December 24, 2022 • Stephen Putbrese • Luke 2:1–21
Everyone knows what it's like to feel like God is silent. In those times, the temptation is also to believe that He is absent or not working - perhaps he has forgotten or overlooked the world and our lives. As we begin the Advent season, the opening of the infancy narrative of Luke's Gospel makes abundantly clear that God never forgets or overlooks anything. In fact, he moves and weaves together hundreds of years of history to accomplish his purposes in the world. Even more remarkably, He does all this while still remembering and responding to the prayers of individual men and women.
The Doctrine of the Incarnation asserts that God entered human history as a man in the person of Jesus. Why was this necessary and what did it accomplish? While the claim that a virgin supernaturally became pregnant to birth the Son of God may sound and feel outrageous, when examined historically and philosophically, it begins to become more plausible. Further, when considered theologically, we can see that the virgin birth is not just miraculous, but absolutely necessary. This teaching will explore the meaning, implications, and response to the Incarnation.
Why and how do you sing at Christmas? In this text, Jesus' mother Mary sings the first Christmas song. Her song indicates that worship is not merely putting words to music, but is meant to have a rich theological content that is reflected in the worldview of the one singing. The coming of Jesus at Christmas was a world and history shaping event. When we understand what it means and express it like Mary, it changes our lives too.
