Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God: "After viewing 'The Nativity Story', analyzing your chosen Christmas carol, and reading Philippians 2:1-7, reflect on the meaning of Christma..."
In both the Nativity Story and then again in the song 'O Holy Night' Jesus is described as the savior of humankind. The verse of O Holy Night I chose is this one:
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
This emphasizes his birth and is similar to what happened in the movie, with the beam of light coming down on the baby and then the Wise Men coming and giving the gifts to the baby, proclaiming him as the king of the people.
Mary had to accept giving birth to the son of God, she was chosen to do so while Joseph had to accept raising him. The shepherds had to witness the birth of Christ, as they were the representatives of the common man. The wisemen or the Persian astrologers were the representatives of the intelligentsia. They also had to make a choice to tell King Herold about the child or not.
God coming to earth as a baby is his way of humbling himself and coming in the form of an innocent. He is an all powerful God who is now a fragile baby and cannot do anything. That is why Jesus is the Son of God, because he is the human form of God. This is the meaning of Christmas, remembering and celebrating Jesus who became our savior.
