The Miracle of Christmas: God Became One of Us
Christmas in Hawaii is different than most places! Christmas lights seem to stay up all year, we decorate palm trees as often as pine trees, and we have an abundance of sunshine in place of snow. The days are warm (shorts and slippers instead of winter coats and boots) but we too join our hearts in awe-filled worship, along with followers of Jesus around the world.
We love all the beloved traditions of Christmas but let us marvel anew at what we truly celebrate—the infinite God of all creation and all time stepped into human history as a helpless baby in Bethlehem. None of God's miracles and blessings throughout history can compare to this, the miracle of the Incarnation, eternal God crossing the infinte gap between us and taking physical form.
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14, CSB). This wasn't simply a visit from God or one of God's angels dropping in to make a brief appearance. This was God taking on human flesh, moving into the neighborhood, pitching His tent among us, entering fully into our human experience—the joys and the sorrows, the laughter and the tears, the ordinary moments and the extraordinary ones.
During His years on earth, Jesus lived just like you and me, except for one massive difference! Jesus was "tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He lived the perfect life that you and I are commanded to live, so that He could make the perfect sacrifice that you and I could never make, so that He can fully forgive all who believe, repent, and follow Him! And that is something worth celebrating all year long!
The early church fathers stood in awe of the mystery and wonder of this miracle. One wrote that "the Son of God became man so that we might become God" (Athanasius).
He did not mean that we become gods ourselves, of course, but that through God's miracle of coming to save us we might be connected with God through faith in Christ. Another marveled that "He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed" (Augustine). Think of it! The hands of Mary that cradled the infant Jesus were fashioned by that very same child.
Why would God do such a thing? The apostle Paul gives us the answer: "When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5, CSB). God became one of us to bring us to Himself.
Isaiah prophesied it centuries before Jesus was born: "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel—God with us. Not God far off. Not God merely watching from a distance. God with us, sharing our humanity, understanding our struggles, bearing our griefs.
This Christmas season, some of us will notice empty chairs where loved ones once sat. Some of us face health challenges that weigh heavily on our hearts. Others feel the years and wonder what the future holds. But the miracle of Christmas speaks directly to us: we do not walk alone. The God who became a baby in Bethlehem walks with us still. He knows what it means to be human because He lived it. He understands our pain because He experienced it.
Let us celebrate the greatest of all God's miracles—that He loved us enough to become one of us, to save us so that we might be with Him forever. As we sing our carols and share our meals, as we gather with family and friends, may our hearts echo Mary's song: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46-47).
Merry Christmas, dear Olivet Ohana!
Jesus—our Immanuel—has come!
In Christ's aloha,
Pastor Jamie
