Legends have a tendency to preoccupy and displace the actual facts at times. One of those Christmas legends tells about Santa Claus with his reindeer. He is described as delivering presents under the Christmas tree. These stories may be charming, but the real Christmas is not about Santa Claus coming down the chimney. It is all about God coming down to earth in the form of a little baby.
God came down at Christmas. We call that the incarnation. Philippians 2:5-8 tells us: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross”.
God came all the way from the glories of heaven to the lowliness of earth. Jesus was born in a little town, to an insignificant girl, and laid in animal’s feeding trough. Just imagine how far He came down from the heights of heaven’s glory to the depths of earth’s humility. God also came down from deity to humanity. While still being fully God Jesus Christ set aside all the privileges of deity and took upon Himself the limitations and pains of human flesh. He experienced everything that we do. He walked the difficult paths of human existence and felt the sorrows of a human body. God finally came down from honor and glory to suffering and death. Our Lord Jesus Christ showed the extent of how far He came down when He died on the cross. Yet His death was overcome by His resurrection and exaltation to the Father’s right hand.
Why did God come down? Simply put He came down so that He might bring us up. He descended to bring us up out of our sins to experience salvation. He came down to bring us out of darkness into His glorious light. God loved us so much that He came down for us.