THE
FIRST CHRISTMAS
Enthroned
in splendor and majesty, unearthly in its magnificence, His pure glory veiled
from mankind’s eyes. Surrounded by
thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly all gathered together singing
His praises. Eternally rich, gloriously
exalted, flawlessly perfect. Indescribable
beauty. “Holy, holy, holy” the refrain resounds. Perfect paradise indeed.
The
Lord Jesus acquiesces to condescend, stooping down from His majesty, leaving
His glorious splendor to don the cloak of a mere servant and the created is filled
with the Creator. Paradise for poverty. The promise became the Person. The Holy Seed becomes the Stump of hope in
the barren land. Born into the muck and
mire of our fallen humanity, Perfect Purity came to reside. Earths’ best to offer not worthy of heaven’s
least and yet He goes further still. The
Christ child was born in a stable amidst the smells and the sounds of the barnyard. A feeding trough for animals held the Creator. No fancy linens, no beautifully adorned
clothing, simply a cloth wrapped around His flesh. How in the world did that mere flesh of a
baby boy contain the great I AM? The God
Who spoke all creation into being stooped down to be with me and to be with you. The Word made flesh and dwelt among us. He Who formed the womb placed Himself in the
womb, He Who spoke the world into being, came and walked in the world on a mission
to save those languishing in the world. The
world was never His home, heaven is. The
world was not worthy of Him. Neither
were we.
Two
natures in the person – Deity espousing manhood so that mankind may be
redeemed. The perfect Lamb to take away
the sins of the earth. This truth would
ravish our hearts forever if we could fully comprehend the breadth and depth
and height and width of the love behind the action. What other possible motive could have prompted
this incarnation – what could have made Glory walk this dusty earth, separate
Himself from the Triune God for the benefit of mankind’s redemption if it were
not pure love? There is no greater love
than this that a man would lay down his life for his friend. What
love is this, the strangest of all acts of condescending love? The Creator comes to His creation. The fullness of the Godhead in bodily form, Who
did not considered equality with God something to be grasped but rather made
Himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant being made in human
likeness and being found in appearance as a mere man, the I AM came to be with
us. He not only came to be with us, He
came to die to save us. He came to demonstrate
to us how to walk as He did. He came to loose the chains of injustice which
held us tightly bound, to untie the cords of the yoke of sin and set us – the oppressed
- free and to break every yoke of bondage. We who once walked in darkness have now seen a
great Light. The Child has been born,
the Son has been given. The government
He carries on His shoulders and He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Our
despair now gives way to hope. Hope deferred
makes one’s heart sick but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Comfort, comfort My people says your God. Speak tenderly to them and proclaim to them
that their hard service has been completed, their sins have been paid for. This is really very Good News – For God so
loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to
save the world through Him. Don’t let
the tinsel and lights of this Christmas distract you from the True Light Who,
for love, freely gives life in abundance to all who will trust in Him. In Him was life and that life was the light
of men.
33 Oh,
the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable
his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the
Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?”
36 For
from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory
forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (NIV)
38 For I
am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans
8:38-39 (NIV)
MERRY CHRISTMAS
BETH YOE
