As the day approaches where we celebrate the incarnation, I thought it might be interesting to peek at Jonathan Edwards thoughts of this momentous day:
"The next thing I would observe concerning the incarnation of Christ is the greatness of this event. Christ's incarnation was a greater and more wonderful thing than ever had come to pass, and there was but one that ever came to pass greater; and that was the death of Christ which was afterwards. But Christ's incarnation was a greater thing than ever had come to pass before. The creation of the world was a very great thing, but not so great a thing as the incarnation of Christ. It was a great thing for God to make the creature, but not so great as for the Creator himself to become a creature. We have spoken of many great things that were accomplished from one age to another in the ages between the fall of man and the incarnation of Christ, but God's becoming man was a greater thing than they all. When Christ was born, the greatest person was born that ever was or ever will be born."
Sometimes I regret knowing of tradition. For I am afraid that it is tradition that mires my view of this incredible event.
Even now, as I ask the Holy Spirit to bring me understanding, my mind is filled with countless nativity scenes, Christmas carols, all of which bring a certain sentimentality, but darkens the real wonder of this day: the Creator became a creature.
Oh, to have been a shepherd that day.