Come and Adore Jesus
The Miracle of Christmas: Being Formed Into His Image
Christmas has a way of sweeping us up in its beauty—the twinkling lights, the familiar carols, the gathering of loved ones around tables laden with food. Yet in the midst of all this celebration, it's remarkably easy to lose sight of the very person we're celebrating. We can admire the manger scene, appreciate the shepherds' story, and marvel at the wise men's journey, all while somehow missing the baby at the center of it all.
What if this Christmas, we paused to consider not just the historical event of Jesus' birth, but the ongoing miracle of what that birth means for us today?
A Different Kind of Christmas Story
The Gospel of John tells the Christmas story in a refreshingly simple way. There are no angelic announcements, no crowded inn, no shepherds watching their flocks. Instead, John cuts straight to the heart of the matter:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
John's account strips away the surrounding details to focus on the essential truth: God became human. The Creator entered His creation. The Light came into the darkness. And remarkably, this wasn't a random act—it was purposed from before the foundation of the world.
This is where the Christmas story becomes deeply personal. John writes, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Christmas isn't just about what happened two thousand years ago in Bethlehem. It's about what can happen in your heart today.
Chosen and Spoken Forth
The apostle Paul expands on this incredible truth in his letter to the Ephesians. He writes that God "chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." The word "chose" here literally translates to "spoke forth"—meaning God spoke your existence into being with intention and purpose.
This is revolutionary news for anyone who has ever felt unwanted, purposeless, or alone. You weren't an accident. You weren't a cosmic roll of the dice. God wanted you. He had a plan for you. He spoke you into existence.
And the blessings don't stop there. Paul continues with a cascade of incredible promises: redemption through Christ's blood, forgiveness of sins, wisdom and understanding, knowledge of God's will—all lavished upon us according to the riches of God's grace. Take a moment to let those words sink in. Not given sparingly, but lavished.
If you received nothing else this Christmas, remember this: in Christ, you have received every spiritual blessing.
The Great Reversal
In spiritual formation language, what Jesus offers us is called "the great reversal." It's the movement from being formed into our own image—constantly trying to create ourselves, prove ourselves, make a name for ourselves—to being formed into the image of Jesus.
This is fundamentally different from mere behavior modification. Jesus didn't come just to clean up our actions or help us be slightly better versions of ourselves. He came to transform our very being, to redeem who we are at the deepest level.
Think about how much energy we expend trying to control our image, prove our worth, and live up to impossible expectations. We carry the exhausting burden of self-creation, attempting to construct an identity that will finally make us feel whole and valuable. The great reversal is the invitation to lay all of that down.
When we allow ourselves to be formed into the image of Christ, we're not adding some alien element to our lives. We're actually becoming who we were always meant to be. The image of Christ is the fulfillment of the deepest hunger of the human heart for wholeness. Our greatest thirst is for fulfillment in Christ's image.
Where Transformation Happens
Here's the challenging part: being formed into the image of Jesus takes place primarily at the point of our unlikeness to Christ. We experience transformation most profoundly in those areas where we are most unlike Him.
We'd all prefer that spiritual growth happened in the areas where we're already doing well—our strengths, our comfortable zones. But God wants to move into those hidden places, those areas we're ashamed of, those parts of ourselves we try to keep even from Him. Jesus didn't come to transform only the presentable parts of us. He came to make us entirely new.
Second Corinthians 5:17 declares, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Not partially renovated. Not slightly improved. New.
Not Alone on the Journey
If Christmas finds you feeling lonely, lost, or struggling, hear this truth: you are not alone on the journey. God came to us because He wanted to join us on the road, to listen to our story, and to help us realize that we're not walking in circles but moving toward a house of peace and joy.
The mystery of Christmas is that we are not abandoned to figure life out on our own. The God of love sent His only Son to be with us at all times and in all places, so we never have to feel lost in our struggles.
The challenge, though, is to let God be who He wants to be. Part of us clings to our aloneness and doesn't allow God to touch us where we're most in pain. We hide from Him precisely those places where we feel guilty, ashamed, confused, or lost—the very places where we most need His presence.
Christmas is the renewed invitation not to be afraid. It's the invitation to let Him whose love is greater than our hearts and minds can comprehend be our compassion, our healing, our transformation.
A Daily Invitation
Being formed into the image of Christ isn't a one-time event. It's a daily discipline, a continuous opening of ourselves to God's transforming work. And while that might sound daunting, it actually brings life, joy, and peace.
This Christmas, as you celebrate the birth of the Savior, consider embracing Jesus fully—not just as a historical figure or the subject of a beautiful story, but as the one who came specifically to transform you. Let this season be about more than traditions and sentimentality. Let it be about receiving the greatest gift ever offered: new life, new identity, and the ongoing work of being formed into the image of the One who loved you enough to become like you so that you could become like Him.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And He's still dwelling, still transforming, still making all things new.
