THANKFUL FOR THE INCARNATION

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” – John 1:14

We cannot but be THANKFUL for the INCARNATION: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jh.1:14). We must be thankful for and celebrate the wonderful and mysterious incarnation of the Son of God and His coming into the world, taking on human flesh. The Almighty, everlasting God became like us, fully human: “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Heb.2:17).

Thanksgiving was originally a religious holiday in which people paused to give thanks to God for the blessings of the harvest, followed by the beginning of Advent as Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ; hence, the need to reflect on what we are really thankful for. Christmas is not just about a day in which we buy and exchange gifts, but a season to pause and reflect on what the Gift of Jesus Christ really means for us and the world. John 1:14a illustrates the Gift of the Incarnation: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jh.1:14a). Eugene Peterson, in his translation The Message, writes, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”

For today’s Believer in Christ, the Incarnation means that because of Jesus’ ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension, we each have the opportunity to experience the incarnation within. Because of the physical incarnation of Jesus, through his death, resurrection, ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon believers, we all have the opportunity to experience the spiritual incarnation, filling the entire world with Jesus. When we think about all the things that we are thankful to God for, let’s know that we are to be most thankful for the incarnation, first in Jesus, then in us: “Christ in you the hope of Glory” (Col.1:27b).

Thanksgiving involves worshipping God for who He is and what He has done for us over the past months and years. It is an opportunity to be so thankful that God sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world; that He convicted us of our sins with the truth of His Word so we could repent and experience His forgiveness in our lives. Now, our focus for the season, is to celebrate and worship the Incarnate Son of God Lord: “And without controversy great is the ^[i]mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory” (1 Tim.3:16). May we truly be thankful for the incarnation!