Revelation 12, Luke 1:26-38, Galatians 4:4
Today's sermon enters into the mystery of the Incarnation. To "incarnate" means to give God flesh, it means for God to become human. In the birth of Jesus, our confession is that God became man and dwelt among us (John 1:14).
How this happens is one of the mysteries of the Christian faith. We call it the Virgin Birth, and so it was, but describing how such could occur from a biological perspective is beyond us. With God all things are possible (Luke 1:37).
In the sermon I reference the Calcedonian Creed. Bishops and church leaders and pastors met in the city of Caldedon (in what is present day Turkey) from October 8 to November 1, 451 AD, and continued to hammer out their understanding of what the Bible taught about the person of Christ, specifically around the issues of the incarnation. What was the relationship of the human nature and the divine nature that resided in the one body we call Jesus? It is a tough question. After centuries of Bible study, discussion, debate and discernment, the creed of Calcendon emerged, and it has satisfied most of the church. I say most, because to this day the Coptic Church (Coptic means Egyptian), does not endorse the creed but continues to define the union of the human and divine in Jesus in slightly different ways. Wikipedia has a good entry related to this creed and council.
The sermon also deals with the identity of the woman in Revelation 12. At first read it seem easy enough to say that she is Mary, the mother of Jesus. And that is true and is the position of most Catholic scholars. Revelation 12 goes on to mention that the woman flees to the desert for protection and is keep safe for 1260 days. Matthew tells us that the Holy Family went to Egypt to escape the hatred of Herod and that they remained there until they learned of Herod's death, and then returned to Nazareth where Jesus was raised. The Coptic Church tradition says the Holy Family stayed in Egypt for three and one half years (which is 1260 days). Today, numerous churches in Egypt mark the traditional sites associated with this event. Read about it here. Though much of this is speculation and tradition, it is fascinating to consider what Mary and Joesph and Jesus experienced during this time period.
The bottom line is that the Incarnation enraged the Devil. Until then, every human being sinned and because they did, Satan laid claim to their lives. Now, in Jesus, a perfect human being emerges, one who would not sin, and thus Satan had no claim on his life. The Devil's powerful grip on humanity was broken. Things would never be the same again. Consequently, Satan makes every attempt possible to destroy Jesus.
In future weeks we will explore more fully the spiritual war that was and is raging around Jesus and our souls.
Thanks for digging deeper.
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