Philippians 2:7 - [Jesus] emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Merry Christmas! The day we celebrate Jesus coming to earth as a baby.

Up until this point in human history, outside the Garden of Eden, humans had lived largely separated from God.

Even in moments where God appeared, the presence of his greatness was terrifying to people. Merely a single person returning from the presence of God’s glory scared people:

Exodus 34:29-30, 33 - When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him… When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face.

And so this is why God came to earth as a human - so we wouldn’t be terrified.

Jesus emptied himself of his God glory and clothed himself as a human to become a servant to all. So we could see him and listen to him.

And it started with him as a newborn.

Here’s a Paul Harvey essay from 1965 that’s put to music which even more illustrates what Jesus did. It’s one of my favorite pieces of Christmas art.

Thanks to God for never giving up on us and always keeping his promises. Merry Christmas!