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在圣诞歌曲《新生王歌》中，我们会听到这样一句：“真神披上血肉体，圣道化身降尘世”。如果我们能静下心来思考，我们可能会对道成肉身的奥秘，对神亲自成为我们人类中的一员感到惊叹。

在几年前的一次讲道中，我引用了一首名为“我们之一”的歌曲。我因此而遇到了麻烦。因为这首歌以它自己的方式对“道成肉身”进行了猜想。“如果上帝是我们中的一个，就像我们一样粗俗，那会怎样？”有人告诫我，“上帝可不粗俗！” 不错，祂当然不是。

然而，“道成肉身”意味着也会经历一些尴尬和局促，不是吗？

我们知道做一个有形有体的人是什么感觉。当然，作为人是有 “荣耀和尊贵”的：他是美丽、有力量和有智慧的。（参诗 8:5）但他也有另一面：平凡、软弱、疼痛和愁苦。还有一个残酷的现实，我们有时很粗俗。

这就是为什么我们无法想像上帝会真的成为我们中的一员。上帝是可敬而崇高的，完美而圣洁的。这样的上帝怎么可能进入人的混乱处境之中，与我们成为相同的存在呢？但这就是道成肉身的真实和无奈之处。永恒的神子放弃了神的完美，披上了人的软弱。而祂这样做完全是出于爱。

In the Christmas song "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" we might recognize the words "veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity." And if we're in a thoughtful mood, we might wonder at the mystery of the Word becoming flesh, of God becoming one of us.

In a sermon years ago, I quoted from a song called "One of Us." In its own way, the song wonders about the incarnation: "What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us?" I got in trouble for that. I was told, "God is not a slob!" Well, of course not.

Yet there is something scandalous about the incarnation, isn't there?

We know what it's like to be embodied creatures. Sure, there's the "glory and honor" of being human (Psalm 8:5): the beauty and strength and intelligence. But there's also the other side: the homeliness, the weakness, the aches and pains. And there's the harsh truth that sometimes we are slobs.

That's why we can't imagine God really becoming one of us. God is lovely and lofty, perfect and pure. How could such a God get mixed up in the mess of being human, as human as any of us? But that's the truth and the scandal of the incarnation. The eternal Son of God abandons the perfections of divinity to take on the flaws of humanity. And he does it out of love.