Counting the Days: December 1, 2025

God With Us: The Miracle of the Incarnation

Jill Austin
Chapel Musician

Read:  John 1:14 

“The glory of God is a living human being.”
— Irenaeus of Lyons (AD 130 – AD 400)

During the seasons of Advent and Christmas, we often picture Christ as a baby in a manger. We see tender images of Mary holding the infant Jesus, Joseph watching nearby, and the humble stable scene on Christmas cards and in Nativity sets. Words like sweet, innocent, and vulnerable naturally come to mind when we think of that holy night in Bethlehem.

But we must remember-Jesus was not just a baby in a manger. He was and is God: the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent Creator of the universe. The same God who spoke the stars into being chose to enter His creation in human form. Why? Because He desired a relationship with us. From the beginning, humanity could not stand in the direct presence of a holy God. In Exodus, even Moses could not look upon God’s face and live (Exodus 33:20). The veil in the temple symbolized the separation between God and man. But God, in His mercy, provided a way to bridge that divide-through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Mediator.

Early church theologian Irenaeus of Lyon (c. 130-200 AD) wrote extensively about the importance of Christ’s humanity and divinity. He defended the truth that Jesus was fully God and fully man, and he proclaimed that “the glory of God is a living human being.” What a staggering thought-that the eternal, all-powerful God would humble Himself to become one of us, beginning life as a tiny baby.

Why a baby? Because every human journey begins that way. God chose to enter our world, just as we do, to experience every stage of life, to identify with our weakness, and to show us how to live. Without the baby in the manger, there could be no Savior on the cross. Without His life, death, and resurrection, we would remain eternally separated from God.

This Advent season, pray that we can see beyond the manger to the majesty of the One who lay in it: the Word made flesh, who came full of grace and truth. The baby in Bethlehem is our Redeemer, our Mediator, our God with us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to live among us. Help us never to lose sight of the wonder of the Incarnation-that You, Almighty God, came near to us. May our hearts be filled with awe, gratitude, and love as we celebrate Your presence this Christmas. Amen.