Love came down at Christmas.

Human beings have many different ways of indicating their love for one another and, every now and then, someone comes up with a really original idea. I recall reading, many years ago, a newspaper report that told of a young lady who, on her birthday anniversary, received the largest parcel she had ever seen. The delivery men carried it, very carefully, into the house and, with mounting excitement, she began to open it. To her utter amazement - and great delight - the parcel suddenly burst open, and out jumped her boyfriend! He had decided that the best possible gift he could give her, in order to express his love for her, was himself.

For so many, the Christmas season has been wrapped up with ever-increasing commercialisation; with food, and fun, and festivities. However, if we remove the wrapping, we discover that is is, basically, Almighty God - the Creator and Sustainer of all that is - giving Himself in order to show His love for mankind. The angel's message to Joseph was that the Child to Whom Mary would give birth, would be called "Immanuel" - "God with us" (Mt.1:23); while my personal favourite "Christmas text" is found, not in the familiar birth narratives, but in that best-known of New Covenant verses, Jn.3:16 - "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."  And that "eternal life, by the way, is not some "pie in the sky when you die", but something you receive here and now!

"God is Love", John assures us in one of his letters (I Jn.4:16) and, in the Incarnation, He expressed Himself in Jesus, "His indescribable Gift" (II Cor.9:15). Christmas is the beginning of a love story that goes on to Resurrection Day, when the Babe in the manger becomes the Christ on the Cross, suffering and dying for our salvation - and rising from the dead, victorious over death, and hell, and the grave!

Most of those who read this blog will receive a number of gifts tomorrow, each of them an indication of the love of the giver. Be sure that, if you have never received it before, you accept the greatest Gift of all - Jesus, and the salvation He offers.

... and a Christmas thought: Wise men sought Jesus; they still do!

Incarnation (2)

In the previous post, I suggested that the possibility of the Incarnation must be admitted.  Only the most arrogant of people would disagree with that statement.  In this post, I want to further suggest that the necessity of the Incarnation can be asserted.

If we look at human love, we quickly realise that it has the distinctive quality that it is never content to remain unknown - it must reveal, and express, itself; it can do no other.  The apostle John, in his first letter to the church at large makes, and repeats, the basic truth about Almighty God - "God is love" (I John 4:8, 16).  This love is not to the erotic, or sentimental 'love' that is most prevalent in contemporary western society, but is, in the Greek language, agape.  Such love was often described by my former minister, spiritual mentor, and personal friend, the late Rev George B Duncan, as "a minimum of emotion, and a maximum of evaluation".  It is a self-giving love that sees something of inestimable worth in its object.  It is, indeed, the very love of that Almighty God Whom it describes.  Since He is love, we may be assured that God would wish to reveal Himself to the objects of His love!

Human life then determines the manner of such a revelation.  Humanity is the only level of life that mankind can truly understand.  If God wished to reveal Himself, and His love, it is surely not unreasonable to expect that He would do so on that level, and reveal Himself as a Man.

This, as has been sung so often over the past weeks, is exactly what the Christian faith, and the Christmas message, claim that He did.  "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail! the Incarnate Deity. Pleased as Man, with man, to dwell; Jesus, our Immanuel."  And that title "Immanuel" means "God with us". (see Matt.1:23).   Or what about words that are usually sung more quietly, and gently, but that proclaim the same message?  "Love came down at Christmas; Love all lovely, Love divine."

Yes, the Incarnation - the coming of the Creator in the very human flesh that He had created - is not only possible, it also makes perfect sense.  Those of us who believe that it is all wonderfully true can only join the shepherds and, much later (in spite of what nativity plays portray!) the Magi in bowing before the Christ-child in love and adoration.  "O come, let us adore Him - Christ, the Lord."

Emmanuel

Only four more sleeps, as we used to say to twin boys whom we fostered for about four years.  Four more sleeps, and when we awake, it will be Christmas Day!  On Sunday, in Wishaw Baptist Church, we were reminded of those words from Matthew's account of the Gospel - words spoken to Joseph in a dream, as he considered quietly breaking his betrothal with Mary, who was now pregnant: "... an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.'  All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 'Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His Name shall be called Emmanuel' (which means, God with us)." (Matt 1:20-24).  We looked, specifically, at the Name "Emmanuel", and its given meaning of "God with us".

The clip below shares some words from the great Baptist preacher of an earlier era, Charles Haddon Spurgeon - but in a manner which Spurgeon would not even have imagined!