God's Quiet Revelation: The Depth of the Incarnation
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The nativity story, the incarnation, means God becoming human. God with us. God here in a body. This is the most significant event since the Trinity decided to make humanity way back in Genesis chapter 1. This is the most significant event in the history of the world. This is God becoming human. This is the great reveal. [00:02:56] (24 seconds)
If we want to know what God is really like, then we look at the manger, we look at the cross, we look at the empty tomb, because we're looking at Jesus to find out what God is really like. This is so significant. This is so important. This is God amongst us. This is God with us. This is God alongside us. [00:04:07] (20 seconds)
But Bethlehem somehow was so important in the mind of God, because that was where it was going to happen, that, this is a bit naughty, this bit, but we'll see if we can get away with it, that God had to send Micah, the prophet, to remind Bethlehem how significant it was. [00:07:28] (18 seconds)
The angel choir was amazing. The angel choir was to announce to the shepherds that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And it's like King's carols. It starts with one angel and then all the other angels join in until you've got an army full of angels. The Bible calls it a host of angels. [00:08:57] (22 seconds)
When the Magi arrive at the manger, they quickly swap the light of the star for the light of the world, and they kneel down and give them the star. They're gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And Matthew makes it very clear that they worship Jesus. They worship Jesus, which is odd because Matthew knows that you only worship God. [00:13:01] (32 seconds)
But somehow he chooses to display his glory at night, not quite in Bethlehem but outside Bethlehem, or in a way that no one quite understands by using a star. He chooses to not display his glory. This always happens. This most significant intervention in human history happens almost in secret, certainly in quiet. [00:15:30] (39 seconds)
He doesn't light up the sky with his announcements, but is more likely to be doing remarkable things quietly at night in Bethlehem on a hillside or in a way we probably don't notice or understand. And behind the advert, behind the glisten, and the twinkling of the star, behind the glory of the angels, behind all the wondrous demonstration of glory that most people didn't see, behind all of that there was a baby. [00:18:55] (33 seconds)
The reality is more important than the hype. There's no over-promising and under-delivering with God. There's a substance that justifies the show and the substance of the story is a real baby real flesh real blood some ads aren't they're all flimflam aren't they they're all just noise is the emperor wearing any clothes but here in first century judea when god becomes human all the fanfare and the glitter and the the twinkle and the messaging is about a solid reality a real child a new kingdom [00:20:28] (42 seconds)
This is our God, not limited to the ethereal, the mysterious, the vague, not the flim-flam of the advert, but living here in flesh and blood, in the mess, in the dirt, with us, alongside us, identifying with us, close to us, quietly, with authenticity, with genuine humility, with no hype, and that changes the way that we think about God and it changes the way that we think about the world and it changes the way we think about our reality, our flesh and our bodies, about our pain and about our world, because he joins in. [00:22:03] (43 seconds)
The incarnation goes further than that because in the incarnation God doesn't wait for us to come to our senses in a pigsty. God is born into the pigsty with us, in the mess. God has not abandoned you. If you feel God has abandoned you, if you feel God has abandoned you, if you feel god forsaken if you feel alone in the universe if you feel distant from god then look to the manger that don't look to the bright lights or the angels or the star look to the reality the reality of god with us in the mess [00:25:52] (46 seconds)
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If we want to know what God is really like, then we look at the manger, we look at the cross, we look at the empty tomb, because we're looking at Jesus to find out what God is really like. This is so significant. This is so important. This is God amongst us. This is God with us. This is God alongside us. [00:04:07] (20 seconds)
But Bethlehem somehow was so important in the mind of God, because that was where it was going to happen, that, this is a bit naughty, this bit, but we'll see if we can get away with it, that God had to send Micah, the prophet, to remind Bethlehem how significant it was. [00:07:28] (18 seconds)
The angel choir was amazing. The angel choir was to announce to the shepherds that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And it's like King's carols. It starts with one angel and then all the other angels join in until you've got an army full of angels. The Bible calls it a host of angels. [00:08:57] (22 seconds)
When the Magi arrive at the manger, they quickly swap the light of the star for the light of the world, and they kneel down and give them the star. They're gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And Matthew makes it very clear that they worship Jesus. They worship Jesus, which is odd because Matthew knows that you only worship God. [00:13:01] (32 seconds)
But somehow he chooses to display his glory at night, not quite in Bethlehem but outside Bethlehem, or in a way that no one quite understands by using a star. He chooses to not display his glory. This always happens. This most significant intervention in human history happens almost in secret, certainly in quiet. [00:15:30] (39 seconds)
He doesn't light up the sky with his announcements, but is more likely to be doing remarkable things quietly at night in Bethlehem on a hillside or in a way we probably don't notice or understand. And behind the advert, behind the glisten, and the twinkling of the star, behind the glory of the angels, behind all the wondrous demonstration of glory that most people didn't see, behind all of that there was a baby. [00:18:55] (33 seconds)
The reality is more important than the hype. There's no over-promising and under-delivering with God. There's a substance that justifies the show and the substance of the story is a real baby real flesh real blood some ads aren't they're all flimflam aren't they they're all just noise is the emperor wearing any clothes but here in first century judea when god becomes human all the fanfare and the glitter and the the twinkle and the messaging is about a solid reality a real child a new kingdom [00:20:28] (42 seconds)
This is our God, not limited to the ethereal, the mysterious, the vague, not the flim-flam of the advert, but living here in flesh and blood, in the mess, in the dirt, with us, alongside us, identifying with us, close to us, quietly, with authenticity, with genuine humility, with no hype, and that changes the way that we think about God and it changes the way that we think about the world and it changes the way we think about our reality, our flesh and our bodies, about our pain and about our world, because he joins in. [00:22:03] (43 seconds)
The incarnation goes further than that because in the incarnation God doesn't wait for us to come to our senses in a pigsty. God is born into the pigsty with us, in the mess. God has not abandoned you. If you feel God has abandoned you, if you feel God has abandoned you, if you feel god forsaken if you feel alone in the universe if you feel distant from god then look to the manger that don't look to the bright lights or the angels or the star look to the reality the reality of god with us in the mess [00:25:52] (46 seconds)
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