The Word Becomes Flesh

The best way of communicating with people is always in person, face to face.

When we write letters or texts or emails, there is often room for confusion or ambiguity. It is not always clear what we mean to emphasise or draw attention to. Intonation is lost or, worse, misconstrued.

Even speaking on the phone has its problems: without the aid of non-verbal clues, subtle meanings can be missed.

Yes, the best way to communicate with someone is in person, face to face.

God sent His Son at Christmas so that He could communicate with us in person, face to face. In the past, God had spoken through prophets and through signs (He spoke to Moses through a burning bush and followed the Israelites when they left Egypt as a pillar of cloud in the day and fire at night). But He hadn't spoken face to face with anyone since Adam and Eve. walked with Him in the Garden of Eden and spoke to Him face to face.

But after our disobedience, we could no longer enjoy this uninterrupted, unspoilt communion with our heavenly Father.

Until the birth of Jesus.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning [...] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

[John 1:1-2, 14 NIV]

John describes Jesus as the Word - He is the embodiment of everything that God wanted to say to us.  He provides the way for us to have a conversation with God in person, face to face.

I love these words in the carol 'O Come All Ye Faithful'

"Word of the Father

Now in flesh appearing."

We can often question how we can hear God's voice or what He might say in different circumstances.  But rather than feeling hopeless at the idea that we don't know what He is saying, we can turn to Jesus, who embodies God's message of love and grace and forgiveness.

Moving House

I helped some friends to move house today.  We spent a long time packing up all of their belongings into different sized and different shaped boxes.  And then those boxes moved across town into a new house, into a different neighbourhood. 

 

Now the long process of unpacking will begin, as they make this new house their home.

 

The Bible describes how at Christmas, God made his home amongst us too.

 

John writes in his gospel,

 

"So the Word became human and made his home among us."

[John 1:14 NLT]

 

and in another translation we read,

 

          "The Word became flesh and blood,

          and moved into the neighbourhood."

 

[John 1:14 MSG]

 

Jesus didn't just come for a flying visit, or a short trip.  He didn't just come with a weekend bag.  He came to unpack all of His boxes in our hearts and in our lives.  He came to make Himself like us.  He came to make His home among us and to move in with us.   

 

He came to live with us. To experience all of life with us.  And to stand by us through it all.

 

 

 

Post And Parcels

I had to collect a parcel from the Post Office this morning.  I have never seen a longer queue there before.  It stretched halfway down the street and I thought I was going to be there for ever.

 

I always find it frustrating when I have to go and pick up a parcel, because I've missed the delivery, or because it won't fit through my small letterbox.  I wonder if there are any parcels that remain uncollected, or undelivered, or unreceived.

 

It made me think about this verse in John's Gospel about Jesus -  

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent,nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."

 [John 1:12 NIV]

 

Whilst Jesus came to bring peace to men and reconcile us to God, we have to receive what Jesus did.  We have to accept the delivery, so to speak, or go to the metaphorical Post Office to collect what He has sent us.

 

I read this in a book this morning, which I think explains this idea beautifully:

"When Jesus died on the cross, he made it possible for everyone to be forgiven.  In a sense, he extended the offer of forgiveness to everyone on earth.  The question is not: Has God forgiven you?  The question is: Have you received God's forgiveness?  I like to compare it to my writing you a cheque for one million dollars.  If I have a million dollars in the bank and I write you a cheque, I have done all I can to make you a millionaire.  But if you want to become a millionaire, you need to engage in the process.  You have to take my cheque down to the bank and open up a savings account.  You only become a millionaire by making use of the money I give you."

 

God has done all He can: He has reached out to us by sending His Son to live with us and die for us.  But we need to 'cash in' what He has given us.  We need to consciously and actively and intentionally receive Him if we want to enjoy the peace and restoration He offers.

 

 

Away In A Manger

I don't often think of God - or Jesus - as a baby.

I think of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.  God my Strength, God my Stronghold, God my Tower.  God my King, God my Lord, God my Saviour.  God my Hope, God my Peace, God my Healer.  God my Bridegroom, God my Friend, God my Redeemer.

But I received this beautiful Christmas card yesterday, along with my birthday cards and the image of Jesus as a baby really struck me.

 

 

Jesus as a baby is weak and vulnerable.  He is completely dependent on the loving kindness of His parents.  His life is in their hands.

 

I often wonder why Jesus came to earth as a baby: God could have stepped down into this world as a fully-grown man and could have started His ministry immediately.  He could have had one or two years of preaching Good News and healing the sick and then still died on the cross.

