On Christmas, we find the Incarnation of God into our broken world. It was the ultimate manifestation, the most clear revelation of God. It was the Word – Made – Flesh. The word came in a specific time and place to express the fulness of the love and grace and faithfulness of God. The incarnation is not about salvation alone, but re-creation.
So Christmas is not about the sweet baby Jesus born in Bethlehem. It’s about the in-breaking of God-in-Flesh who came (and continues to come) to reclaim, restore, and bring re-creation to all of humanity. It is the calm before the battle for the re-creation of heaven and earth. It may even be the first shot fired in the battle.
So what does that mean for us? We are the body of Christ. We are the physical manifestation of Jesus, at a specific time and place in history. We are not perfect. We are broken and hurting ourselves. Be we are the incarnation of the presence of God at this time and at this place. And we, as the body of Christ, exist to express the fulness of love and grace and the faithfulness of God to a dark work. This ain’t for us.
