Have you ever wondered why the Creator of the universe decided to enter His creation? Based on what we saw yesterday, Jesus came to Earth, at least in part, because we needed Him. He clearly cares about us a great deal. God’s love for us is a major theme of Christmas. But, if we want to gain a fuller understanding of why God became a man, we need to go back to the beginning of the story.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The Bible opens with these words, and the rest of Genesis 1 goes on to describe God’s creative work. He made day and night; the sky, land, and oceans; plants and animals; fish and birds; and the sun, moon, and stars. The climax of God’s creative activity came when He made human beings.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV)
God created us in His image. He made us to look like Himself spiritually. In so doing He gave us the responsibility to represent Him to the rest of the creation. He wants us to act on His behalf, caring for what He has made. He also wants the world to look at us and be able to see what He is like.
Notice what happened after God finished creating everything. “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (verse 31). God was pleased with everything He had made, including us!
So what does all of this have to do with Advent and Christmas? It helps us to understand why the God of the Universe cares about what’s happening here on the Earth—He made it, He was happy with His handiwork, and He wanted it to be well-cared-for. It also gives us some insight into why the Creator would enter His creation in human form—He chose us to bear His image, to be His self-portrait. No wonder He loves us!
Christmas is a celebration of the Creator entering His creation, of God becoming a man, so that we might know, love, and worship Him and experience His incredible love for us.
Reflection and Discussion
- How would you describe God?
- As human beings, how are we similar to God? How are we different?
Prayer
Loving Father,
Thank You for making us. Thank You for putting us in an incredibly beautiful and diverse world. You created us in Your image so that the rest of creation could see what You are like. Please work in our hearts so that we will appreciate whom You have created each of us to be. By Your grace may we show Your love to those around us.
Amen.