In the Christian church calendar, the season that includes the four Sundays leading up to Christmas is referred to as Advent. The word means “the coming arrival of something or someone that is important or worthy of note.” When we speak of the advent of the printing press or the advent of air conditioning or the advent of liberalism, we mean the emergence of something that had not been experienced previously. The arrival of such things changes everything else.
Christmas celebrates the advent of Christ—not just the miracle that Jesus was born, but the magnificent arrival of God come to earth. When Matthew writes of the heavenly conception of Mary, he notes that it fulfilled what the Lord had prophesied 800 years prior: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14).
Let that sink in for a moment. God. With. Us.
ABOVE, AROUND, AGAINST, AMONG
It’s not too much to think of God above us. He is the God “who is in heaven” and rules with rightful authority from there. Satan tried to assert himself over God (see Isaiah 14:13) but was brought low to the pit because nothing is above the Almighty. As Solomon dedicated the temple, he exclaimed about God, “The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you” (1 Kings 8:27). Likewise, the psalmist declared, “The Lord is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?” (Psalm 113:4-6).
It’s also not too much to think of God around us. God is omnipresent—everywhere, not limited to space or time. David is contented by the fact, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139:8). The glory of God is evident in all His creation (Psalm 19:1) and He is ever-present holding all things together by His mighty power (Colossians 1:17). God is all around us, all the time.
It’s also not too much to think of God against us. It’s not a comforting thought, but our sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 6:23) and makes Him hide His holy face from our iniquities. As sinners, we are rebels and enemies of God so it is not surprising that He would stand opposed to us. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil (1 Peter 3:12).
So, we believe God may be above us, around us and against us. But it is quite unbelievable to learn that God has come to live among us. But that’s exactly what the advent of Christ means. God came near. The high and exalted One descended from the heavens to earth. The infinite One became tangible and touchable. The offended One became a close friend.
This sets our true God apart from other so-called gods in history. Moses said, “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7). God has always made Himself accessible to His people. But Christmas celebrates God who came personally to be like us, serve us, empathize with us and save us.
Take a moment and consider the limitations God assumed to come live among us. God limited Himself in time and space. When Jesus visited Capernaum, He was not in Caesarea. He endured the restrictions of ordinary matter, not the liberty of omnipresence. And this self-limitation required that Jesus grow and eat and sleep and eventually bleed.
Second, God limited His glory. Though Jesus was God, He didn’t flaunt His dazzling glory (Philippians 2:5). For a brief moment, He put His magnificence on display for His disciples (Mark 9:2-3), but most of the time, Jesus was ordinary enough that He was mistaken, misunderstood and mistreated. Very few people thought He was God in their midst.
Third, God limited His justice. How many times was Jesus abused, ignored, betrayed or offended? At any time, He could have executed His righteous judgment. But, instead, He “bit His tongue” (Isaiah 53:7) and held back His hand of wrath. What patience, what mercy, what self-control!
Ultimately, God limited His freedom. God is the sovereign authority over the whole universe. He bows to no one. But, from the moment He was tightly swaddled, all the way to His arrest, trials and crucifixion, Jesus was constrained, surrendering Himself to earthly authorities. He willingly gave up His freedom to set us free.
That God would limit Himself confounds all human understanding. Why on earth would He limit Himself, His glory, His justice and His freedom? The answer is simply: Love. God so loved the world that He came here. The greatest gift God gave at Christmas was the gift of Himself. In Christ, the King left His home, clothed Himself in our flesh, ate our food, endured our suffering and died our death so that He could give us His life. God has come to you so that you might come to God. The Son of God became a son of man so that the children of men could become children of God. He limited Himself so that we might discover limitless joy. Psalm 15:11 announces:
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you!