Tis the season. That time of year where our homes, schools, churches are in the throws of nativity and carol service rehearsals and planning.
Come and behold Him, the hymn declares, born, the King of angels.
There is a reason that the incarnation stirs the worship and wonder of angels, wise men, and shepherds, there is a reason we cannot but sing 'Come let us adore him', for in the incarnation we behold more of Christ to warrant our love, worship, our victorious and triumphant rejoicing than we could ever begin to offer this side of heaven. Don't we?
If we're honest, does the incarnation immediately cause this reaction in us? Or, is it rather that part of our Christology comes out at advent but then retreats again for another eleven months of the church calendar, aside from when we declare in the Apostles’ Creed:
“He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary”
We affirm the incarnation in our creeds, sing of it in our Christmas carols, but does it make its way into our soteriology, our personal assurance, our prayers or praise?
If two of the gospel writers don't narrate the birth of Christ, how and where are we to place it in our lives?
And why come to Bethlehem when I'm here and now?
Athanasius' wrote 'On the Incarnation' in the 4th century as a defence against Christological Arian theology and as a doxology of the wonder of the incarnation.
In his writing we find beautiful truths that hopefully will stir our hearts to worship and come and behold the significance of the baby in the manger.
We don’t need to lose the incarnation to sacramentalism. We can appropriate Athanasius for today and expound on and enjoy our union with Christ with wonder and awe. We can come and behold Christ incarnate. For in Him we find all tidings of our comfort, joy and salvation forevermore.
In Christ incarnate, the Father reveals the external manifestation of the eternal truths, mysteries and loving plans of the godhead for his beloved world.
As Athanasius says:
“By the love for humankind, and goodness of his own Father, he appeared to us in a human body for our salvation. For this purpose, then, the incorporeal and incorruptible and immaterial Word of God comes into our realm, although he was not formerly distant.
Now he comes, condescending towards us in his love for human beings and his manifestation, having mercy upon our race, having pity upon our weakness, condescending to our corruption”
The incarnation did not draw Christ nearer to us in affection and disposition than he was before. He was not formerly distant. He came down to externally manifest to us the eternal love, mercy and compassion of the Father for his children.
The appearing of Christ is the appearing of the very goodness, mercy and loving kindness of God clothed in humanity, looking, living and speaking the richness of God's mercy. Christ incarnate is the embodiment of God's grace, pure grace clothed with human nature.
The grace conceived and knitted together in His mother’s womb by the mysterious and majestic work of the Holy Spirit. His own immaculate conception serving as a divine resemblance of our own new birth, of the conception of Christ in the soul of the believer by the power of the same Holy Spirit.
As we encounter doubt in our own hearts and others, questioning our union with God, we can preach the glorious truth that our new creation is as sure and mysterious as the incarnation of Christ, as sure as the resurrection of Christ, for it is the same Spirit who accomplishes all these acts. The same Spirit, who from the empty womb to the empty tomb was working his gracious act of redemption for those the Father has called to himself.
The incarnation calls us to come and behold him, born the king of angels, to behold and bow before the mysterious and hidden working of the Spirit, to proclaim that it is the glory of God to conceal a thing. Such mystery strengthens our hearts. In those uncertain situations we find ourselves, however unclear and baffling, the way forward unknown, the outworking seeming incomprehensible, take courage the sovereign mysterious work of the Spirit is often hidden from our sight.
He who was born of woman is the majestic Son of God become man. Christ’s humanity and divinity inseparable, indivisible, unchangeable and without confusion. In Christ Incarnate, God has become man without ceasing to be God. The Son of God co-substantial with the Father regarding his divinity, and co-substantial with mankind regarding his humanity; like us in every way except sin.
If we miss who Jesus is, we rob him of glory that he's due and rob ourselves of comfort, joy, and salvation that is found in Him alone. For there was no other way to accomplish the good news of great joy for all people. And as Athanasius writes there was no other. Only He who was the incorruptible Light of the World, perfectly righteous and holy eternal God was able to utterly destroy death and corruption and darkness that pervaded the lives and very natures of his children. He moved towards humanity, was born of woman without being corrupt or contaminated by sin.
There is no situation Christ does not sympathize with us, with you. There is no despair, no pain, family conflict, relationship agony, no consequence and grief born by the sin of others impacting your life, no mourning over death that Christ does not sympathize with. He is willing and he is fully able on account of his incarnation.
So come all ye faithful to the one who came down for you, as fully God and fully man to draw you into his saving refuge, and keep you in eternal, joyful, union with Him, enjoying the love of the Trinity forevermore.
Come all ye faithful, for Christ the faithful one has lived the life of perfect righteousness as a man, for you, and he has clothed you in his righteousness. Be joyful and triumphant, knowing the Light of the World has flooded the darkness that pervades the world and the very depths of your heart, to bring you to light-filled life and knowledge of Him.
We can come in awe and wonder before the mystery and majesty of the grace and power of the incarnation. We can come with expectancy and reverence, knowing we have an eternity to enjoy
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