When the familiar strains of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" float through the air this season, I wonder if we truly see what we're meant to see—not just the babe in the manger, but the infinite God who chose to package Himself into human form.
The Creator of time and space, who had no beginning and has no end, stepped into our world as a vulnerable infant. Consider that the Almighty, the Alpha, and Omega (Revelation 1:8) wrapped Himself in frail humanity. Philippians 2:6-7 tells us that Jesus, "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (NIV).
This wasn't just a gift; it was the gift. And it was the Giver Himself who came.
The Majesty and Mystery of the Incarnation
How do we comprehend a God so majestic that the heavens declare His glory (Psalm 19:1) yet so humble He chose to be born in a stable? We cannot fully grasp it, and Scripture reminds us of this: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV).
Yet, in His mercy, God revealed Himself in a form we could understand. He came to us not as a king reigning in splendor but as a child, vulnerable and dependent, inviting us into relationship with Him.
Through the incarnation, we glimpse the lengths to which God will go to demonstrate His love and fulfill His redemptive plan. The same God who called stars into being and holds the cosmos together (Colossians 1:16-17) chose to cry in a manger so that He could walk among us, live as we do, and ultimately lay down His life.
The Ultimate Giver
Too often, our focus at Christmas becomes the gifts under the tree rather than the Giver of all things. But the real miracle of Christmas is this: God didn't just give us a present; He gave us His presence. He gave Himself.
And this wasn't just a temporary gift. Through Jesus, we are offered justification, sanctification, and adoption into God's family. "The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father'" (Romans 8:15 NIV).
This adoption comes with an eternal inheritance: forgiveness, peace, and unbroken communion with the God of the universe. But here's the catch—it's not a gift to be set aside for later. The inheritance doesn't begin when we die; it begins now.
A Present to Open Today
In the birth of Christ, we see the extraordinary wrapped in the ordinary. But do we see what's truly before us? Do we recognize that the God of eternity entered time to be Emmanuel, "God with us"?
This Christmas, let's not simply marvel at the nativity scene. Let's open our hearts to the truth of who that child is: the eternal Word made flesh (John 1:14), the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), and the King of Kings who invites us into His eternal kingdom.
And let us receive this gift fully, here and now. For as Jesus Himself said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10 NIV).
So, do you see what I see?
This Christmas, may we see the Giver behind the gift and respond with wonder, gratitude, and lives lived in His glory.