Christmas has a way of sweeping us up in its beauty—the twinkling lights, the familiar carols, the gathering of loved ones around tables laden with food. Yet in the midst of all this celebration, it's remarkably easy to lose sight of the very person we're celebrating. We can admire the manger scene, appreciate the shepherds' story, and marvel at the wise men's journey, all while somehow missing the baby at the center of it all.
What if this Christmas, we paused to consider not just the historical event of Jesus' birth, but the ongoing miracle of what that birth means for us today?
A Different Kind of Christmas Story
The Gospel of John tells the Christmas story in a refreshingly simple way. There are no angelic announcements, no crowded inn, no shepherds watching their flocks. Instead, John cuts straight to the heart of the matter:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
John's account strips away the surrounding details to focus on the essential truth: God became human. The Creator entered His creation. The Light came into the darkness. And remarkably, this wasn't a random act—it was purposed from before the foundation of the world.
This is where the Christmas story becomes deeply personal. John writes, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Christmas isn't just about what happened two thousand years ago in Bethlehem. It's about what can happen in your heart today.
Chosen and Spoken Forth
The apostle Paul expands on this incredible truth in his letter to the Ephesians. He writes that God "chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." The word "chose" here literally translates to "spoke forth"—meaning God spoke your existence into being with intention and purpose.
This is revolutionary news for anyone who has ever felt unwanted, purposeless, or alone. You weren't an accident. You weren't a cosmic roll of the dice. God wanted you. He had a plan for you. He spoke you into existence.
And the blessings don't stop there. Paul continues with a cascade of incredible promises: redemption through Christ's blood, forgiveness of sins, wisdom and understanding, knowledge of God's will—all lavished upon us according to the riches of God's grace. Take a moment to let those words sink in. Not given sparingly, but lavished.
If you received nothing else this Christmas, remember this: in Christ, you have received every spiritual blessing.
The Great Reversal
In spiritual formation language, what Jesus offers us is called "the great reversal." It's the movement from being formed into our own image—constantly trying to create ourselves, prove ourselves, make a name for ourselves—to being formed into the image of Jesus.
This is fundamentally different from mere behavior modification. Jesus didn't come just to clean up our actions or help us be slightly better versions of ourselves. He came to transform our very being, to redeem who we are at the deepest level.
Think about how much energy we expend trying to control our image, prove our worth, and live up to impossible expectations. We carry the exhausting burden of self-creation, attempting to construct an identity that will finally make us feel whole and valuable. The great reversal is the invitation to lay all of that down.
When we allow ourselves to be formed into the image of Christ, we're not adding some alien element to our lives. We're actually becoming who we were always meant to be. The image of Christ is the fulfillment of the deepest hunger of the human heart for wholeness. Our greatest thirst is for fulfillment in Christ's image.
Where Transformation Happens
Here's the challenging part: being formed into the image of Jesus takes place primarily at the point of our unlikeness to Christ. We experience transformation most profoundly in those areas where we are most unlike Him.
We'd all prefer that spiritual growth happened in the areas where we're already doing well—our strengths, our comfortable zones. But God wants to move into those hidden places, those areas we're ashamed of, those parts of ourselves we try to keep even from Him. Jesus didn't come to transform only the presentable parts of us. He came to make us entirely new.
Second Corinthians 5:17 declares, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Not partially renovated. Not slightly improved. New.
Not Alone on the Journey
If Christmas finds you feeling lonely, lost, or struggling, hear this truth: you are not alone on the journey. God came to us because He wanted to join us on the road, to listen to our story, and to help us realize that we're not walking in circles but moving toward a house of peace and joy.
The mystery of Christmas is that we are not abandoned to figure life out on our own. The God of love sent His only Son to be with us at all times and in all places, so we never have to feel lost in our struggles.
The challenge, though, is to let God be who He wants to be. Part of us clings to our aloneness and doesn't allow God to touch us where we're most in pain. We hide from Him precisely those places where we feel guilty, ashamed, confused, or lost—the very places where we most need His presence.
Christmas is the renewed invitation not to be afraid. It's the invitation to let Him whose love is greater than our hearts and minds can comprehend be our compassion, our healing, our transformation.
A Daily Invitation
Being formed into the image of Christ isn't a one-time event. It's a daily discipline, a continuous opening of ourselves to God's transforming work. And while that might sound daunting, it actually brings life, joy, and peace.
This Christmas, as you celebrate the birth of the Savior, consider embracing Jesus fully—not just as a historical figure or the subject of a beautiful story, but as the one who came specifically to transform you. Let this season be about more than traditions and sentimentality. Let it be about receiving the greatest gift ever offered: new life, new identity, and the ongoing work of being formed into the image of the One who loved you enough to become like you so that you could become like Him.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And He's still dwelling, still transforming, still making all things new.
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