Advent #3 - He Shall Be Called A Nazarene - Matt Carvel // Matthew 2:19-23

Christmas, the incarnation, is God coming to dwell with His people. It is God coming to make a home in a broken world. But thirdly, it is also God coming to identify with us as individual people too. Jesus did not float 2cm above the earth but was content to become like us, even live under the labels like, ‘Nazarene’ that even everyday people would wince under. Christmas is a story of how Jesus became like us, became like you, to rescue us, to rescue you. God became flesh. He was born as a human baby. With feet and hands and eyes and tummy button. He lived in obscurity, he lived under threat, he lived a life of misunderstanding, persecution and injustice. And He did it all for our sake. He has become like us, even identified among sinners like us. He has made His home with us. To make His home, with the Father, our home.