Celebrating The Festival Of The Incarnation
From "The Pastor's Pen" in the December 2006 Voice of the Valley, the monthly newsletter of Valley Bible Church, by the Reverend Frank C. Emrich. Re-posted here with permission.
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Imagine a king who ruled over a large country, seeking to do his best in providing for every need of his people. But one day his nation was struck by a terrible groundquake, leaving thousands dead, injured, and homeless. Amazingly, the king and his palace remained unharmed by the devastation. Still, the monarch was deeply grieved by all the reports that came in, describing the harm that the populace had experienced. Moved by love and compassion for all who were suffering, this benevolent ruler did everything he could to help during the crisis.
However, do you know when his people became convinced of their patriarch's love and concern for them? When he put on the clothes of a common man, left his comfortable surroundings and lived among those who were hurting, in order to assist with the recovery effort.
The world at the present time knows much suffering and pain. For many it will be difficult to have a merry Christmas. And yet we can offer hope to a hurting world by reminding people what God did that first Christmas in providing a solution for the problem of human suffering.
God Himself came to Earth to not only provide us with answers to questions, but to become the solution to the problem. That meant becoming one of us in something commonly referred to as the Incarnation. In the redemptive plan of God the Father, it was God the Son Who was designated to be the ultimate solution to the never-ending problem of human suffering.
The plan was launched into action when God the Son became God the man. In harmony with the beautiful and perfect wisdom of God, the Incarnation meant that God would take upon Himself our humanity in the same way every human life begins: through a conception that occurred in the womb of a woman. However, this miracle of God demanded a crucial difference. No human father could be involved in the process, because it is through human fathers that the sin nature is passed on to the succeeding generations. That role was fulfilled by God the Holy Spirit, ensuring that God the Son would be both human and divine:
However, the dilemma was so severe that a mere sinless man would not suffice. Adam created a quandary that another Adam could not resolve. The answer required a greater Adam, Someone Who would be sinless and human as well as divine.
That Someone is Jesus Christ, God the Son Who became God the man. This is the reason to celebrate the Festival of the Incarnation.
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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Imagine a king who ruled over a large country, seeking to do his best in providing for every need of his people. But one day his nation was struck by a terrible groundquake, leaving thousands dead, injured, and homeless. Amazingly, the king and his palace remained unharmed by the devastation. Still, the monarch was deeply grieved by all the reports that came in, describing the harm that the populace had experienced. Moved by love and compassion for all who were suffering, this benevolent ruler did everything he could to help during the crisis.
However, do you know when his people became convinced of their patriarch's love and concern for them? When he put on the clothes of a common man, left his comfortable surroundings and lived among those who were hurting, in order to assist with the recovery effort.
The world at the present time knows much suffering and pain. For many it will be difficult to have a merry Christmas. And yet we can offer hope to a hurting world by reminding people what God did that first Christmas in providing a solution for the problem of human suffering.
God Himself came to Earth to not only provide us with answers to questions, but to become the solution to the problem. That meant becoming one of us in something commonly referred to as the Incarnation. In the redemptive plan of God the Father, it was God the Son Who was designated to be the ultimate solution to the never-ending problem of human suffering.
The plan was launched into action when God the Son became God the man. In harmony with the beautiful and perfect wisdom of God, the Incarnation meant that God would take upon Himself our humanity in the same way every human life begins: through a conception that occurred in the womb of a woman. However, this miracle of God demanded a crucial difference. No human father could be involved in the process, because it is through human fathers that the sin nature is passed on to the succeeding generations. That role was fulfilled by God the Holy Spirit, ensuring that God the Son would be both human and divine:
So in this simple yet profound statement, we have the answer to human suffering. Our LORD's Incarnation took place through a miraculous conception performed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin named Mary. The manner of the Incarnation circumvented the problem of sin, which is the core issue in human suffering. God's answer meant becoming a man in order to identify with a suffering mankind; yet a sinless man, so that the solution would not be corrupted nor undermined by our fallen humanity.
However, the dilemma was so severe that a mere sinless man would not suffice. Adam created a quandary that another Adam could not resolve. The answer required a greater Adam, Someone Who would be sinless and human as well as divine.
That Someone is Jesus Christ, God the Son Who became God the man. This is the reason to celebrate the Festival of the Incarnation.
posted by JASmius at 8:43 PM
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