Advent Devotional - December 23, 2014

"Mild He lays His glory by / Born that man no more may die / Born to raise the sons of earth / Born to give them second birth / Hark! The herald angels sing / ‘Glory to the newborn King!’"

-Hark the Herald Angels Sing

In the above lyrics, it is tempting to speed past that first line without even thinking. After all, this is Christmas, right? Let’s get to the birth part, with shepherds, angels, a manger, animals, and all that other Christmasy stuff. But pause for a brief moment and reflect on that first line: “Mild He lays His glory by.”

You see, being born is a matter over which you and I have no choice. If you are reading this, you were born without anyone asking you if you would like to be born or not. Birth is simply our lot as humans. But for Jesus the situation was much different. In a passage that calls for Christians to act in humility towards one another, Philippians 2:5-11 tells us that Jesus’ time on earth was the ultimate act of humility, and that it all started with His birth. Jesus is the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity. Before His birth in Bethlehem, He dwelt in perfection and glory; all power and authority were His. He had the option that we never have; Jesus could have chosen to keep Himself free from the dirt and grime, the heartache and hurt that comes from being human. But instead, He “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). In condescending to come to earth, Jesus laid aside the glory that rightfully belonged to Him and became human.

This Advent season, don’t forget that for Jesus, birth was an act of humility, a choice to lay what was rightfully His to the side in order that He might set you free and give you life. For this humble obedience, Philippians 2:9-11 goes on to tell of the highly exalted status that the Father confers upon the Son. “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“ Indeed, let us sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”