God Drawing Near: The Incarnation
Imagine the classic nativity scene: the Christ child lying in a manger, surrounded by Mary and Joseph, shepherds, wise men, and angels. Each participant, knowingly or unknowingly, played a part in the greatest moment in history, the Advent—the arrival of Immanuel.
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Immanuel: God with Us
Into our darkness, dawned a great light! We were broken, bound to the law of sin and death. Corruptible. Alienated from God. In sin. Fallen from glory. Lost in pride.
Yet the One who measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, marked the heavens with the span of His fingers, calculated the dust with precision, and weighed the mountains and hills with His balance became dust. The Mighty One was born in a small town within a small nation. The Light came into the darkness while people slept unaware. The Creator of all things entered creation covered in afterbirth. The Word became flesh. He humbled Himself to become like us, putting on our fallen image.
In Christ, an unbreakable union was formed between human nature and divine deity. Because He became us, we are mystically united to Him. His incarnation draws us into union, communion, and the participation of His glory—His eternal purpose from the beginning. In His birth, we see God’s participation with man. Fully God and fully man, two natures joined perfectly. While Mary held Him in her arms, He held the universe together with His.
“Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)
Why Did He Come? He came to partake of our flesh so He could destroy death and the devil. He took on our humanity so we could take on His divinity. He became all that we were so we could become all that He is. He entered our suffering so we could share in His glory.
Men Drawing Near: Our Participation
“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:16-17)
Under the Law, men stood back in fear. When God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, fire and trembling consumed the mountain. Terrified, the people shrank back, saying, “You speak to God, Moses, and then tell us what He says.”
But in Christ, men drew near. When the star shone in the night sky, people traveled from afar to worship Him. When the angels proclaimed the good news, shepherds ran to see Him.
At Sinai, men withdrew. At Bethlehem, men approached. Christ is God drawing near to man so man can draw near to God.
The Participation in the Nativity Scene
The events surrounding Jesus’ birth illustrate the participation of man with God:
The Prophets predicted Him. Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John prepared the way for Him. Gabriel announced Him. Mary bore and parented Him. Joseph protected Him. Caesar Augustus positioned Him. The Angels proclaimed Him. The Shepherds praised Him. Simeon and Anna prophetically Confirmed Him. The Wise Men provided for Him. Each person had a role to play. Likewise, in the church, we all have a gift to bring.
The Church: Participation in His Life
“And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church.” (Ephesians 1:22)
Jesus—not baptism, prophecy, tongues, or any other ministry—is the head of the church. He is the centerpiece of heaven and the unifying force of His body. As we gather around Him, we all have a part to play or a piece to bring.
Consider the Participation in the Early Church (Acts 2:38-47). There was repentance and baptism, devotion to the Apostles teaching, loving Fellowship, breaking of bread together, prayer and Worship, signs and wonders, generosity and Hospitality, and leadership and multiplication. Each believer brought something to the table, just as we are called to do today.
“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ.” (Romans 12:4-5)
A Healthy Body Participates
A paralyzed body is not a healthy body. Yet many churches function as though only the mouth (the pastor) and eyes (the visionaries) are needed.
Scripture teaches: “When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” (1 Corinthians 14:26)
The teaching and revelation of the word is that much richer when we learn from one another. Worship is that much sweeter when everyone is able to sing their own song. Prayer finds its power when everyone declares, releases, and agrees together. Care and hospitality is that much richer when everyone serves and plays a part.
Like the nativity, where everyone came together to offer gifts to Jesus, so we must gather in His presence, bringing our gifts to edify one another.
Participation Brings Growth
“Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body… grows so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)
When each member of the body participates, the church grows in love and maturity. We grow in His grace by participating in His glory. We grow in His truth by sharing in His life.
He is Immanuel, God with us. As we participate in His nearness and love, we join the faithful who gathered around Him on that first holy night, celebrating His glory and grace.
The Participation of the Incarnation
By Micah Level