The Incarnation of God highlights a foundational truth of the gospel – that God first comes to us.

But while the Incarnation is the ultimate example of this truth, it is not the first demonstration of it. This is how it has always been, from the very beginning when God sought after Adam and Eve in the Garden as they hid in their shame (Gen. 3:9:10, 15. Throughout all of history, we see God as the Great Initiator in the salvation of His people. 

As Scripture tells us, no man seeks after Him, not one (Rom 3:10–12). Without God, we are all dead in our sins, and not only are we unable to seek after Him, we are also utterly unwilling and uninterested. And yet… God pursues (Eph. 2:1–7). Out of His own love, according to His very character and being, He determined from eternity to not abandon His fallen creation. And He did so at great cost to Himself.  

Two thousand years ago, while the world stumbled in the dark, blind to righteousness, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14). Christ the Son of God appeared. 

As G.K. Chesterton wrote of the Incarnation in one of his Christmas poems, 

“Outrushing the fall of man, 
Is the height of the fall of God.” 

Great indeed was mankind’s fall into sin. But how much greater was, as we may poetically put it, the “fall” of God in pursuit of man, as seen in the Incarnation?

And so the exhortation this morning is quite simple, although not easy. In all of the excitement and busyness of this season, find time to truly contemplate this great mystery of our faith, that “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor…” (2 Cor. 8:9). Whether it be in a quiet evening beside the Christmas tree, while singing hymns in church, or while buried under last-minute sheets of wrapping paper with scissors in your hand. In light of the Christ’s incarnation, ponder again these words of the Apostle John, “We love God, for He loved us first” (1 Jn. 4:19). And believe them. 

Shawn Paterson – December 17, 2023

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The light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:5

God almighty tabernacled among men. God of God and Light of Light. He was born as the prophets foretold. A host of angels announced His birth. A star was sent across the sky to lead kings to his house. And yet one of the striking things in this story is the darkness, the blindness that is settled over the people. Think of King Herod in this story. He is an old king, about to die, and he is informed by the wise men of this astrological phenomena marking the birth of a Heaven-sent King, and after gathering all the priests and all the scribes in the land he realizes that this must be the birth of the Messiah, sent from God. And yet somehow rather than going to worship Him, he decides to kill Him. What kind of mind games did he play to convince himself that he could defeat God? 

Or think of the pharisees, they were the best of the best, they knew every verse of scripture by heart. And yet they were dumbfounded by Jesus. They said, “search and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.” John 7:52 – And yet the most famous passage of the coming messiah in all of Scripture, Scripture of which they had the punctuation memorized, Isaiah 9 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given..” just a few sentences earlier in the prophecy it is declared this would happen in Galilee – “By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

And yet the darkness did not comprehend it.

Judas saw every miracle that Jesus performed. So did the chief priests. And they both decided the best action was to kill this man.

What kind of insanity is this blind? The God who rolled out the heavens is before you and you think you can kill Him. What is this insanity? 

Well, it is the same insanity that grumbles when you have to get out of bed, that complains about the weather, that is lazy at your job. The same insanity that bites at the kids when they are going too slow. The same insanity that casts a lustful glance, that envies his job, that covets her kitchen. Sin is insanity. Does the God of heaven not see what you are doing when you sin. Does His Spirit not dwell among us? 

2000 years ago the Light of all light entered into this world and we no longer live in darkness, there’s no use acting like we do. Our sin is a weak lie, it is insanity. Hear the glorious truth of the gospel – we live in the light and so walk in that light. 

Zach Browning – December 17, 2023

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At the center of any society are its festivals. What you celebrate defines and manifests who you are and who you wish to be. They have both descriptive and prescriptive power. If you want to see what is important to a culture, don’t look at their work, look at what they take off work for. Look at the parades, the feasts, the holidays.  

We see this in the Israelite feasts and festivals. God ordained yearly, monthly, weekly festivals for His people. We are gathered right now in continuation of the Sabbath: the festival at the heart of Israelite life. What and how we celebrate defines who we are.

This is why the Pride parades and the drag shows and the Juneteenth observances are big deals, because they are attempts to redefine a people. And it is also why the seasons of Advent and Christmas are so charged and fraught with temptation, because they are strategic points in the battle for the soul of a people.

So as we enter Advent and the Christmas preparations begin, recognize that you are entering the fray. The powers of Earth and Hell are arrayed against you, and they are subtle and crafty and have long desired this last bastion of Christendom to crumble. You may encounter outright persecution and snarling atheists flinging themselves at the walls, but more likely you will face subtler ploys, treachery and sappers under the walls: temptations to envy, to sloth, to sentimentality, to gnostic notions disguised as spirituality.

But your God has not left you defenseless. He has given you fudge. And hot chocolate and eggnog and some of the finest songs ever written and trees that stay green all year long, giving us token of the eternal life that is ours, and lights and savory meat and bright tablecloths and rich wine. In other words, our weapons are Gospel joy and hope and charity.

So get ye to battle, and above all else, resist the sidelong glance. You are brothers and sisters in arms defending an ancient fortress. Spur one another on towards love and good deeds, but don’t waste time envying one another.

Joshua Edgren – December 17, 2023

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One of the most striking things about Advent is the way that it seeks to combine longing for future deliverance with present joy in the midst of waiting. One of the oldest and most beloved advent songs, “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” written in the early eighteenth century but containing elements that reach all the way back to the eighth, beautifully combines these seemingly contradictory emotions.

O Come O Come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Note the longing and sadness: Israel is captive, mourning in lonely exile. The cry is for God to come. But then note the chorus:

Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Yes, there is mourning and longing in the midst of captivity and oppression. But nevertheless, the poet calls us to rejoice, because the Son of God will come. God has promised deliverance, and his word is sure.

O Come Thou Dayspring Come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine Advent here.

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadow put to flight.

Again, note the pain: we are in sadness and in need of cheering. Night’s gloomy clouds hang all about us. Death’s dark shadow suffocates us. And again the chorus rings out:

Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

The pattern continues in the remaining verses. And this pattern is meant to instruct us. We are waiting in a land of deep darkness. We are burdened with a heavy yoke; we are bruised by the rod of the oppressor. Pain and Death are everywhere: Pain of broken relationships. Death from cancer. Families and communities wracked by accusation, bitterness, and confusion. Global turmoil. Envy, strife, and sorrow abound on every side. And so we mourn, we grieve, we ache. We cry out, “Come Emmanuel!”

But we do so in hope. We do so with joy. In the midst of the oppression, in the midst of the sorrow, in the midst of the captivity, we rejoice. Or at least, we’re called to. It’s never easy, and we stumble in many ways. But God’s word remains sure.

Joe Rigney – December 10, 2023

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