But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4-5 (ESV)

The Trinity worked in unison and separately to bring about the birth of Jesus.

The Father sent the Son into the world, who became flesh through the work of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s virgin womb. This crucial aspect of God’s salvation work is called Incarnation (from the Latin in carne, literally “in flesh”).

The purpose of the Incarnation was to redeem us from the law of sin and death and to make us all sons and daughters of God. God withheld nothing in giving us with His only begotten Son, the Son withheld nothing in giving us with His life, and the Holy Spirit withheld nothing in giving us His life-giving power to dwell in us. It is through this gracious act and purpose of salvation that we realise God has bestowed on us such worth, value, and identity that goes far beyond how we think and feel about ourselves.

Christmas is the gift of the Trinity.

God gives Himself to us as our Saviour through the Incarnation.

It is very humbling as well as comforting to know that God comes to us when we are utterly mired in sin and unaware of Him (Ephesians 2:1-7). God honours us by entering our broken and sin-shamed story in a most vulnerable way. The Son willingly became a child like us so that through Him we could become children of God.

We have all struggled with identity concerns and even deeper longings for love and belonging at some point in our lives. The birth of Jesus as a child in the manger demonstrates that He came to share not just our humanity but also our vulnerability. If God is on our side, there is nothing for us to be afraid or anxious about. Rather let us continue to trust in God’s perfect faithfulness and righteousness.