Incarnation

"He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God's taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human." The Athanasian Creed

You probably know the Nicene Creed and the Apostle's Creed by heart, but most people have never even heard of the Athanasian Creed! Used by Christians since the sixth century, it is VERY long, but the first creed in which the equality of the three persons of the Trinity is explicitly stated.

I came across the excerpt above from it this morning, and when I read through it slowly and carefully, I was amazed.

As we turn our hearts towards the manger and the Great Incarnation, I offer you these words to be read slowly and carefully as a beautiful explanation of what we are celebrating in the season of Christmas.

..."God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time." Oh my!