Dakota Beacon

Christmas – or the “Mass of Christ.” Baby Jesus in a manger surrounded by angels, animals, shepherds, and some very wise men. Great story!

Of course the focus is on the appearance of Christ in the flesh. And everyone knows why. Everyone, that is, who has had some exposure to Christianity. It was to afford the opportunity of salvation to mankind and forgiveness of sins that they would live in heaven when they die. That’s the usual understanding and it’s true. That version of Christ’s appearance also smacks of American culture.

The sentimentality of a newborn babe makes people feel good. And so it should. However, there could be a lot more to the appreciation of Christ’s coming. Ultimately, the revelation of Christ and Who He is must touch one’s spirit.

There is a backstory to the contemporary account. It goes like this. Jesus the Christ came from an unseen realm where there was no time or space or dimension. He existed as one person in the triune Godhead. He existed before creation according to the Biblical record. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit fellowshipped as one before creation. As difficult as this may be to grasp, nevertheless, this realm of the spiritual happens to be the natural habitat of the Lord both before and after His visit to planet earth. Christ said, “I came out from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” (John 16:28)

The Hebrew word Elohim (plural for God) is used early in the creation story implying more than a single person known as God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). “And God [Elohim] said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…’” (Genesis 1:26)

The Old Testament contains an entire genre of types and shadows of Christ. If only we would hear and see what the Spirit says to us as we read those pages. As an old friend used to tell me, “In the Old the New lies concealed; in the New the Old lies revealed.” The New Testament speaks of what the prophets of the Old Testament longed to see.

Jesus Christ often referred to His place of origin. “…but there is One Who has come down from heaven, the Son of man, who dwells in heaven.” (John 3:13) “‘And I tell you the truth,’ Jesus replied, ‘before Abraham was born, I AM.’” (John 8:58) Jesus was referring to Exodus 3:14 where God spoke to Moses. “And God said to Moses ‘I AM WHO I AM…you shall say to the Israelites, I AM has sent me to you.’”

There is much more to Christ and His coming to earth than merely a babe in the manger. “He [Christ] is the exact likeness of the unseen God, the visible representation of the invisible; He is the first born of all creation. For by Him all things were created…And He Himself existed before all things and in Him all things consist, cohere, and are held together.” (Colossians 1:15-17) “… the hope of eternal life which … God … promised before the world or ages of time began.” (Titus 1:2)

Now for the good part.

Jesus said, “…I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one…” (John 18:23) Jesus also said, “…the Spirit of Truth … dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:17) Paul said, “…God has chosen to make known…the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) Paul also said, “…I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…” (Galatians 2:20) “But our citizenship is in heaven (the other realm)...” (Philippians 3:20)

American culture ignores serious reading (the Bible in particular) and prefers social media and entertainment as the source of information – and misinformation. A materialistic culture distracts. These distractions numb us to any communion with the Holy Spirit and what the Father might reveal. But, we think we are okay. “…everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6)

Pascal’s Wager comes to mind. The gist of the wager is that one cannot come to the knowledge of God’s existence through reason alone. So far, so good. The wise thing to do is to live your life as if God does exist because such a life has everything to gain and nothing to lose. If we live as though God exists, and He does indeed exist, we have gained heaven. If He does not exist, we have lost nothing. If, on the other hand, we live as though God does not exist and He in fact really does exist, we have gained hell and lost heaven. Here’s where Pascal’s Wager breaks down. Can we live the life Christ wants us to live without His internal presence? To phrase it as a statement, none of us can live the Christian life without His indwelling presence. Trying to do so is to live by the flesh in an attempt to justify ourselves to God. Fat chance.

The ultimate end of the revelation of Christ is that Christ lives within and through the believer enabling the Holy Spirit to commune with our spirit and fellowship with God. This One whose birth we celebrate must be embraced if there is to be any communion with God the Father on His terms.

A Christmas prayer might go something like this. “Christ, open the eyes of my spirit that I might not just know about you, but that I might truly know you. Let your birth in me this Christmas be a spiritual reality. Commune with me Spirit to spirit. Let your indwelling achieve in me your desired purpose. Your will, Lord, not mine, be done.”

Amen – and Merry Christmas!

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).