Christ, Christmas, and the Incarnation - A Better Christmas For All
The Ultimate Incarnation: Preparing for the New Year
As we stand on the threshold of a New Year, preparing to launch our deep-dive C2 Theology Study on January 1st, it is only right that we first pause to look at the manger.
Before we analyze the “Cathedrals” of proprietary software or the “Reformation” of open source, we must behold the One who created the very laws of logic and nature—and then stepped into them.
The Divine Inversion
In our tradecraft, we often talk about “Contextualization”—the art of appearing as something we are not in order to move within a system. But the Incarnation is the divine inversion of this. In Christ, God did not merely “appear” as a man; He became man.
He entered the “Telemetry” of human existence, subject to its laws, its pains, and its limitations. He did not come to bypass the Law or exploit the system, but to fulfill the Law perfectly on our behalf.
The Offices of Christ: The Better Way
In our industry, we often pride ourselves on our roles: we act as prophets when we predict the next threat landscape, priests when we mediate security for our organizations, and kings when we exercise total authority over a compromised domain. But even at our peak performance, we are mere shadows. The Nativity points us to the only offices that truly matter, and why our human attempts fall short.
- The Better Prophet (Isaiah 61:1-3) As humans, our “prophecy” is often obscured by pride or limited by our own telemetry. We speak in half-truths, and our “good news” is often just a temporary fix.
- Why Christ is Better: He is the only one anointed not just to observe the brokenhearted, but to bind them up. According to Isaiah 61, He arrives with the perfect message that actually transforms the environment. Unlike human messages that often obscure or confuse, His word is the ultimate decryptor—bringing true liberty to the captives and replacing the “spirit of despair” with a “garment of praise.” He doesn’t just predict the future; He holds it.
- The Better Priest (Hebrews 7:11-28) We often speak of a “priesthood of all operators,” but we are flawed, temporary stewards. Our mediation is imperfect, and we are “prevented by death from continuing in office.” We cannot truly atone for the errors in our code or the sins in our hearts; we are just men trying to patch a leaking ship.
- Why Christ is Better: Hebrews 7 reminds us that we needed a priest who is “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” Christ does not offer a temporary “patch” for our sins; He “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him.” Because He continues forever, His mediation is a permanent bridge that no system failure or human death can sever.
- The Better King (Isaiah 9:6-7) When we gain “Domain Admin,” we feel a sense of kingly power—the ability to dictate the laws of the network. But our kingdoms are small, brittle, and often built on exploitation or vanity. Human “kingship” always ends in the loss of control.
- Why Christ is Better: Isaiah 9 declares a government that rests upon His shoulders alone. He is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. His sovereignty doesn’t rely on stealth or the exploitation of vulnerabilities; it is established and upheld with “justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” He is the King who does not take from His subjects but gives His life for them.
- The Better Man (Romans 5:12-21) Red teaming teaches us that every system has an inherent vulnerability. Through one man, Adam, “sin entered the world”—the ultimate “zero-day” in the human condition that we inherited and cannot fix. No matter how much we “harden” our lives, we are still prone to failure, bias, and pride.
- Why Christ is Better: Christ is the Second Adam, the Better Man. Where the first man failed the test in a perfect garden, Christ succeeded in a fallen wilderness. Romans 5 tells us that “as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” He is the perfect human—the “Source Code” restored—allowing us to reign in life through His abundance of grace.
Looking Toward January 1st
As you spend time with family and friends this Christmas, may you find rest not in your skills, your tools, or your intellect, but in the finished work of the Incarnation.
The struggle between Red and Blue, the complexities of “weird” tradecraft, and the theological frames of our industry are fascinating—but they are shadows compared to the substance of Christ.
Join us on January 1st as we officially release our Overview of the C2 Study, applying these lenses of Stewardship and Discernment to the tools of our trade. But for today, let us simply worship.
Merry Christmas to you all. Soli Deo Gloria.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” — Isaiah 9:6
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