The document discusses the significance of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ during Christmas, emphasizing the theological reflection on the incarnation of God becoming man. It highlights Old Testament prophecies, particularly Micah 5:2, which foretold the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem and underscores the eternal nature of Christ. The author encourages Christians to worship Christ not just during the holiday season, but throughout the year as the central reason for their faith.

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Todd Linn, PhD Preacher, Teacher, Writer, Runner, and of course, Coffee Drinker December 23, 2020
Incarnation Thoughts At Christmas
preachingtruth.org/incarnation-thoughts-at-christmas
Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ this month offers Christians a
special opportunity to bring a laser focus upon the significance of Christ’s
birth.
While some maintain that the Bible does not clearly command Christians
to celebrate the birth of Christ, there is wisdom in contemplating the
wonder and joy of Christ’s birth and the theological significance of God’s
becoming man; the incarnation.
Many are quick to dismiss theological reflection as too hard or difficult.
You may have heard about the schoolteacher after Christmas break who
asked his students how they spent their vacations. One little girl said, “We
visited my grandmother in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.”
Her teacher said, “Well, that sounds like an excellent vocabulary word. Can
you tell the class how to spell ‘Punxsutawney’?”

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After a brief pause, the little girl replied: “You know, come to think of it, we
went to Ohio.”
I love that little girl’s clever response! And while I appreciate her avoiding
the discipline of spelling, Christians should always welcome the
opportunity to think deeply about the person of Christ, how His deity and
humanity are inextricably and forever united.
Such reflection results in our worshiping Christ in a deeper, more
meaningful way.
There are a number of Old Testament prophecies that foretell the first
coming of the Messiah, a Hebrew term for “Anointed One.” In Greek–the
language of the New Testament–the term is translated “Christ.”
Many were looking forward to the coming of this Christ.
When King Herod asked the religious leaders of his day where the Christ
was to be born, they told him the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem,
and they cited Micah 5:2 (Matt. 2:1-6).
Micah is an Old Testament book that was completed some 700 years
before Christ and yet, remarkably, Micah foretells the specific location of
the birth of Christ.
He writes in Micah 5:2: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are
little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me
the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from
everlasting.”
This remarkable verse captures the essence of the season: a “little town of
Bethlehem” is the place from which a special ruler will come, and not just
any ruler, but a ruler “whose goings forth are from of old, from
everlasting.”
Here is a clear reference to the eternal nature of the son of God, reminding
us that the coming Savior had already been in existence; having been with
the heavenly Father “from everlasting.”
Two thousand years ago, this eternal Son of God took on flesh in the
person of Jesus of Nazareth. Becoming man meant that He could live a
perfect life for us and die a substitutionary death for our sins (2

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Corinthians 5:21).
What is more, Christ would rise on the third day so that all who believed in
Him might be justified, or “declared righteous” and no longer guilty of sin
(Romans 4:25).
This is why Christians love to worship Christ–not just at this time of the
year, but throughout the year.
Jesus is not only “the reason for the season;” He is the reason for every
season–every month, every day, and every second.
He is the reason for everything.
O, come let us adore Him!