“Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:21-23).
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
“Inasmuch then as the children [whom the Father has given to the Son] have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same . . . Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brothers, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of His people” (Hebrews 2:14, 17).
Dear Praying Friends:
How I need to remember why the divine Son of God became a man for us, the “great mystery" (magnum mysterium) that we celebrate at Christmas!
It was not, at this first coming, to eradicate all earthly evil, heal all diseases, feed all the hungry, end all wars, resolve all conflicts between us, or bring perfect “justice now,” though Jesus did display God’s pity and power to the poor, the sick, and the outcast, as a foretaste of what is to come.
No, the Incarnation gifted us with a greater present: the very presence of God with us at all times, made possible by the sacrifice of Christ as a propitiation for our sins, and to give us a Great High Priest to whom we can carry all our cares, griefs, and sorrows in prayer. In short, he came to “bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
And to give us a “sure and certain hope” that one day we will dwell with him in a new heaven and new earth, where God the Father himself will one day “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes” (Revelation 21:4).
I refer you to two excellent meditations on this magnificent manifestation of God’s glory and grace: Sarah’s most recent blog (mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/sarah+/FMfcgzQXKhLsBLwfKqqgdgVBCTNdVLSK) and Malcolm Guite’s poem “O Emmanuel” (/malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2024/12/23/o-emmanuel-a-final-antiphon-and-more-music-9/).
For your prayers (Pick two or three): Please ask God to
Turn our eyes away from, or beyond, all the glitter and messes of Christmas and toward his own Son, our only true hope and joy.
Greatly bless the Chinese Mission Convention sponsored by Ambassadors for Christ at the end of the week and provide all the funds they need (afcministry.org/cmc-en/).
Make us all a blessing to those around us, especially those in need.
Yours in his eternal peace and joy,
Wright