ChosenRebel's Blog

A Christmas Meditation

The Bible opens with the magnificent words, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” 

Majestic.

There is nothing but God and God creates all that is seen and unseen.

Eventually, He creates “Friday’s Child”–man.

Man walks with God in a garden and world designed for him by a loving Potter. There is sweet fellowship between man and God, between creature and Creator. 

Creator and image-bearer. Harmony.

But it doesn’t last.

Man chooses his own independent way. Sin and corruption enter the perfection of everything that God had declared good.

And the image of God in man, is broken.

But the loving God, the One whose love is described as a “lovingkindness” goes on a search and rescue mission to redeem His fallen creation.

A promise is made to a man called Abraham, “. . .  in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3b; 22:18).

And the story begins to unfold.

It is not an easy story.

Sin complicates everything.

Disobedience complicates every life.

The whole Old Testament is in many ways a story of tragedy, woe, corruption, idolatry, unfaithfulness, arrogance, and darkness punctuated by a few short flickers of light.

And yet, the God of the promise remains true.

Darkness increases.

400 years of silence from God between the last writing prophet (Malachi) and the coming of Messiah. A wilderness wandering of His people ten times longer than the Exodus from Egypt.

Israel lays down by the waters of Babylon and weeps (Psalm 137:1) The hymn writer captures the broken and longing heart for God’s redemption.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel.
That mourns in lowly exile here
Until the Son of God appear

All the families of the earth will be blessed through the one people of one small tribe, one family, one line, one man, one more-than-man, the One incarnate Son of God, sent to save His people from their sin (Matthew 1:21).

Then, “in the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) “God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law”.

John’s Gospel opens with New Testament light shining all the way back to Genesis and the creation story and illumining every future moment of time.

“In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The fulness of time has come. The Messiah walks the earth! 

The incarnate word.
The light.
The glory.
We beheld His glory (John 1:14).

God kept his promise. All the families of the earth are blessed in Him. 

Shout that out this Christmas.

It’s what Christmas was made for.