the wonder of the incarnation

Consider the wonder of the incarnation, that God the Son would become flesh taking the form of mankind, born as Jesus of Nazareth, the righteous, eternal, king of the universe born to humble parents in the most humble of circumstances. Consider that He did this to come and die for our sin.
This was not plan B, God did not devise His plan of redemption in response to our sin, He created us knowing that we would betray Him and knowing the price of redeeming us from our sin and reconciling us to himself would be the perfect life and the perfect death of Jesus.
Paul wrote; “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Romans 5:6-11
As you celebrate this year, remember that the birth of Jesus was the prelude to the death of Jesus. Know that in His life and in His death and in His resurrection, Jesus defeated sin and death. We who have been born of the Spirit live in the tension of the now and not yet of redemption. Our redemption is complete in the finished work of Christ, yet at the same time we do not experience the fullness of our redemption while we live in corrupted bodies in a corrupted world. Sin and death have been defeated, yet at the same time we experience sin and death.
Celebrate the birth of the baby born in the barn in Bethlehem so long ago, the Christ, the One who came to save us from our sin.