Dear Church Family,

The celebration of Christmas is also the celebration of Genesis chapter 1. One of the best Christmas books ever written is entitled On the Incarnation, by Athanasius. At the beginning of the book, Athanasius reminds us that it’s through the same Word by which God brought all things into existence, that He also accomplished our redemption. In the beginning, in and with and through His Word, that is through His Son, God created all things, and then He sent that same Word down to us to assume our humanity, to make our human nature everlastingly His own. And then, as a man who is also God, Christ accomplished our redemption. In accomplishing our redemption, He accomplished our re-creation. The saving work of Jesus is the new Genesis of humanity. He took into Himself our nature and through His saving work He redeemed our nature. And by our union with Christ, we are also, then, united in His very humanity to also His divinity. So, in Christ, we have a celebration of Genesis chapter 1 because we have a celebration of the new creation, which we have in the One who created us in the beginning.

Merry Christmas!