Last updated on December 27, 2019
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
On this holy day, we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Many of us belted out Hark, the Herald Angels Sing in our Christmas Eve observances. Every line in Charles Wesley’s magnificent hymn deserves to be contemplated and digested but for our moment today, let’s recall this one: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see / Hail the incarnate deity.
The mystery of the Incarnation, that is, the embodiment of God in human form, is central to Christianity. Jesus is God-in-the-flesh. Among other things, the incarnation of the one eternal Son of God tells us that God treasures humanity. Human life has value not because of any merit of achievement on our part but solely as a result of grace. God loves us; we are beloved. It sounds very basic, but this vision puts everything else into perspective.
Christianity is not just a collection of ideas; it is fundamentally life with God. It is life that is built upon the God-man born in Bethlehem. God became a man in order to exalt human beings. He humbles Himself in order to lift us up. By taking on our human nature, God shows that what He created is good, that He redeems His creation, and that He will, at the proper time, glorify all creation – including and especially humanity. Christianity is not about the liberation of the soul from the body as if it were an earthy prison. It is about our being reconciled to God by Christ and being made participants of His life forever. Everlasting life is lived in the body, for we will all be bodily raised on the Last Day.
Now, however, we live in an age when the human body is degraded and dishonored in an astonishing variety of ways. Sexual trauma. Abortion. Marital infidelity. Pornography. But the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. The Church has a word for everyone that God is setting things right.
God breaks into creation in Bethlehem to bring about a great reversal, to lift up the humble and scatter the proud. He continues to break into our lives through preaching, absolution, and sacraments. The majestic Son of God, for instance, graciously comes to sinners today in His body and blood by our eating and drinking the Eucharist. The body that grew in Mary’s womb, that was pierced on Calvary, that died and rose to life again, that is the body we eat. It is the bread of life. It is resurrected human flesh. And Christ promises to raise up all who eat it in repentance and faith.
Those who have been justified in Christ are now also the Body of Christ. We have been incorporated into God’s own flesh and blood so that His life now animates us. As the very body of Christ in the world today, the Church exists to serve the world in love. The conviction and confession that God has taken human nature unto Himself should inform our ethics. The incarnation tells us that it matters what we do with our bodies, that we are not our own, that we can glorify God with our bodies. And not just for ourselves, this reality shapes how we treat other people too.
Charles Wesley wrote that we can see God Himself veiled in the flesh of Jesus Christ, the baby who grew to become the final sacrifice who atones for the world. It is in light of this amazing reality, that the Church defends the lowly, speaks in favor of life, and takes action for the poor. The pro-life ethic begins with Christmas.