The Mystery of Christmas

Dear Worshippers,

A little over a week ago I was holding our six-month Aiden. He was looking at his newly discovered hands half wondering if they were connected to him. As he marveled in that possibility, I found myself surprised by an awakening to a different reality. It struck me in that moment that my Savior became helpless, like my little guy, because I was hopeless. Revelation and response, a life of worship. It is amazing that our Redeemer came as an infant! WOW!

As amazing as the incarnation is, Christ coming in the flesh, it is possibly surpassed by this. That God not only sent His Son, but graciously revealed that to us. That which was a mystery hidden since ages past, has now been revealed.

When I think of mystery, my first thought is, “I have got to solve this.” That is not at all what is going with the mystery of Christmas. God is not saying, “I sent my Son. Now, figure out why.” No, this is not a mystery that we have to solve, but one that has been revealed to us. John 1 explains that very well.

The Word Became Flesh
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " 16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. (NIV)

I am so thankful that God revealed and keeps revealing His mystery to us, because if He had not, I would never have figured it out. I probably would not have even tried, and if I had, I would have gotten tied up in the realities that did not make sense. Thank you Lord.

I want to encourage you to go through these last few days before Christmas with you eyes wide open. It is very easy to miss the things that God is trying to reveal to us, especially when our eyes are so fixed on the things of this world that we forget they are pointing to greater possibilities and realities way beyond them. I pray the Father would reveal the mystery of Christmas to you again, in some new, fresh way today.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott