Jn.1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1 Tim.3:16 – And without controversy great is the 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.
Christmas is the unveiling of the greatest of all mysteries, the one that is hidden in eternity, revealed in the unusual birth of a child in an animal stall in Bethlehem. John, who knew Him best, called Jesus the Word of the Father. Rather than just taking John at surface level think for a moment about what John was getting at. Jesus of Nazareth did not begin to exist in Bethlehem, He just took on a human body. He had been in existence from before time began, He is the word of the Father who John clearly says is and was a person. The Word, the Father’s Word became a man and lived among us. This was the Father’s plan, to reveal Himself to us through His only begotten Son. Here is how Augustine describes this.
“There are two births of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one divine, the other human.… Consider that first begetting: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Whose Word? The Father’s own. Which Word? The Son himself. The Father has never been without the Son; and yet the one who has never been without the Son begot the Son. He both begot and yet did not begin to do so. There is no beginning for one begotten without beginning. And yet he is the Son, and yet he is begotten. A mere human is going to say, “How is it that he is begotten, and yet he does not have a beginning? If he does not have a beginning, how was he begotten?” How, I do not know. Are you asking a mere human how God was begotten? I am overwhelmed by your questioning, but I appeal to the prophet: “His begetting who can tell the tale of?”
I have always felt the mystery of Christmas, even as a child before I had come to know Jesus for myself. This mystery was disguised in stories about Santa Claus, reindeer, and elves but in our hearts we knew that wasn’t it, there was more to this Christmas mystery that causes the whole world to stop and take notice. The Father’s word became a man, He lived and died among us, He gave His life as a sacrifice for our sin. And oh, by the way, if the prophets are right again He will return to this earth to sort everything out. Enjoy the mystery as you celebrate the birth of Christ.
