared on Cor Deo.

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“You don’t need to be alone… It’s real love.“

So says John Lewis / Tom Odell / John Lennon! I’m certain that this is the love we all want. The love that we all spend our lives, time and money trying to find. Love that will not let us go. And as so many of us sing carols up and down the country we remind each other of the Source of this love. The God who comes near. Emmanuel. God not in a grotto but in skin.

That’s crucial to remember at Christmas: God is not Santa. Perhaps our default view of God is that He bears more than a passing resemblance to the jolly fellow in red. White beard, lives in a far off place, only cares about us being good. When we die and face him in heaven he will ask Santa’s question – “have you been good?” But what does he mean by ‘good?’ Probably anything above horrendous – everyone gets a present right…?

Luke 2 gives us Christmas in one sentence: “To you is born a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.” Underneath the hay and linen strips, the cracker jokes and sprouts, is a Rescuer on a rescue mission. Why is that important? Two reasons: we are not good, and we’re not good because we’re slaves.

Christmastime is a generosity explosion! But, to be honest with you, it’s a blip in a year that’s all about me. I know Christmas is about peace and goodwill to all, but I much prefer peace and quiet, for me. I’m a slave to comfort – I’ll do all I can to get it! It’s worse though. Even being generous and giving presents is stressful. What if they don’t like what I got them? What if I get them socks and they get me an Xbox? What if it’s the other way round?? I’m a slave to other people – to their acceptance or respect. And that’s precisely our problem all year round. We’re slaves. However Christmas is a rescue mission – God in skin come to love and forgive. The gospel message is look and receive Him.

Krish Kandiah once said that you know how much trouble you’re in by who comes to rescue you. Imagine you’re on your gap year and there’s a crisis (you can picture whatever you like!) and you need to be rescued. The guy from the British government knocks on your door. You open it and… Mr Bean! It’s likely that in that situation either you’re not in as much danger as you thought, or the government isn’t bothered about you surviving! But say you open the door and Mr Bond is there. You’d know immediately that you’re in real trouble and that the government wants you safe.

“To you is born a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.” The baby in the manger is God in skin. God with us. The God who is pleased to well with humanity.

God is not like Santa. He knows we’re not good. He knows we’re slaves, powerless to change no matter how many New Year’s resolutions we make every January. But God doesn’t sit in a grotto waiting for us to find him. He doesn’t tell us to be good boys and girls. He comes for us. He runs to meet us where we are. Jesus is God in skin. He comes in love for us who are unlovely.

The baby in the manger is the man on the cross. Dying, with outstretched arms, saying “come – I’ve paid to rescue you.”

Have a brilliant Christmas! Remember that nothing matters more than Jesus. The Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.

[If you need a late present, check out ‘Pleased to Dwell’ by Peter Mead. Excellent unpacking of the Christmas story, showing that it’s not just for December!]

The post God in Skin first appeared on Cor Deo.

The Christmas story as it is told each year tends to include some reference to the wonder of God the Son leaving his heavenly home to come down to earth. His welcome? Humble shepherds. Animals by their trough. Not even any place in the inn, but just a lowly stable.

I am not wanting to tread on anyone’s nativity set, but things were slightly different than we tend to think. Luke 2 tells us that Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

What was it really like? The “inn” was not a reference to a public inn as in the story of the Good Samaritan, an ancient motel of questionable standards. Rather the word used by Luke refers to the guest room attached to the back or the top of a single room family home. Joseph, with his heritage would have received a welcome in the city of David, not to mention his pregnant Jewish young lady (and if they hadn’t, then Mary’s relatives not too far away would have been offended that they didn’t head there).

So they didn’t get the guest room, because other visitors were already there. Instead they were probably brought into the single room residence of this humble family in Bethlehem. At the front end of the room there would have been a drop down to the area where the animals would be kept at night (for their security and for central heating). The sheep would have a wooden or stone manger, the family cow and the donkey would eat from the trough cut into the floor at the end of the human living space.

This was typical of the homes then, and culturally this would have been the situation. Perhaps not quite the quaint stable, but what a startling image nonetheless! The Messiah wasn’t born in a palace, but in a humble home. (This, incidentally, would have been important information in the message of the angels to motivate the shepherds to come for their visit. Furthermore, if he were born in a stable, the shepherds would have insisted on a transfer to their humble homes.) The young family didn’t even get the guest room, but the special little one came in the family home, with the women of the home helping Mary, then the men coming in to gaze in wonder at the new boy.

Let’s sing with renewed passion this Christmas:

Christ by highest heav’n adored, Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Christmas is a time when our thoughts turn toward home. What a truly glorious thought, that Christ left his home to come and be born in a humble human home. Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel. Our God, with us!

The post Heading Home for Christmas first appeared on Cor Deo.