Journeying With Christ: The Coptic Month of Kiahk of the Nativity Fastናሙና

Week 2 Theme: The Annunciation to St. Mary

Day 6: The Mystery of the Incarnation

“Christ our Lord is without Mother as God, for He was begotten of the Father alone; and without Father as Man, for He was born of a pure Virgin.” Theodoret of Cyprus

As we journey with Christ, we encounter profound mysteries that deepen our understanding of God's love and salvation. Today, we contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation, the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us. In this mystery, we find hope, wonder, and the assurance of God's presence in our lives. Let us marvel at the wonder of God becoming man and embrace the life-giving presence of Christ in our journey with Him.

The passage from St. John's Gospel takes us to the very essence of the Incarnation. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). The Word, who is Jesus Christ, existed with God from the beginning, eternally united with the Father. This profound truth reveals the divine nature of Christ and His role in creation and is proclaimed and confessed in the Nicene Creed, speaking of Jesus: “Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became Man.”

The Early Church Fathers, such as St. Athanasius the Apostolic, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Jerome, emphasized the union of the divine and human nature of Christ. St. Jerome writes, "The Word, who was begotten of the Father before the ages, without a mother, was in these last days, without a father, born of a mother" (Catechetical Lectures). The mystery of the Incarnation defies human understanding, as the eternal Word took on human flesh, becoming fully God and fully Man.

The significance of the Incarnation lies in its purpose: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The literal translation is “tented” or “tabernacled” - the idea here is temporariness, a sojourn, He didn’t build a kingly palace amongst us…He tented among us; He tabernacled among us. In John 2:19 Jesus says, “Destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it in three days,” and St. John is drawing the connection here that Jesus was referring to the temple of His body and in the tabernacle of the Old Testament, was the glory of God. The glory of God would come and fill the tabernacle. The Logos Theou (Word of God, Jesus) becomes flesh, tabernacles among us, and the glory of God, the presence of God, is within Him.

God took on human form to dwell among humanity, revealing His love, grace, and truth but ultimately His birth led the way for Him to live within us! (John 13:23) Through the Incarnation, Jesus entered into the human experience, sharing in our joys, sorrows, and struggles. He became one of us, so that we might know Him intimately and be reconciled to the Father.

This mystery of God becoming man fills our hearts with wonder and awe. The Creator of the universe humbled Himself to take on the limitations of human existence. He experienced human emotions, was tempted, and ultimately sacrificed Himself for our salvation. The Incarnation reveals the depth of God's love and His desire to be in a relationship with us.

As we journey with Christ, let us embrace the life-giving presence of the Incarnate Word in our lives. Through Christ, we receive grace upon grace (John 1:16). His presence brings healing, transformation, and eternal hope. In Christ, we find the fulfillment of our deepest longings and the restoration of our brokenness.

The mystery of the Incarnation also challenges us to view others through the lens of Christ's love. If God deemed it worthy to dwell among us, to embrace our humanity, then we are called to see the inherent dignity and worth of every person. The Incarnation teaches us to love and serve others, imitating Christ's example of humility and selflessness.