Christ Mass?
We generally associate a “Mass” with the death of Christ for our sins by which we are given life. But in Christmas we are not directly in celebration of a special Eucharist or “Mass.” We are celebrating the incarnation of God. We are celebrating the long-awaited arrival (preceding His death for our sins and His resurrection for our salvation and life eternal) of Messiah!
It is the Supper that the Church, gathered weekly, celebrates and feeds upon (traditionally on Sunday, the Lord’s Day). It is nourishment, indeed life, brought to us through His death.
That high annual celebration of His death and resurrection is Easter!
But in Christmas we are not in celebration of that Eucharist or “Mass.” We are celebrating the incarnation of God. We are celebrating His long-awaited arrival (preceding His death for our sins and His resurrection for our salvation and life, eternal).
The celebration of this arrival from “outer space” (as it were) has a certain value, indeed. And it must be interesting for all the angels, who were with Him in heaven for a long time, to watch! The Almighty God, the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, existing forever in the past with the Father and the Spirit comes DOWN to earth as a lowly creature – identifying as a nasty human. But without nastiness!
And yet the victory celebration for us is in his death and resurrection – saving us from hell – not in His descent from heaven and the company of the Father and the Spirit and all the angels.
The incarnation of the eternal Son (Second Person of the Trinity) is a celebration which foreshadows the great deeds of His death and resurrection for our salvation.
But, indeed, it is no small thing for the eternal God to come down and fully infuse himself into humanity by the incarnation! (A miracle second only to His death and resurrection.)
Yes, we are grateful for the incarnation of God (celebrated at Christmas time) by which, eventually, following the necessary identification process and particularly by His death and resurrection, our salvation is engineered!
1300 on 28 November 2022
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