Don't Miss Him

Sidebar: It's usually the newest-biggest-brightest-best selling thing in Christian thought that we are attracted to, but sometimes it's better to read the old guys. You know, since the beginning of the church, there have been 2000 years of Spirit-gifted people who have had some really profound thoughts that we in the 21st century could really learn from.

And since my church-history loving husband has our downstairs bookshelves chock full of some of the best Christian thinkers of the last 2000 years, I pulled some off the shelf this morning. Why? I was looking for some heart-stirring, fresh thoughts on the incarnation.

It's Christmas afterall!

But just so you don't go thinking that I'm super-smart or geeky, I'll tell you, I had a hard time getting into Chrysostom this morning. And John Calvin. But Jonathan Edwards... I connected with him. And it feels pretty cool, when you think about it, that by virtue of print and technology, I could learn from a guy, this morning, Dec 2010, who wrote almost 400 years ago.

You know what he pointed out to me?

We can learn something striking from the angels. They live daily in the presence of God, right, so when they, who get to be with Him constantly, get really excited about something, it is worth noting.

The angels shouted together for joy when the foundations of the world were set. (Job 38:7) When the author of the universe set into motion His creative works, they couldn't contain themselves.

And when the author of the universe put into motion His redemption plan on behalf of the mess that His creation had made of His work, we learn that the angels longed to gaze into the heavenly hourglass before his plan was made clear. (1 Peter 1:12)

So where is Christmas in all of this?

Doesn't it make the angels' appearance in Luke seem more profound? Perhaps when we've seen the 5 year old angel in white sheet with tinsel on his head repeat the angels' announcement in the church play, we miss something of its impact. This is only the 2nd time in redemptive history that the angels had gathered to celebrate something big. And it's the only time in redemptive history that the whole bunch of them made a proclamation... to humans.

"Hello down there!! This is a REALLY BIG DEAL!! God is sending someone NEW. SPECIAL. DIFFERENT THAN EVERYONE BEFORE HIM. TREASURED. THIS IS THE ONE. Don't miss Him!!"

Yes, my heart, don't miss Him.


"Christ’s incarnation was a greater and more wonderful thing than ever had yet come to pass. The creation of the world was a very great thing, but not so great 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 between the fall of man the incarnation of Christ: but God becoming man was greater than all. Then the greatest person was born that ever was or ever will be.” --Jonathan Edwards