When Christ’s Nativity Becomes Our New Beginning
As the Day Begins
Selected Scriptures: Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:22; 2:5–6; 4:15; Colossians 1:18
The Church calendar draws our hearts again toward the mystery of the Incarnation, not merely as a historical remembrance but as a living reality that continues to shape the people of God. Leo the Great captured this truth with striking clarity when he wrote that “the birthday of the Head is the birthday of the body.” His words remind us that Christmas is not only about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem but about the birth of a redeemed people who find their life in Him. Scripture repeatedly testifies that what happens to Christ happens, by grace, to those who are united to Him. The apostle Paul declares, “Our old self was crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6), using the Greek word synestaurōthē, meaning “crucified together,” emphasizing shared participation rather than distant observation.
This union with Christ is not symbolic sentiment but spiritual reality. Paul’s confession, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20), reveals a life no longer governed by self-originated identity. The Church, described as Christ’s sōma (body), receives life from its kephalē (head), as Ephesians 1:22 proclaims: “He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church.” Just as a body does not exist independently of its head, so the Church draws its life, purpose, and direction from Christ alone. His birth initiates not only redemption’s story but also the Church’s own existence as a living organism in God’s redemptive design.
Leo’s insight presses us further, reminding us that though believers are separated by time and circumstance, they are gathered into one shared story. Paul writes that God “made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:5–6). The Greek verb syzōopoieō—“made alive together”—carries communal force. In Christ’s nativity, His life enters history; in our baptism and faith, that same life enters us. Christmas, then, becomes deeply personal. The Child in the manger is also the risen Lord who incorporates us into His death, resurrection, and exaltation. To awaken to this truth at the start of the day is to step into life already anchored in Christ’s victory and sustained by His living presence.
Triune Prayer
Heavenly Father, as this day opens before me, I give thanks that You are the author of life and the giver of new birth. I praise You for sending Your Son into the world so that humanity might be gathered back into Your heart. Thank You for not leaving me bound to my old self but for including me in Christ’s death and resurrection. Shape my thoughts and actions today so that they reflect the reality that my life is hidden with Christ. Grant me humility to remember that I do not belong to myself, and courage to live as one who has been raised to new life by Your gracious will.
Jesus the Son, I honor You as the Head of the Church and the source of my life. Thank You for entering history through the humility of birth and redeeming it through obedience, sacrifice, and love. As You live within me, teach me to surrender daily, to let Your life be seen through my words, my decisions, and my compassion for others. Help me walk in the truth that Your resurrection power is already at work within me. May I grow up into You in all things, as Scripture calls me to do, bearing witness to Your life through faithful obedience.
Holy Spirit, I welcome Your presence as the One who makes union with Christ real and active in my life. Breathe wisdom into my choices today and remind me when I forget who I am in Christ. Strengthen me when weakness tempts me to live from my old nature rather than my new identity. Guide me gently into truth, shaping my heart so that it remains receptive to Your leading. Let Your transforming work continue within me, that I may live as one truly born from above.
Thought for the Day
Because Christ lives, I live—and today I choose to act, speak, and love as one whose life is inseparably joined to His.
Thank you for beginning your day in God’s presence and allowing His Word to shape your walk.
For further reflection on union with Christ and the nature of the Church, see “Union with Christ” from Desiring God:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/union-with-christ
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