Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

134 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 1

B. Christmas: the Word Made Flesh

1. Biblical framework : In the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord God has come into the world; he is Immanuel, “God with us,” Isa. 7.14.

2. Exemplar Scripture references

a. Immanuel, Matt. 1.20-23 – But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. c. The humility of the Son, Phil. 2.6-8 – who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 3. Its meaning in Jesus’ history : In the Incarnation, God has come to us. Jesus of Nazareth reveals to humankind the Father’s glory in fullness, for the fullness of God dwelt in him, Col. 2.8-10. b. The Word made flesh, John 1.14-18 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his