This week we started a 4 week Advent series where we are focusing on the incarnation of Christ.  What is so significant about the incarnation that we would take an entire month to focus on it?  Why are so many other churches doing the same?  I've heard this word Advent before, but I don't really understand what all the fuss is about!  If those questions and thoughts have run through your mind, you aren't alone.  For many people, when they think about Christmas, there is a long list of things that come to mind well before they ever even begin to think about the incarnation.  In fact, I'd be willing to bet that for the majority of people who will celebrate Christmas in this country and around the world this year, Jesus doesn't even factor into the equation.  Yikes!  How did we get here???

     I recently had a conversation with a family member who is among the "uninitiated" when it comes to Star Wars.  She had heard a report about how the upcoming Episode IX film would be the last in the series.  I had to gently remind her that, while it is true that the plan is to end the "Skywalker" story arc with this film, the marketing machine behind all things Disney (for those of you who don't know, Disney purchased the rights to the Star Wars franchise several years ago) will bleed that cash cow until every last penny has been squeezed out of it.  Rest assured, there will be more Star Wars content to come!

     In many ways, Christmas is a lot like Star Wars when it comes to the hype.  As a father who loves Star Wars, I couldn't wait to take my kids to see the Force Awakens on the big screen a few years ago.  I was so excited to see the wonder and amazement in their eyes that I remembered experiencing when I was a kid seeing the original films for the very first time!  A whole new generation is getting to fall in love with Star Wars.  Christmas is much the same.  As Cody mentioned, Christmas for so many of us is a chance to annually return to our childhood and celebrate all of the family traditions that we grew up with.

     People all over the world who aren't even a little bit Christian will get caught up in the experience of Christmas this year.  One of my least favorite parts of Christmas is the abbreviated form "X-Mas" because it takes the "Christ" out of "Christmas".  But sadly, perhaps that is really more accurately what Christmas is for most people.  I may far too often be guilty of falling into that camp myself.

     So, we are taking the opportunity this month to push the reset button on Christmas.  Not that we don't want to see families enjoy the festivities and traditions of Christmas this year (because we do), but rather we just want to reorient our hearts on what is most important.  That's why this year, we are doing Christmas right at The Journey.

     With that said, to kick us off this week, in an attempt to start reprogramming our brains when it comes to Christmas, let me share just five reasons why the incarnation is important for us to understand and celebrate this year as believers:

1.  The incarnation is the fullest expression of God's character.
If you attend The Journey, you have heard me say this before, but if you want to know something about God, you look to Jesus.  Paul says that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15).  In other words, Jesus, as God in the flesh, is the fullness of God's revelation for his people.  We have the scriptures and for that we rejoice, but above all, we look to Jesus to see and understand the heart and mind of God.  This is only possible through the incarnation.

2.  The incarnation makes salvation possible.
One of the most often overlooked or misunderstood components of the gospel is the necessity for Christ to die.  We get that he did die for our sins, but I think we often fail to grasp why.  Without Christ's atoning work on the cross (his physical suffering and death), mankind could not be forgiven.  For God to simply forgive and forget our sins, to sweep them under the rug as it is, would be to depart from and violate his holiness.  I have often described God's holiness as his "otherness," that is, that which makes God distinct from everything else.  It isn't just his perfect righteousness (although that is part of it), but rather it is that he is wholly and completely distinguished from and superior to all which he has created.  Anything less than utter perfection is insufficient for him.  If God were to forgive our sins without fully pouring out the wrath and judgement which they deserve, then he would cease to be good and just.  He would not be a good judge.  But, as it is, he is a good and perfect judge and so he poured his wrath out on the only thing that was worthy to appease it...himself.  Jesus, as God incarnate, was the spotless lamb that needed to be sacrificed in order to make atonement for our sins.  His death (and by consequence, his perfect life) were necessary for salvation.

3.  The incarnation reaffirms God's design for creation.
In Genesis 1:28, God delivers his "cultural mandate" to Adam and Eve.  Mankind was created in the image of God to serve as his vice-regents and to have dominion over his creation.  We are created to serve as not just caretakers over that which God has created, but more importantly as the physical reflection of God among creation.  In ancient times, things of importance and value (money, buildings, etc.) would be adorned with the icon of the emperor.  This meant that these things had derived their value from and were backed by the power of the emperor himself.  In the same way, man serves as an icon for God among all created things.  That God took on flesh reaffirms his connection to the physical world and his creation.  In Christ, the spiritual/divine and the physical are eternally united.  A man, Christ, God in the flesh, will forever reign and rule over creation.

4.  The incarnation displays the humility of Christ.
That God condescended to save us is an understatement.  Not only did he enter the world, but he entered it in the most humble and vulnerable of ways...as a baby.  Think for a second about how fragile and delicate and utterly dependent a baby is.  Now, try to wrap your mind around the fact that while he was lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling cloths, Christ was at the same time holding together all things (the very fabric of the entire universe) by his power (***enter exploding head emoji here***).   When he returns, the angels tell us, he will return in the same way that he left, coming from the clouds in glory, but that isn't the way he came the first time.  Jesus taught many lessons about humility and he modeled it throughout his life.  But, perhaps the greatest lesson on humility was taught that very first night of his life, when the King of all creation was born to two otherwise unimportant parents, among the filth of the animals because they couldn't even get a room in a house or an inn.

5.  The incarnation gives meaning to Christmas.
No matter what we do this year to celebrate Christmas, if we neglect to remember and give thanks for the incarnation, we have missed the boat.  In fact, all of the traditions which have slowly but surely served to steal our focus from what is most important, find their meaning and significance in Christ.  They were intended to serve as symbols and reminders to point us back to Jesus and the story of the incarnation.  When we celebrate "X-Mas," a Christless Christmas, we are simply further distancing ourselves from the only thing that will ever truly matter in our lives...knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior.

In Grace,
Chris Morris

If you missed this week's sermon (or just want to listen again), follow the link below to listen. Or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.

Part 1 - He Became Poor

Questions discussed in this sermon:

1.  Why do Christians celebrate the birth of Christ this time of year?
2.  How did Jesus become poor?
3.  In what way has the poverty of Jesus made us rich?

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