Is Christmas a Celebration of the Incarnation
Christmas is traditionally the time when people are called upon to celebrate the Incarnation. There have been many heresies with regard to the Second person of the Trinity, many of which concern misconceptions about the Incarnation. Therefore, Modern people seem to avoid detail and proclaiming the good news of the Incarnation. This makes the Incarnation a subject that can not be fully celebrated.
Christmas seems to spend more time talking about Mary and Joseph having a baby. They talk about the humanity of Christ and the Natural Birth of Christ Jesus. Christmas has become a day that does not celebrate the Incarnation like it should. Discussions about Light, Wise Men, Angels, Journeys, and Mary are the focus of the season. Some of these may point us to this being the Son of God but when you celebrate other things the Incarnation takes a back seat.
The Incarnation shows us that this is the LORD our God. This child is the Word made flesh. The Christ humbles himself to be born under the Law. The Child is the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is both God and Man. There are many details of the Incarnation that could be discussed. God descends from heaven to be born like all other humans. He becomes for us the Second Adam. The First Adam formed out of the dust of the Earth and the Second Adam is born of a Virgin (knit together in Mary's womb).
Christmas should be a great celebration of the Incarnation. This should be a time to talk about God's relationship to Humanity. It should be a time to talk about the relationship between the Son and the Father (and the Holy Spirit). This would be opportunity to talk about Jesus being homousios (of the same substance) as the Father. But Christmas should really be the Celebration of the Incarnation.
Christmas seems to spend more time talking about Mary and Joseph having a baby. They talk about the humanity of Christ and the Natural Birth of Christ Jesus. Christmas has become a day that does not celebrate the Incarnation like it should. Discussions about Light, Wise Men, Angels, Journeys, and Mary are the focus of the season. Some of these may point us to this being the Son of God but when you celebrate other things the Incarnation takes a back seat.
The Incarnation shows us that this is the LORD our God. This child is the Word made flesh. The Christ humbles himself to be born under the Law. The Child is the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is both God and Man. There are many details of the Incarnation that could be discussed. God descends from heaven to be born like all other humans. He becomes for us the Second Adam. The First Adam formed out of the dust of the Earth and the Second Adam is born of a Virgin (knit together in Mary's womb).
Christmas should be a great celebration of the Incarnation. This should be a time to talk about God's relationship to Humanity. It should be a time to talk about the relationship between the Son and the Father (and the Holy Spirit). This would be opportunity to talk about Jesus being homousios (of the same substance) as the Father. But Christmas should really be the Celebration of the Incarnation.
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