If you've been a Christian for a number of years or if you grew up where Christmas is traditionally celebrated, the idea that a member of the Godhead became veiled in flesh may have lost its strangeness. It’s Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year! It’s kind Joseph, serene Mary, and incandescent baby Jesus in a manger. It’s a crèche with quaint figurine shepherds, three wise men, sheep, a donkey, and an ox. Oh, and the chubby cherub with the “Gloria” scroll.
Precious baby Jesus; you just want to pick him up and give him a squeeze.
And if you could have, you would have been holding Yahweh who at that moment was upholding you along with the entire universe by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3). You would have been squeezing the Creator of all things (Colossians 1:16). Your hands may have trembled to be holding the seven-pound, newborn “Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6).
The Christmas story is the wildest story in the history of the world. So don’t let Christmas merely be quaint — for you or for those you know and love. Let it make you quake.
There is glory to see in the manger, but to see it we likely need to do more than just set up the crèche and read Luke chapter two. To really see the Jesus of the manger we need to see the Jesus of Mark 4 who rules the wind, the Jesus of Matthew 27 hanging by nails on a Roman cross, and the resurrected Jesus of Revelation 5 reigning eternally victorious. ...
The Christ of the crèche is not quaint. The Messiah of the manger is the “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6). Let’s help people really come and adore him.