Ever notice how all the action in the Gospel is from above? Everything happens from up there to down here. That ought to tell us something. Man has always failed – in every age.
Even at the cross, when the crucifixion took place the veil of the temple was “rent in twain – ‘from the top to the bottom.’” All the action came from above.
While the shepherds kept their flocks on the hillside suddenly there was a bright light, from above. God gave and man received. It has always been that way. God acts; man reacts. That is why the “Christmas Story” is so glorious. It is told by God and given to man, “To men of good will”. Lest we forget, we didn’t even suspect it was coming. God wrote the agreement (the “covenant”) and we agreed to it. He did it and we believed it. Had it been left to us, we wouldn’t even have thought of it.
When I was reading Clarence McCartney’s sermons in preparation for my seminary thesis I ran across McCartney’s description of the Gospel. It is a story of God coming down from the (Whitehouse to the Log Cabin), not the other way around as we would make it seem by our teaching. The so-called “New Age” movement teaches that man advances from the log cabin to the Whitehouse, much as Abraham Lincoln did. But the real Gospel speaks of God coming down and becoming a man, not man ascending to become a god. How can this great truth be missed in the reading of the Scriptures?
By the way, the latter part of the phrase in the song goes, “Heaven came down – and glory filled my soul”.
Let’s hope so. Don’t miss the significance of the purpose of His coming down. To bless and bring glory and joy…
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