The Christmas season is a wonderful time to reflect upon the many, many purposes of the Incarnation, that time when God became man and the Word became flesh. For some forty years, the late Harold T. Reese was pastor of a Michigan church. His son, James Reese, has served as a pastor, evangelist and well-known soloist, mostly in Canada. In 1960, Pastor Reese penned the lyrics and James wrote the music to a song entitled, God Became Man. I don’t know how widespread it became known, but to those of us who knew them, it was very special. I can still hear Brother Reese, in his rich bass voice singing:
Rockets may soar into space’s far reaches; Men may arrive on the strangest of beaches;
But the greatest event since creation began, Took place on that day when God became man.
Walking the hills which His hand had erected; Talking of things which His might had effected;
As the world He created His wond’ring eyes scan – Creator turned creature when God became man.
Living in poverty’s lowly conditions; Challenging pride, cruel greed and ambition;
Ever helping mankind He was working the plan – Designed by the Father e’er He became man.
Into our sorrow and sin’s condemnation ‘God become man’ freely came for salvation;
He was hated, rejected, and under sin’s ban; To die on a cross ‘twas that God became man.
Great was the price He must pay for our pardon; Agonies rent His pure soul in the garden;
Then he cried on the tree, “I have finished the plan,” And bowed His dear head, this ‘God became man.’
Over the grave He arose with all power, Living in Heaven, immortal this hour;
As the great Mediator the gulf He has spanned, There’s hope for all mankind since God became man.
Break with the searching for praise and for pleasure, Enter His peace with its undying treasure;
For by grace a new life you may live and you can, To give you this pow’r this great God became man.
Chorus
God became man! O great condescension; God became man with blessed intention.
From ruin to reigning He lifts us in grace, God became man! Oh, gaze on His face.
C.S. Lewis once said, “In the Incarnation God has landed on the enemy-occupied planet in human form.” Regarding the Incarnation Spurgeon said, “A stir begins as soon as Christ is born. He has not spoken a word; He has not wrought a miracle, He has not proclaimed a single doctrine; but, ‘When Jesus was born,’ at the very first, while as yet you hear nothing but infant cries, and can see nothing in infant weakness, still His influence upon the world is manifest.”
What a day when God became man and the Word became flesh. Through the Incarnation Jesus became the light of the world exposing the depravity of sin. The Incarnation also became the greatest rescue plan ever – “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:15. Though attitude and conduct has unjustly persisted through the generations of time, the divine rescue plan is still at work, all because God became man and the Word became flesh.
Photo by: European Southern Observatory, CC BY 2.0