The Ancient of Days
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'”
Luke 2:10-12
Not long ago, Ken and I received a birth announcement in the mail. It was a darling photo accompanied by the words, “And so, our family begins!” When there’s a birth, it is a beginning. It is the start of a brand-new life. This infant, this tiny new creation who existed in the mind of God before the foundation of the world is here! And that’s worth celebrating.
But the celebration of the birth of Christ is different. We don’t celebrate his birth as we would any infant. Christmas marks the moment when Jesus (who always existed before time immemorial) came to earth. His birth wasn’t the beginning of his life; no, rather his birth was the beginning of his life on earth, for Jesus always “was, and has been.”
When we celebrate Christmas, we are not celebrating the creation of Christ, but the incarnation of Christ. That night in the musty stable in Bethlehem, the shepherds didn’t marvel at a new little one; they were celebrating a very old one. Worshiping that baby in the manger? Well, that infant’s character and personhood already existed before he entered time and space to arrive on earth.
Micah 5:2 (ESV) tells us that his “whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
My friend David Mathis in his remarkable book, The Christmas We Didn’t Expect writes, “Unlike every other human birth, the birth celebrated at Christmas was not a beginning, but a becoming. Christmas wasn’t his start, but his commission. Unlike any other baby, he was not created. He came. No other human in the history of the world shares this particular glory. And as remarkable as his virgin conception is, the preexistence of Christ sets him apart even more distinctively. Even Jesus himself celebrates this distinction when he says that ‘before Abraham was, I am.’”
These thoughts from David Mathis made me dig a little deeper. As I researched it, I discovered that Jesus never once says that he was born; only that he “came into the world.” Jesus is the very one described in Daniel chapter 7 as the Ancient of Days sitting on a throne of fire with thousands upon thousands standing before him.
The whole reason Jesus came forth from time and eternity was to rescue you and me. The King became a servant. God became man. Jesus Christ, who was rich beyond splendor became a poor human being. He had the form of God, but he took on the form of a servant so that you might live with him for all of eternity. Oh, what a cause for celebration this season!
Pray with me: Jesus, I thank you that you left the glory of heaven to come and rescue me. Thank you for becoming a servant so that I can live with you for all eternity. Help me to live with eagerness for this reality and allow it to ignite my joy this Christmas.
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