Born the Son of Man
The Christmas story has a way of slowing us down, especially when we take time to really sit with the details. Luke tells us that God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a small and overlooked town, to a young woman with no status or influence. From the very beginning, the incarnation unfolds quietly. There is no announcement to kings, no palace prepared, no crowd gathered in anticipation. Instead, God chooses obscurity.
Mary conceives by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the eternal Son of God takes on human flesh. This child, fully God and fully man, is born into poverty and laid in an animal feeding trough. These details are not incidental. They reveal something essential about who God is. When John writes that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, he says that we beheld His glory. That glory is revealed through humility.
The manger shows us the heart of God. God is comfortable entering human weakness. He is not diminished by smallness. He does not lose His identity by coming close. The same Jesus who is worshiped in heaven is the Jesus who lay in a feeding trough. The stable does not lessen His divinity. It displays it.
This child is Immanuel, God with us. Isaiah calls Him Mighty God. Paul calls Him the great God and Savior. The early church confessed Him as very God of very God, of one substance with the Father. The incarnation does not introduce a new person. The eternal Son takes on a real human nature while remaining fully divine. In the womb of Mary, He is still the second person of the Trinity. Jesus grows, lives, and walks among us without ever losing the purity and holiness He possessed as a newborn. He experiences temptation, hunger, sorrow, and suffering, yet remains without sin. When He goes to the cross, He does so as the spotless Lamb. The innocence of the manger carries all the way to Calvary.
The reason for His coming is clear. Human sin required redemption. Jesus was born so that He could die, and His death was offered on our behalf. Scripture tells us that God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us. The incarnation made that possible. By taking on our nature, Jesus became a merciful and faithful high priest, able to stand in our place and make atonement for sin.
Christmas gains depth when we remember why Jesus came. The lights, songs, and celebrations find their meaning in the gift of the Son Himself. God gave us Jesus, and through Him, salvation, forgiveness, and restored relationship. As we look again at the manger, we are invited to take on the same mindset that was in Christ Jesus. He humbled Himself and took the form of a servant. His life reveals the nature of God and calls us into a life shaped by humility, obedience, and worship. This is the wonder of Christmas. God came near. God took on flesh. God revealed His heart.
Mary conceives by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the eternal Son of God takes on human flesh. This child, fully God and fully man, is born into poverty and laid in an animal feeding trough. These details are not incidental. They reveal something essential about who God is. When John writes that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, he says that we beheld His glory. That glory is revealed through humility.
The manger shows us the heart of God. God is comfortable entering human weakness. He is not diminished by smallness. He does not lose His identity by coming close. The same Jesus who is worshiped in heaven is the Jesus who lay in a feeding trough. The stable does not lessen His divinity. It displays it.
This child is Immanuel, God with us. Isaiah calls Him Mighty God. Paul calls Him the great God and Savior. The early church confessed Him as very God of very God, of one substance with the Father. The incarnation does not introduce a new person. The eternal Son takes on a real human nature while remaining fully divine. In the womb of Mary, He is still the second person of the Trinity. Jesus grows, lives, and walks among us without ever losing the purity and holiness He possessed as a newborn. He experiences temptation, hunger, sorrow, and suffering, yet remains without sin. When He goes to the cross, He does so as the spotless Lamb. The innocence of the manger carries all the way to Calvary.
The reason for His coming is clear. Human sin required redemption. Jesus was born so that He could die, and His death was offered on our behalf. Scripture tells us that God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us. The incarnation made that possible. By taking on our nature, Jesus became a merciful and faithful high priest, able to stand in our place and make atonement for sin.
Christmas gains depth when we remember why Jesus came. The lights, songs, and celebrations find their meaning in the gift of the Son Himself. God gave us Jesus, and through Him, salvation, forgiveness, and restored relationship. As we look again at the manger, we are invited to take on the same mindset that was in Christ Jesus. He humbled Himself and took the form of a servant. His life reveals the nature of God and calls us into a life shaped by humility, obedience, and worship. This is the wonder of Christmas. God came near. God took on flesh. God revealed His heart.
As you reflect on the humility of Christ, what might God be inviting you to lay down or surrender this season?
How can embracing the mindset of Christ shape the way you live, worship, and serve others this week?
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