Hark the Herald:

“'Veiled in flesh the Godhead see”

Written by Peter Illingworth

Of all the lines, in all the carols, in all the world, this has to be my favourite! For me it sums up what Christmas is all about: “Look and see God - hidden in human flesh”.

No one has ever seen God, but when Jesus was on the Earth, he made God known. And what a surprise that was. No great politician or military leader, liberating Israel from Roman occupation, just a vulnerable human. At first, he was as vulnerable as we humans can ever be – a newborn baby. Then, as he grew, he became a teacher who turned all our self-centred ideas on their heads. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. And he continued to be vulnerable. Vulnerable to pain, temptation, sadness and even death.

Because he was human and went through the same highs and lows that we do, he could empathise and understand what we’re going through – the good times and the bad. And Jesus, as part of the Godhead, still understands today.

In human flesh, Jesus practised what he preached. Anyone who tried to smear him ended up looking foolish. He taught us how to pray, he taught us how to live a full and meaningful life and, because he overcame death, it means that life doesn’t have to stop when our vulnerable flesh expires.