It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Well, at least I think so. After too many years of putting lights on extremely tall Christmas trees (just one chore on my mom’s extreme Christmas decorating “honey-do” list) and attending an absurd amount of Christmas parties and functions, my dad can often be heard singing, “It’s the most dysfunctional time of the year.” We call him Scrooge. I guess you could just call me Santa Clause because I’m pretty much a Christmas fanatic.

I love it all–the parties, decorations, carols, gifts, food, family time, worship—every part of the season. I got married at Christmas time, pregnant at Christmas time… Ok, so maybe that was TMI for the blog, but have I made my point that Christmas is my favorite time of the year? 🙂

Of course, my heart overflows with joy as I ponder the Christ child in the manger. We’ve all heard the cliche’ “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” so many times that it’s almost annoying. Everyone knows that Christmas is really about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. We know it so well, in fact, that we often take it for granted and completely miss the wonder of it. It becomes just a sterile fact of {Christian} life rather than “glad tidings of great joy” that fill our hearts with inexpressible joy, thanksgiving, and true life.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  

-John 1:14,17

Our pastor has been teaching about the incarnation of Christ for the past few weeks, and I cannot help but stand in awe at the miracle that is Christmas. God Himself took on human flesh…and not just bodily flesh. Though He was fully God, He took on all that it means to be human. Like any human baby, Jesus had to eat. He had to have his “swaddling clothes” (diaper) changed. He had to learn to walk, talk and read. He had to be potty-trained. He had feelings and emotions, fears and temptations; yet, in all this, he was sinless. Jesus showed us what true humanity really is. We tend to equate humanity with imperfection. We say, “well, I’m only human” to justify our shortcomings, but true humanity as God intended it to be was modeled perfectly for us in the sinless person of Jesus Christ. Jesus modeled perfect obedience to and communion with the Father.

 Oh, how thankful I am for the incarnation! Without the Newborn King in the manger, there would have been no Man of Sorrows on the cross. Without the sinless Christ on the cross, there would be no forgiveness of sins and no reconciliation of sinners with the Father…no restoration of true humanity…no reverse of the curse…no joy…no hope…no true life. Without the babe in the manger there would be no good news…no Gospel.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see                                                                                    

Hail the incarnate deity

Pleased with us in flesh to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Oh, what tidings of comfort and joy!