The story of the Incarnation is the story of a descent and resurrection. (C.S. Lewis)
Welcome to Advent. We are in the the first week of this season of waiting and seeking light. I burn my advent candle for each day as it passes, as we inch closer to the day of the Incarnation, the gift of Advent and the missing chapter of the book that was not revealed until Jesus came down.
In an essay called "The Grand Miracle", C.S. Lewis begins by laying out the idea how the miracles that have occurred in nature reveal the character of the Incarnation. Just like the natural world and the things that occur in nature showcase the character of the universe, so do the miracles reveal what the Incarnation is, though held to a different standard as the goings on of nature are continuous, as seasons change, but the Incarnation was a one time event that occurred in history, a time and place.
Nature imitates what we see reveals in Jesus's coming. Seeds are buried deep down so they can rise into a plant. Jesus enters by coming down, not only into humanity, but down deeper into death, into a corpse. This pattern in nature of dying, descending, coming to life, is there because it has been there with God. Lewis calls to mind the nature religions of the pagans, and how they believed in a nature beyond nature, which is where God fits - holding that characteristic of dying and rising, and yet "remaining quite outside and above the nature religions."
Then, to look at humans in the story, how in the search for God amongst nations and peoples, the story narrows and narrows until it lands at one point - "small as the point of a spear - a Jewish girl at her prayers. That is what the whole of human nature has narrowed down to before the Incarnation takes place." The Jewish people are selected to carry this thing that will save the world. To their burden, suffering, and honor, all in one. And yet through that suffering, they are promulgating the healing of others. Lewis introduces this as the Christian centre - how by the suffering of one many are healed.
This, the Incarnation, Lewis says, is the missing chapter of the manuscript and the answer that fits into the problem of the whole story. It adds depth to the patterns in nature of death and rebirth, and it illuminates the rest of the story. It changes the way we think about and approach death. We can no longer say that death doesn't matter. It matters. "Christianity does not simply affirm or simply deny the horror of death; it tells me something quite new about it." We are to be humbled when we appreciate the enormous sacrifice that other people make for us, and reminded to make sacrifices for others.
Here we are, approaching the grand miracle in just a few weeks. Take some quite moments to reflect on this season and its meaning. It comes to us each year and we can approach it with new eyes and a fresh spirit in a humble stance. May your Advent be blessed.
