Christmas: a new beginning

Disorder and emptiness¹. That was the state of the world in Genesis 1.2 immediately after the creation, before God acted to distinguish, divide, organise and order. At the end of His work, God pronounced the entire creation to be “good”, indeed “very good.” Everything had its place and everything was in its place. Chaos and emptiness gave way to harmonie and fulness. Satisfied with His accomplishment, the Creator “rested.”

Alas! Not satisfied with this incomparable organisation, this permanent happiness and this durable peace, human beings allowed themselves to be seduced by disorder and bring back the chaos. Urusping the place of the Creator (“you shall be as gods²”!) they abandoned their proper place and upset the harmony. Man left his station, refused the rôle the Creator entrusted to him and set up a new world organisation. Chaos is back.

This is what sins does. Where there is harmony, it devastates, creates disorder, muddles, sows confusion and disunity. How many relationships have been marred by a lie? How many families have been torn apart by infidelity? How many lives have been ruined by selfishness when one’s desires are allowed to take precedence over justice and equity to others’ detriment?

In his rigorous denunciation of the people’s sins, Jeremiah said: “I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void.³” Left to himself, man is an agent of chaos. He spoils, each day more and more, God’s beautiful creation. What God made, man has unmade. What God created, man has “de-created.”

And so on until the world is destroyed? No!

God is not unmoved. While the world was heading for ruin, God decided to “leave His rest!” He returned to His creative activity to counter the destructive work of rebel humanity manipulated by Satan.

In explaining the mystery of the Incarnation, the Gospel of John reappropriates the vocabulary of the Genesis Creation account. The Prologue, verses 1 to 18, is a real jewel. It introduces us to the creative word of God become flesh, accessible and audible. God speaks afresh. He is going to bring back harmony. God is going to re-create. How? Through an infant child.

Just as “the Spirit of God hovered over the waters⁴” He overshadowed Mary⁵ who by a miracle conceived. Henri Blocher comments: “the echoes of Genesis 1.2 in the Annunciation (Lk 1.35) suggest the inception of a new creation⁶.” God is about to re-organise everything.

The child to be born is the first of a new creation. This new Adam⁷ will fulfil His God-given role. He will be born (creation), will die (de-creation) and rise again (re-creation). He will accomplish the motive of redemption, set in motion a new humanity and bring back peace. He is after all the Prince of Peace⁸.

That is the meaning of Christmas. God has not done with this fallen world. God has not given it over to destruction but plans to restore it. A restoration that begins with a birth.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, our first source of joy remains marvelous news: God brings order into our chaos, repairs what has been broken and fills our lives. In Jesus, chaos gives way to harmony, death to life, anguish to joy.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Jonathan Conte

1            Tohu wabohu in Hebrew
2            Genesis 3.5
3            Tohu wabohu the same expression as in Genesis 1.2
4            Genesis 1.2
5            Luke 1.35
6            Henri Blocher, La Doctrine du Christ, Edifac, 2002, p.158
7            1 Corinthians 15.12-58, Romans 5.12-21
8            Isaiah 9.5