What The Incarnation Says To Us

What Does the Incarnation Say to Us?

Luke 2:8-14

Incarnation is one of those big church words we hear a lot about at Christmas. But what does it mean? If I asked you to define “Incarnation” could you do it? Let me give you a hint… it is not a flower and it does not come from contented cows.

Incarnation is the ultimate and final disclosure of the eternal God. It is the self-revelation of the Absolute Being Himself, the pre-existent Son of God, the second person of the Trinity taking human form.

John, in the fourth gospel, defines the incarnation as “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The incarnation is God, creator of all the universe, entering into the womb of a young virgin and being born in the flesh as a baby.

If you think of the incarnation it is not only a miracle… it is a great paradox.

The God from whom all things come, came forth from a human

He who is spirit became flesh and blood in order that flesh and blood might become spirit.

Jesus, who was sinless, was made sin, so that whose who were sinners might be made sinless.

Jesus, who was eternal, took on the form of the temporal, in order that those temporal creations might gain eternal life.

Jesus, who is one with the Father, endured separation from God so that those who were separated might become one with God.

So now, Jesus, who is truly God, came to be born in a flesh and blood body, born to a virgin, born in a barn, born a nobody.

That is great it makes for great Christmas carols and beautiful Christmas card covers.

But the question we raise is…

What does it mean to the person who is scratching out a living by the skin of their teeth, who are not sure where the money for next weeks groceries will come from?

What does the incarnation mean to a young unmarried girl who just found out that she is pregnant and is scared to death to tell her parents?

How does the incarnation help a nursing home resident who on the one hand does not want to be a burden on their family but on the other hand hungers for the love of their children and grandchildren?

Or what does the incarnation say to a person who has cancer, or AIDS, or who struggles with depression, or the gathering clouds of age… OR DEATH?

Does the incarnation… the birth of the Christ-child have something to say to them? If not, then what good is it?

If it does not have some help for those in need… the Christmas is just an excuse to express our worldliness and our greed.

If it offers no hope then Christmas is just an excuse for a party and a hangover.

If Christmas offers does not speak to our needy situation then it is just an excuse to forget the diet or take a vacation.

The good news we offer is that WE HAVE MORE THAN SANTA CLAUSE AND PRESENTS AND LIGHTS.

CHRISTMAS MAKES A DIFFERENCE!!!!!

First of all; The Incarnation says…

1. GOD IS LOVE.

To that person languishing in a nursing home, forgotten and abandoned by family and friends… the incarnation says That the same God who saw our hopeless and horrid condition, lost in our sin, and who left Heaven to come to us is the same God who today sees you in that nursing home and comes to be with you.

He is there, He is with you… not in the flesh but better… HE LIVES INSIDE OF YOU AND WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU.

To the wife whose husband has run off with another woman, or who suspects her husband is cheating on her… To the child whose parents are getting a divorce and he is fighting feelings of being unwanted and unlovable…

The message of the incarnation is I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU AND NEVER FORSAKE YOU.

To the teenager who sits home every weekend because they are too insecure to ask someone out or because no one asks them out…

The baby in the manger says God loves you and HE CHOSE YOU. God looked down from heaven, He saw you in your need and HE CHOSE TO COME TO YOU EVEN THOUGH IT MEANT PERSONAL SACRIFICE.

God loves you. John 3:16 says He loves you so much that He went out of his way, made personal sacrifice, did whatever was necessary to come to you and show His love.

There once was a farmer in Tennessee. One winter evening, just before dark, he heard something hit the bay window in the dining room. He went to investigate and saw a small bird flying into the window repeatedly. Farther out in the yard he saw a whole flock of little songbirds. He realized that these were birds migrating south and they had been caught by an early snowfall. They were cold and scratching through the thin snow in search of food. The one bird had seen the light and had tried to get into the house where it was warm. The farmer had an idea: He had a large barn where the birds would be safe and warm and there was plenty of hay on the floor so they could find seed. He put on his coat to go out and open the barn doors. He did… but the birds did not come in. He turned on a light hoping that would attract them. No luck. He sprinkled seed on the ground to make a path for them to follow. They ate some but did not come close to the barn. Fearing for their safety, he decided to take more drastic measures. He planned to circle around behind the flock and chase them into the barn. THAT WAS A REAL FLOP! After running himself ragged, he dropped to his knees on the snow. Finally a thought hit him--- “If only I were a bird. Then I could tell them about the warm barn and the seed. I could save their lives.”