Day 1 Luke 1:1-4
30 Nov 2023
You can listen to an audio version of this post here -
“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught”. Luke 1:1-4
"It's the most wonderful time of the year” goes the song. Many people expect a kind of feeling of joy, warmth and nostalgia to come sweeping over them during these weeks in December.
According to a researcher in Psychology at Keele University, evidence of Christmas cheer inside the brain was actually found in a study run at the University of Denmark. 20 people were shown Christmas related pictures while attached to a MRI machine - and their brains lit up (rather like a Christmas tree!)
At churches we feel the pressure to contribute to that sense of Christmas cheer. Carols, meals and special services all help to make us feel “Christmassy” and make it easy for us to invite friends and neighbours in search of that warm glow.
There is a real danger in associating the message of the incarnation with all this though. We risk believing (and then communicating) that the important thing about it is how it makes us feel, rather than the fact that it is truth, real history - which changes everything no matter how we feel about it.
In Luke’s gospel we have the most extensive account of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, and I’ll work my way through these verses in the days leading up to Christmas. And right at the beginning there are some very important verses which underline the fact that this isn’t just a fantasy or a story. Luke has worked hard as the human author used by God to research his writing. He has written an eyewitness account of the events of Jesus life, death and resurrection. This includes the events surrounding his birth. It is also an orderly account - carefully planned and written.
Luke also tells us he has a purpose in mind as he writes. I’m sure he had hours and hours of interviews to summarise. But he was ruthless, determined to include what will give the reader Theophilus (possibly the man who paid him to write), and to give us, “certainty concerning the things you have been taught”.
This is why it is important to pay close attention to the words and the details of the account of the incarnation. We mustn’t be satisfied with vague memories, embellishments, and fictionalised accounts with added songs and animation. God has given us his word to strengthen our confidence in what he has done. And he has done everything for a reason.
One hundred years ago a scholar called J. Gresham Machen wrote an important book called “Christianity and Liberalism”. He was concerned at the fact that in many churches the Bible wasn’t recognised as the word of God, Jesus was just being preached as an example and not as God, and miracles were seen as impossible now we understand science. This threat has not gone away.
The incarnation is not a feeling to bask in - it is a fact to be believed. As it is true it then has many other implications, and Jesus as the Christ makes calls on our lives. Luke begins his gospel by stating that God has given us all the evidence we need to know this.
But this is good news. However we feel about this time of year - and I know many struggle - the fact of the incarnation does not depend on your feelings. God has become flesh. We can have certainty about this. And this means there is salvation in and through him.