Short Christmas devotion

The incarnation of our Lord is the foundation of our worldview and the fount from which all hope, joy, and righteousness flows, hence the opening of the Magnificat, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior".

But not only in this life do we have the peace that surpasses all understanding; Christ's death was cosmic in scope and has procured the final state of all things, of course including the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. For Paul says "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (1 Cor. 15:19).

But even more than this, the incarnation has an immediate effect on matters that are pressing today, not just of our own sanctification, but of politics, the prevailing sin and evil in the world, and how we as God's people should interact with these things.

The incarnation gives specific and expansive application to the sin of pornography. The incarnation responds to the increasing secularisation and blaspheming of the Triune God in western society. The incarnation provides a framework by which to respond to the abortion holocaust that is occurring in our midst.It even shows us a basis for condemning the wicked Republican politics who profess to celebrate the reality that Christ came into the world as a fetus, and therefore proving the value of fetuae, and ask for votes under this guise, but then (1) decree partiality towards which unborn lives are of value and which aren't, and (2) kill legislation which would abolish abortion and save "the least of these" (Matt 25:40-45).

Psalm 110 gives a vivid assertion of Christ's rule and execution of judgment among the nations from the right hand of the Father. Not only is Christ our Great High Priest as in the incarnation He made purification for sins, but He is also our King as He has conquered sin, death, and the devil, and now rules in the world and our hearts.

"After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high ..." (Heb. 1:3). Here we see in a paradoxical way the revelation of the transcendence and preeminence over creation that our Lord has. He "Rule[s] in the midst of [His] enemies!" (Ps. 100:2). All of this took place because of the incarnation.

The paradox continues as Christ in this way is the consummation of the Old Testament allusion to Melchizedek, a fascinating and enigmatic character we meet for a short period of time in the book of Genesis.

Melchizedek was both a priest and king, and Christ was appointed according to His order (Heb. 5).

Christ is called the King of Salem (peace), and yet makes the Father's enemies His footstool (Ps. 110:1).
He is called the King of Righteousness, and yet He dispenses His mercies to those far from righteous, and makes the guilty, vile, and helplessly weak sinner to become a trophy of His free grace by imputation.

This is only possible because of the incarnation and the active and passive obedience of Christ, our King, who's majesty is of infinitely more worth than the highest of earthly kings, and yet "[took] on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.", not even under circumstances which would have been appropriate for a human king, let alone God in the flesh.

As Bunyan says in a poem, "Though rich, he did for us become thus poor,
That he might make us rich for evermore.
But do kings use to die for captive slaves?
Yet we were such when Jesus died to save's.
Yea, when he made himself a sacrifice,
It was that he might save his enemies.
By the abusive carriages of those
That did both him, his love, and grace oppose;
Yet he, as unconcerned with such things,
Goes on, determines to make captives kings;
Yea, many of his murderers he takes
Into his favour, and them princes makes."

This Christmas, let us not find ourselves delighting in that which Christ was born to bruise (Gen. 3:15).

May we imitate Christ with a spirit of mature humility which cares for the things that He does and obeys God's law, not out of bondage because we are under its yoke, but out of love for its giver (Ps. 19:7-11), just as Jesus procured our salvation out of joy (Heb. 12:2).

This Christmas, let us behold our King who, being the Lawgiver, was born under the law, (Isa 33:22, Gal. 4:4-5), placed in a feeding trough (Lk. 2:7), named the Man of Sorrows (Isa. 53:3), rode a donkey into Jerusalem to fulfill the Scriptures (Jn 12:15), came to serve, not to be served (Matt. 20:28), laid down His life of His own accord (Jn 10:18), and was numbered with the transgressors and sinners although being sinless (Isa. 53:12), (2 Cor 5:21), all for the salvation of mere nothings, and now in all glory rules and reigns over every evil, until all of His enemies are under His feet (1. Cor 15:25) and intercedes for His bride until she is saved to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25). That is why we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

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