The Savior, Pt. 1
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.”
The incarnation should stop us in our tracks. Why would the eternal God step into time? Why would the Creator enter His creation, shackled by mortality? The answer - a holy and perfect love. The Holy One drew near and embraced us as dearly beloved.
Jesus did not arrive removed from the pain of this world. He wasn’t some prince with a litany of servants to cater to His every need, even though that’s exactly what He deserved. He was born into poverty, unknown. Willingly, He came into a broken and sinful world. God Almighty chose a manger, not a palace. He chose weakness and strife instead of comfort and peace. From His very first breath, Jesus identified with us. He was seeking relationship. This elucidated the character of God for us. It gave a lens into the scripture that already existed. He always wanted to know us; to love us deeply, personally and for us to know Him back.
This is the what the Gospel is all about. Our Lord did not wait for us to clean ourselves up. He met us in our mess. He stepped into our suffering, our grief, our temptation, and our shame. He lived among sinners, touched the unclean, and loved the ones who seemed unlovable. He did it while maintaining His holiness, never sinning. He showed us the way.
The Bible tells us that Jesus understands our weakness. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). He knew exactly what it was like to be hungry and tired. He knew the very depths of sorrow and pain. The betrayal of a brother. He knows what it feels like to be tempted, to be rejected, for no one to understand him. He is not a distant Savior. He is God with us, Emmanuel.
The manger was only the beginning, the “Beautiful Birth.” Jesus was born to die. He lived his life with purpose and that purpose was sacrifice. The hands that were swaddled in cloth would one day be maliciously pierced for our sin. The child who was laid to peacefully rest among the straw would grow to carry a cursed cross. The incarnation points us forward to the sacrifice that could save us if we would only believe and turn to Him!
Advent reminds us that salvation is not some abstract idea. It is profoundly personal. God saw the absolute state of us and came Himself. Jesus, YHWH God the Son, took on flesh so that He could take our place. Because He entered our world, we can now be brought into His presence! What a wonderful gift! What a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus!
The Savior came. God is with us. And because of Jesus, we will never be alone again.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for coming near then in the flesh. We thank You that You continue to draw near to us in every moment of every day. Thank You for sending your blessed Son, Jesus, to take on flesh and enter our brokenness. Help us to never lose the wonder of the incarnation. Teach us to live in the gratitude that you deserve. To worship because of the salvation You have given us. In the wonderful, beautiful name of Jesus we pray, Amen!