God Comes in Christ!...

This is Advent, the season in which we prepare for the coming of Christ in Christmas - a season of 12 days that begins on what we call Christmas Eve sundown on Christmas Eve is the beginning of Christmas Day. Why does the birth of Jesus matter? Jesus birth matters because of Jesus’ identity.

We see the deity of Jesus in some of the great Christmas hymns.

“Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail the incarnate Deity!” I love those words by Charles Wesley, sweet singer of Methodism. Yet, I also wonder, how many know that “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” is talking about God becoming flesh? Wesley does this while also alluding to the Trinity.

A line less well known, but teaching God becomes flesh in Jesus, is found in “A Great and Mighty Wonder.” This hymn with roots in the 7th or 8th century says, “The word becomes incarnate, And yet remains on high.” Jesus is the eternal God become a human being, yet remains the Living God. Surely this is a mystery.

One of my favorites is equally clear, though not using the word incarnation. In “Of The Father’s Love Begotten” a hymn with roots in the 4th or 5th century, we read, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten, Ere the worlds began to be; He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending He....” This speaks of the eternity of Jesus, one of his divine attributes.

Luther put it clearly in one of his hymns. Christ speaks in the opening of the hymn, “From heaven above to earth I come.” Later the hymn goes on to say, “This is the Christ, our God Most High, Who hears your sad and bitter cry; He will Himself your Savior be From all your sins to set you free.” He is the “infant child ... By whom the heav’ns and earth were made.” Yes, the Christ who is the infant child, who makes the world, is also the one who frees us from our sins in his death and resurrection. Christmas and Easter are linked.

In this Covid Christmas many families may feel Christmas is lost. Churches may miss the full pageantry of Christmas. Yet, my friends, Christmas is not lost. Christmas is not for children alone; Christmas is for everyone of all ages. We will, many of us, have subdued celebrations in church this year. Some churches may not have special services. Many may not be able to gather as families the way we’d like. Yet, this does not mean Christmas is missing. Christmas is coming. God is still with us!

In the midst of this Covid Christmas, when we feel the brokenness of this fallen creation, let us pray in words with 12th century roots, “0 Come, 0 Come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.”

(Editor’s Note: This column is written by a different Littlefield pastor for the Leader-News each week The columns are published on this page on Wednesdays.)