I was reading something the other day. I can't remember for the life of me what it was, but instead of seeing the word "incarnate" I read the word "incarcerate" and was terribly confused for a few moments until I figured out my mistake.
Then I started thinking about how similar those two words look, really, especially as these 40+ year old less-than-perfect-to-begin-with eyes are beginning to show some of those effects of aging...
and I kept on thinking a bit more...
When Christ became God Incarnate... omiscient, omnipotent, omnipresence clothed and freely limited by frail flesh...
infinite perfection wrapped in human finiteness...
Didn't He, at least in a sense, self-incarcerate?
He chose chains, shackles, imprisonment... the Creator willingly confined by flesh He created...
...the miracle of incarnation,
...Word becoming flesh, dwelling with men as the Divine Man.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Words of Paul then came to mind:
"Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ and Timothy our brother unto Philemon our dearly beloved and fellow labourer..."
The Christ permitted His own fleshly incarceration so that one day, men could bind themselves to Him... so that one day I could bind myself to Him... becoming His captive and thus being set free.
The paradoxes within God's plan are mind-boggling, amazing, marvelous - and every time I think on these things or try to treasure them up in my heart - I am totally overwhelmed.
...This is such a very important part of what Christmas means to me.
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