The Gift of Jesus

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  (Philippians 2:5-7)

The word “doxology” comes from two Greek words, one which means “praise” or “glory,” and the other one which means “word.” A doxology is literally a word or an expression of praise and glory. To understand the doxology of Christmas, we turn to a man who (unlike the shepherds and the wise men) was not there at the birth of Jesus. This man is the apostle Paul. As a writer of Scripture, he never explicitly wrote about the birth of Jesus. Unlike the disciples, he never physically met Jesus, but he did meet the risen Jesus; and he recorded the greatest doxology of Christmas. In doing so, he shows us the real reason for the season, to praise our Savior.

To begin, Paul took us backstage behind the curtains of eternity and showed us what took place before Jesus was even born. (Philippians 2:5-7)

When Jesus got on the ladder of humanity, He started out on the lowest rung. Although He was a king, He took the form of a slave. This puzzled many people who met him -- even His own disciples. They were expecting Him to be born into royalty and to be surrounded with servants. Yet, He came to serve.

If Jesus was God, why did He identify with us as a human being? Why would the Son of God leave the glory of heaven to come to earth as the Son of Man? Why would He leave a throne as a king and come to earth as a slave? Why would He leave a place where He was exalted to come to a place where He would be executed?

Jesus did all of this because He loved us and because He wanted a relationship with us. He is worthy to be praised, this time of year and every other day of the year, as well. He gave it all up so He could identify with us, empathize with us, and ultimately save us. We are extremely grateful for His awesome gift!