It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
As an avid supporter of cliches, I use this with no shame. It is most accurate to recognize that this truly is a time of wonder. We fill our days with joy, singing, gift-giving, and holiday cheer. I submit to you that this is right and good.
There is a reason why we measure our years by the birth of a child a little over two millennia ago; and it’s no surprise that we also mark this occasion with joy. In the history of world religions, there is nothing novel about a story of a man becoming a god. There is also nothing novel about stories of gods interacting with humans. However, there is something incredibly novel about a story of God becoming a man. This concept, known as the incarnation, is the foundational truth claim of the Christian religion.
It is the idea on which all Christian theology will either stand or fall. Because of that, it is also the idea on which any hope of redemption will stand or fall. It may seem a bit foolish to say that the reason for our joy is based on something we recognize as impossible.
I will only say what I see the scriptures say: that the foolishness of God is wiser than men. So what exactly is the incarnation and what does it have to do with Christmas being the most wonderful time of year? To begin with, I will say that without the incarnation, there is no reason for joy. To use another cliche, there is a reason for the season.
As stated above, many religious systems have found a place in societies throughout history. Many with specific rituals and beliefs about how to bridge the gap between man and God. However, in the incarnation we find that instead of man’s efforts to bridge the gap, God condescends to us. The eternal God – the uncreated creator – takes on flesh. Born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit and not inheriting the sin of our father Adam, we find this God uniquely suited to live the life we should have lived.
Truly God and truly man – as the creed says – we see that this God-man can finally save our fallen race. I believe that one may look at this moment in history as the crescendo.
No more shall we walk in darkness, searching for a way back to the garden. No more shall we suffer under the heavy weight of our sin. This is the beginning of the greatest, and only, truly redemptive story in the world. This is why we divide our days by this birth.
Never before, and never again, was the whole world changed by the birth of one child.
This Christmas season, tarry no longer. Look to Christ and live.
Jeremy Wiggins is a columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, jeremywiggins87@gmail.com.