One of my favorite Christmas carols has a beautiful chorus. It’s a simple, yet profound invitation to all who sing:
O come let us adore Him;
O come let us adore Him;
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Christmas, and the advent season leading up to it, serves as a rich time of reflection for Jesus’ people. The incarnation—the act of God the Son taking on our humanity—is an astounding event, one worthy of our attention and focus on an annual basis. Of course, there is competition. The festivities and music and decorations and gifts, as rich traditions as they may be, clamor for our attention with their shiny attraction and promise of joy.
Many of these traditions tip their hats to the incarnation, but don’t rely upon its inherent glory to produce joy and wonder within us. But the incarnation is worthy of our gaze and time and songs.
Because nothing like it has ever happened before, and the significance of its happening can hardly be overstated.
Wait, Christmas?
But why are we talking about Christmas, when we haven’t even passed Thanksgiving? We have reached a pivotal point in our study of Matthew. After walking through Matthew’s Gospel for over a year and a half, we arrive at his climactic conclusion: Jesus’ death and resurrection.
And so, as we enter into our own season of Advent in two weeks, we begin a short sub-series called “The Word Made Flesh” on Sundays. Over the next several weeks, we will journey with Matthew as he leads us to the cross, to the grave, and to the risen Savior.
Now, you may cringe. “This doesn’t feel all that Christmasey. What about baby Jesus?”
Spending our time focusing on the betrayal, arrest, suffering and death of Jesus, how does that get us into the Christmas spirit? If by Christmas spirit you mean mistletoe and presents and way too much sugar, then you’re right. It won’t. But if you mean the main thing Christmas is meant to point us to, then you’re wrong.
Because Christmas is ultimately meaningless without the cross. And the cross could not happen without Jesus’ birth. In other words, it is impossible for us to understand Jesus’ death and resurrection without also tying it to the incarnation.
And so each week, we’ll walk through another passage of this glorious section of Matthew and hear the heart of the gospel. Our goal over the next month is to help Village see the Jesus truly, as He is. All so we might sing with hearts all the more full of unshakable joy, “O come let us adore Him.”