Tree Trimming #1: The Incarnation as Trinitarian Enterprise

Ornament #1 is the Triquetra, aka the "Trinity Knot".  

"The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." Luke 1:35 (NIV)

When it comes to celebrating the holiday we call Christmas, I've been on both sides of the fence.  Growing up, I was like most kids and found excitement in Santa, the presents under the tree, and time off from school.  Sure, I went to Mass, enjoyed singing Christmas carols and loved Linus' scripture quotations from Luke's gospel in the Peanuts Christmas Special but Jesus wasn't center stage for me.  What I could milk the holiday for--THAT was center stage for me.

My shallow view was due to seeing only the holiday itself and not the biblical truth around it.  Say what you will about December 25th and it's pagan roots.  I know some believers who are sincerely troubled by the fact that many, if not most Christians celebrate it.  But disputes over the special nature of particular days is nothing new in the church (see Romans 14:5-8).  Whatever your position is on the day, all Christians simply must agree that the Incarnation--the revelation of the divine Son of God in human flesh--is certainly worth celebrating.  When Christians celebrate Christmas, we should be highlighting the Incarnation (and it's purpose) as the central focus.

Some, however, will continue what is often the uncharitable debate over whether or not to embrace December 25th with all the pagan mystique surrounding it.  Some will continue to embrace childish self-absorption in what they can get out of the holiday.  But perhaps the greater sin isn't the fighting or selfishness but the failure to see the cosmic effects of the Godhead's awesome design.  The incarnation is FOR us, but it's not ABOUT us.  It's about God.  In this 1st of 25 ornaments, let's start with Him.

The Father: The Incarnation highlights the lavish love that is entailed in the giving of His One and Only Son; the One Who was at His bosom.  The Father spared no expense to save rebel sinners.  As it is written, "But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons" (Galatians 4:4-5).  It is through the Incarnation that the Father has adopted us into His family.

The Son:  Illustrating the extent of His loyal love and obedience to His Father, the Son, our Lord Jesus, condescended to live among us.  It's probably impossible to do better Philippians 2:5-11 which describes how Christ "made Himself of no reputation taking the form of a bond servant... He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."  The inevitable presence of the manger scenes should be celebrated... but not at the expense of forgetting the Calvary's Cross which was the reason He came.

The Holy Spirit: Often considered The Trinity's "shy guy", the Holy Spirit features quite prominently in the Incarnation and birth of Christ.  The writer of the book of Hebrews does something very interesting with Psalm 40:6-8: he puts those words in the mouth of Christ (see Hebrews 10:1-7).  The "prepared body" referenced in the passage is the literal body of the historical man, Jesus of Nazareth.  There are many questions that we have today about the birth of Jesus.  But in Luke's account, the chief question is "How can this be since I do not know a man?"  Answer: the Holy Spirit prepared the body of our Lord Jesus.

I thought I'd tackle the heavy theological issues up front--before too much fruitcake, eggnog, fruitless romance flicks that pass for "Christmas movies" take up too much space in your psychological/mental hard drive.  Before too many details on your shopping list crowd your vision, pause to ponder a mystery for the ages.  With your mind's eye don't glance, but gaze upon scripture's picture of this season's enormity.  Bare witness once again--or maybe even for the first time--the master plan of our Triune God evidenced by the Babe born in Bethlehem Who came "for us men and for our salvation".

Christmas and God's Vindication

It was unworthy of the goodness of God that creatures made by Him should be brought to nothing

through the deceit wrought upon man by the devil; and it was supremely unfitting that the

work of God in mankind should disappear, either through their own negligence or through

the deceit of evil spirits. As, then, the creatures whom He had created reasonable, like the

Word, were in fact perishing, and such noble works were on the road to ruin, what then

was God, being Good, to do? Was He to let corruption and death have their way with them?

In that case, what was the use of having made them in the beginning? Surely it would have

been better never to have been created at all than, having been created, to be neglected and

perish; and, besides that, such indifference to the ruin of His own work before His very eyes

would argue not goodness in God but limitation, and that far more than if He had never

created men at all. It was impossible, therefore, that God should leave man to be carried off

by corruption, because it would be unfitting and unworthy of Himself.

-Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation

By the majority of accounts, Athanasius was a 1st class pastor and bishop in addition to being a premier scholar in his day.  It's not hard to see how his passion for ministry was well-suited to his theological perspective by any examination of the quotation above.  For Athanasius, the very impulse by which God seeks to right the wrongs of sin and death in the physical universe isn't just for His own vindication.  But God's divine determination to demonstrate His holiness and His great love for us are ball and socket of one and the same joint.  

Christmas is celebrated all over the world, but in the Church, we worship God for taking on flesh.  This is the doctrine called "the Incarnation" (and it also includes something called "The Hypostatic Union" which is creatively explained by Shai Linne).  The Spirit-God, according to His own wisdom and purpose made the physical universe.  And in doing so, Athanasius argues, He was making a commitment to care for and maintain it.  Although He created an image-bearer to act as His agent on earth, God was still ultimately sovereign and would ultimately respond, as it were, to the blunder of man and the belligerence of the Enemy. 

Despite man's sin, God was unwilling to "let corruption and death have their way" with man and the universe.  So, God entered into His creation to ultimately right it's wrongs and history a monumental chapter change in the story chronicling  the outbreak of God's Kingdom in Christ's birth.  God had already been active in the steady march against sin, but in Christ, He had turned up the momentum and was surely set on defeating the Devil, sin, and death itself by the Cross and Resurrection.  John Donne in the Book of Uncommon Prayers puts it like this:  "His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas Day and his Good Friday are but the evening and the morning of one and the same day.  From the [cradle] to the cross is an inseparable line.  Christmas only points forward to Good Friday and Easter."    

This Christmas, I am encouraged.  I am reminded that God is entirely engrossed and engaged in overcoming the deepest problems in my life.  Because of Christmas, I know that God is not just winking at sin in my body, but is sure to defeat it.  And since I am His, I'm to cooperate with Him as a dutiful son, industrious "about my Father's business".  Despite my own failures, I know that He will not fail, nor will He forsake me; for He cannot forsake Himself, nor will He suffer losing me to another.  His glory is my comfort and assurance for He is committed to His glory and to His elect.

Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth.  Good will to men on whom His favor rests.