The wonder of Christmas is this: The God of the galaxies came to this earth as an infant. He that was from infinity came as infancy. The power of God was wrapped in flesh 2,000 years ago and came to dwell among us (John 1:14).
The Wonder of Christmas Found in Genesis 1
The wonder of Christmas is found in the wonder of creation. At Christmas time, we often jump right into the middle of a great story. A baby born to a virgin in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago grew to become the Savior of the world. Though a King, He humbled Himself and came to earth to reveal His great love for us.
You understand the story. It’s a story of redemption for a fallen creation ruined by sin. And from the ruins, God is restoring all things.
However, when we talk about the wonder of Christmas, we tend to just talk about Christmas. We leave out why the wonder of Christmas is necessary.
- It’s as if we open up a great novel to the center page and start reading from there. We don’t know what happened before to bring about the need for this baby. And we don’t know how this baby ties to the end of the story either.
We can have a hard time helping others connect Christmas to what God is doing all around us—past, present, and future. We need to ask ourselves, “How can we make the wonder of Christmas irresistible?”
To discover why the wonder of Christmas even matters, we must start at the beginning—the creation story…
- Genesis 1:1-2
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (emphasis added)
In other words, the universe had a beginning. It was created from nothing by a Creator.
The Wonder of Christmas and the Creation Story Reveal the Triune God
“God”
The word “God” in Genesis 1 is the name “Elohim” in Hebrew. God has many names given to Him in the Old Testament because He is so infinite; no one name can capture the essence of who He is.
Elohim is a Hebrew name used more than 2,500 times in the Old Testament.
- “El” is the Hebrew word for one God (singular).
- “Ohim” indicates plurality.
So then, the word “Elohim” captures the plurality of the one true God. It communicates the triune God—the Godhead, three in one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
“Was”
The Hebrew word for “was” in this verse is “hyetha” in Hebrew. It is translated often in the Bible as…
- “Became”
- “It came to pass”
The earth became without form and void. The nature of the word “was” in this verse is to say the earth became without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep.
Genesis 1:1-2 could be read like this, “In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. The earth became without form and void. And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
What Does This Tell Us?
First John 1:5 tells us…
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (emphasis added)
Wait… Didn’t Genesis 1 tell us that “darkness was on the face of the deep”? So then, if God is light and in Him there is no darkness, where did darkness come from?
An attribute of God is light. Hebrews 12:29 tells us that God is an all-consuming fire. Whenever God showed up in Scripture, there was a bright light… literally. There was no darkness around.
Other verses in the Bible show us how God’s creation was subjected to darkness. It was the result of Satan’s rebellion, which is further explained in Ezekiel 28:14-16, Isaiah 14:12, and Revelation 12:7-10.
Satan…
- Was an anointed cherub, perfect
- Was named Lucifer
- Became prideful and rebellious
- He waged war against God
- He fell from heaven
God judged Satan’s sin with darkness, which is why he is called the ruler of darkness in Ephesians 6:12.
The wonder of Christmas reveals the reality of a spiritual war.
By Genesis 1:2, there was already a war going on in the heavenly realm. If this weren’t true, then God wouldn’t have had to declare, “Let there be light” (verse 3) because God is light, and that’s all there could have been. Genesis 1:4 says, “God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.”
Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…”
In other words, the things you cannot see about God are revealed by the things you can see—creation. Even the Godhead is imprinted in creation.
The Wonder of Christmas Found in John 1
In Genesis 1, God divided the darkness. But in John 1, God steps into the darkness. The light of the world was life and shined in the darkness.
John 1:1-5
- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (emphasis added)
The Creator came down to the world He created as a baby—this is the wonder of Christmas! He stepped away from His throne as King into the darkness so that many would receive Him. He would give them the right to become children of God (John 1:12).
Jesus’ role in creation…
- Colossians 1:16-17
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
- Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
In Christ the Creator, you get back everything Adam lost in the garden. You are born again and adopted into the family of God.
God Has a Christmas Wish for You
“As many as received Him…” (John 1:12). Have you received Him? This is God’s Christmas wish for you—that you receive Him, and as a result, He gives you the right to become a child of God.
The wonder of Christmas—the miraculous birth of our Savior—is the turning point in the Bible story. He had to come because of the spiritual war that took place in Genesis 1. He had to come to save the world, to be the Light of the world, and equip those who receive Him to battle with godly wisdom against the ruler of darkness.
And at the end, He will establish a kingdom without sin and without end—full of light! Do you want to be a part of this kingdom? Receive Him.
In the Beginning…
In the beginning, our Creator created all things, visible and invisible. Jesus was there from the beginning, and He will never leave nor forsake you. As you journey into this season, meditate on the God of wonders. Ask the Spirit to reveal to you the wonder of Christmas found in the creation story.
And when you do, you will “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). The wonder of Christmas is this: Jesus is the light of the world. And when you follow Him, you will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12).
God has a Christmas wish for you. It is that you come to know the wonderful news of Jesus, the God of miracles, and receive the Light of the world.
