When we think about Christmas, we want to think about the message of the angels, “Today is born, in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Christmas really announces the most surprising and the most shocking thing ever in the history of the world: God, who made everything, has come to us in our flesh. The children of Israel from the beginning knew that God, the Creator, transcended his creation.

Christmas announces: God, who made everything, has come to us in our flesh.

For God, the Creator, to come in the form of an infant, incarnate, and in flesh, is the most surprising thing in the world. The angels are announcing that God has done that to save us. In Christmas, we think about the way that God has saved and the extraordinary initiative that he has taken to save us. Christmas teaches us of the beginnings of that. It is a very special time for us as we reflect upon that glorious truth and as we thank God for that. One of the beautiful things about Christmas is not just the celebrations that we have with our families, but the gatherings with the people of God. We sing those carols of praise because of the coming of Jesus Christ; the advent of Jesus Christ and His enfleshment.

Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III

Ligon Duncan (MDiv, Covenant Theological Seminary; PhD, University of Edinburgh) is the Chancellor & CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary, the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, and the President of RTS Jackson. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to numerous books. You can follow him on Twitter.