Cyril “On the Incarnation” John 1:14-18

Tomorrow morning (8/11) I am preaching at Doxa Fellowship up in Woodstock, IL, where I am filling for Steve McCoy who is on vacation.  The text we’ll be looking at is John 1:14-18. In part of the message we’ll be looking at the wonders of incarnation (God becoming man) and how this event should lead us to joy and peace in God.  In my sermon prep this week I found a really helpful quote from Cyril (one of the Early Church Fathers) about this very topic which is worth sharing:

“Indeed the mystery of Christ runs the risk of being disbelieved precisely because it is too incredibly wonderful.  For God was in humanity.  He who was above all creation was in our human condition; the invisible one was made visible in the flesh; he who is from the heavens and from on high was in the likeness of earthly things; the immaterial one could be touched; he who is free in his own nature came in the form of a slave; he who blesses all creation became accursed; he who is all righteousness was numbered among transgressors; life itself came in the appearance of death.  All this followed because the body which tasted death belonged to no other but to him who is the Son by nature.”

-Cyril ‘On The Unity of Christ’ p. 61