 

So why did He come to earth as a tiny, helpless baby?

 

God isn't interested in a quick fix.  He's playing the long game.  He was more concerned about living His life alongside us and being a part of our lives, than He was about His own comfort and convenience.

 

The Bible describes Jesus becoming human this way,

 

        "[Jesus] who, being in very nature God,
        did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

        but made himself nothing,
        taking the very nature of a servant,
        being made in human likeness.

        And being found in appearance as a man,
        he humbled himself
        and became obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!"

 

       [Philippians 2:6-8 NIV]

 

In order to empathise with us and to understand our struggles and temptations, Jesus made Himself completely like us.  He humbled Himself so that He could fully understand our humanity.

 

I love this verse from the beginning of John's gospel, too -

 

"So the Word became human and made his home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son."

 

        [John 1:14 NLT]

 

Jesus made his home among us.  He didn't just pop to earth for a brief visit.  He came to stay and to live alongside us, in all the messiness of our lives.  He came as a baby so that He could grow up among us and enter into our humanity.

 

I love this section of Hark the Herald Angels Sing about Jesus becoming a baby:

 

       "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
       Hail the incarnate Deity
       Pleased as man with man to dwell
       Jesus, our Emmanuel
       Hark! The herald angels sing
       'Glory to the newborn King!'"

 

Jesus died for us as a man.  But He came to us as a baby.  Vulnerable and humble and longing to be loved.

Christmas Lights

I love the run-up to Christmas (not the run-up that starts in September, but the one that starts at the proper time, at the beginning of December).  I love the frosty, icy mornings, mulled wine, mince pies, starting to hear Christmas Carols and songs on the radio or when you're out shopping.

 

And I love seeing the Christmas lights that people put up, both in their homes and in towns and cities.

 

Turning on the lights has become a big event in recent years: often, a local celebrity will be invited to turn them on, and people will queue - sometimes for hours beforehand - to see the lights going on.

 

I find this quite amusing - at no other point in life is turning lights on a big deal.  I'm sure we all turn lights on at regular intervals throughout the day without ever noticing or caring.  We certainly manage the task by ourselves and without a crowd cheering us on.

 

Of course, most of the lights that we are turning on during the day are nothing like the light displays that we see around Christmas time.  And in recent years, there seems to have been an increase in the creativity and competition of Christmas lights - like the fantastic display at this local house which gets up to 300 visitors a day over the festive period.

 

 

But why do we like the light so much? 

 

There seems to be something within us which prefers light to dark, which celebrates lightness championing over darkness.

 

This is a story that is played out throughout the Bible and which peaks at Christmas (and, again, at Easter.)

 

John describes Jesus' birth like this:

"What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out."

 

[John 1: 4-5 MSG]

 

That's the thing about light, isn't it?  It always conquers darkness.  No matter how dark it is, light always wins.  A tiny flame from a tiny match will still be visible in the dark.  Lights from a city on a hill are visible for miles around, no matter how dark the night is.

 

Light always wins.

 

And whilst we take our Christmas lights down after Christmas and put them away until next year, Jesus is an ever-lasting, eternal light, who will always guide us and give us life.  In the words of one of my favourite carols,

 

"Yet in the dark streets shineth the ever-lasting light."

 

 

 

 

What Do I Really Want?

I always find it difficult compiling a list of suggested presents for my birthday or Christmas.  Not because I can't think of things, but because I can think of too many things and I feel the need to narrow the list down, so as not to look too greedy.

 

It is easy to make a long list of all sorts of frivolous things that I would like. Things which would feel like a treat, because I don't really need them but they're pretty. Or things which I do need, but can't really afford.

 

I find myself asking What do I really want?  

 

Jesus asks us the same thing.

 

John recounts how John the Baptist's followers saw Jesus one day and started following him.

 

"Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, 'What do you want?'”

[John 1:38 NIV]

 

And He asks us the same thing.  What do you want?

To know He exists?  To know He cares?  To know forgiveness?  To be able to forgive?  To feel loved?  To have a new job, or a new car, or a new house?  To have more money?  To move beyond just surviving?

 

Often, we don't know what we really want.  Or we don't want to admit what we really want.  Especially as Christians - sometimes our 'wants' can seem not 'Christian' enough. 

But Jesus sees into the heart of things and He wants us to share our dreams and our desires with Him, regardless of how 'Christian' they might seem.

 

Paul urges us to share our whole hearts with God:

 

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

[Philippians 4:6 NLT]

 

So, what do you really want?