It is a time to be glad. God has come in the flesh born of virgin mother. He leaves the throne room of His Father and determines to come so completely into the world that He becomes one of us and one with us. He is the Immanuel. From eternity He is who He is (Ex 3:14). The incarnation does not make Him more or less divine. He becomes fully human. The incarnation does not drag Him down, but elevates us. He lifts us from the fear of death and slavery to sin to a joy that is above all sadness. This is not something He demands from us: "Don't worry. Be happy!" but He gives this joy as a gift to those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death. His light has dawned upon us (Mt 4:16). He doesn't say to those who are troubled in their hearts and minds: "Come on, buck up. Everything will be all right. Be happy." He has gained our full joy by becoming incarnate of Mary. All this He worked long ago in Nazareth and Bethlehem. He joined our worthless carcass to His indestructible divinity, assuming our nature into Himself, conveying life itself to our flesh. He is anointed with the oil of gladness for us, not for Himself. He takes our place so that He would experience all that is ours for our sake.

Christ substitutes for us in all that He does and experiences. Theologians have created the artificial (even if useful) distinction between Christ's active obedience and passive obedience. The point is not so much its activity or passivity, but its nature as a complete substitution. What He does and experiences is ours because He is taking our place in it. When He receives the anointment with oil of gladness it is our gladness that He is receiving. What if you had to buy a Christmas gift for the richest person you can imagine, such a Bill Gates? What could you give him that he needs? A gift given to such a person needs to be received only for the benefit of the giver. So it is for small child who gives a necktie to his father. The joy for both father and child is that the gift is received. It benefits the giver far more than the one who receives it. It bestows such joy on the child. The father doesn't need the necktie to be bestowed on Him. So Christ received gifts in time only for the purpose of conferring such things on us. How gracious He is coming to give gifts to men.

Here is the real gifting of Christmas. On 19 October 1781, the British bottled up at Yorktown by Franco-American forces surrendered to General George Washington. Brigadier General John O'Hara offered his sword in capitulation first to the French commander, Lieutenant General Rochambeau, then to Washington himself, who indicated it was to be offered to Major General Benjamin Lincoln who then received the final capitulation of the Revolutionary War. No American alive at the time thought the victory was Lincoln's or that the capitulation of the most powerful fighting force in the world did not affect them at all. When Lincoln received Lord Cornwallis's sword that day, all the people of United States received the sign of victory and rejoiced for several days after the news spread around the country. The joy was everyone's. So it is that the incarnation of our Lord is a victory and a cause of joy for all persons.

Athanasius