Merry Christmas from Above! By Rev. George F. Borghardt
M
erry Christmas! In the Name of Jesus. Amen. Oh yes, Merry Christmas! Say it to me! Merry Christmas! Say it to those around you. Merry Christmas! “O Come All Ye Faithful” to hear some “Angels We Have Heard on High.”“Joy to the World the Lord has come” into “the little town of Bethlehem.” You see, there’s no FROM ABOVE without our Lord Jesus coming to you “from above.” And that first “from above” is all Christmasy! For Christmas is the celebration that Jesus is God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made;” (Nicene Creed)
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The eternal Word was with God in the beginning and is the One through whom all things were made… for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man.” (Nicene Creed) In the Virgin’s arms, wrapped in swaddling clothes is God Himself. God Incarnate! Like chili con carne is “chili with meat.”“Incarnate” means “became meat, became flesh.” God is in our flesh to save us. He’s in our flesh. The Word became flesh and dwelt, literally “tabernacled,” among us and not just in a tent like He did in the Old Testament where He was delivering blood-sprinkled forgiveness to us veiled and hidden behind a curtain, lest His glory do us in. But, since Christmas, God has “from-aboved” to us. He dwells with sinners now! With even you and me whose hearts are all “two sizes too small!” He tabernacles with us! We beheld His glory in the flesh and blood of the man, Jesus. Now all the rules of how the God-who-was-up-there are off! For since God in Christ has taken on your flesh, God has fingers like you. Ten piggies like you. He has a heart that beats fast when He’s excited. He hungers and thirsts. He has dirty diapers. He spits! God spits!
