Second Birth

During this Advent season, I love reflecting on the words one of the most widely sung Christmas hymns of all time, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Disregarding the alterations George Whitefield made to the hymn in 1753, I’m certain the original author, Charles Wesley, would be pleased with how often we sing it. Wesley, one of the fathers of Methodism, sought to spread Methodist theology through congregational singing. He believed that singing our faith shapes our hearts and minds. Consider these lines from Wesley’s beloved hymn, “Mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die, born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.” In this one verse, Wesley sums up the gospel. Our God laid aside his glory and humbled himself in the form of baby. This baby was born to die on a cross and to be resurrected on the third day. His death and resurrection gives birth to eternal life.

It has been said that the number one cause of death is birth. Think about it. The prospect of death makes bringing children into the world a hard reality. We recognize that in birth, a young child, so beautiful and warm, is suddenly susceptible to the human condition. This inescapability of death makes the incarnation of God’s only Son that much more amazing. God, the creator all that is good and eternal, unites himself with the limitations of human flesh. This Advent season, we find our God wrapped in swaddling clothes and exposed to the consequences of broken relationships, germs and violence. Through the birth of Jesus, God reveals his desire to understand our experiences. As St. Paul says in Hebrews, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.”

Yes, it is true that the number one cause of death is birth. Yet, we Christians look beyond physical death into the hope of eternal life. The number one cause of second birth, of eternal life with God, is Jesus Christ. Wesley’s words about the Christ-child ring true: “Born that we no more may die.” In God’s coming to earth lies the meaning of Emmanuel, the God who is with us. This Advent season, as we prepare for the birth of God’s son, I pray we will receive the second birth. Continue to sing your faith about what our God has done through his coming to us. Through our second birth in God’s Spirit, we no more may die. Come, O come, Emmanuel.