Friday, Dec 25: The Word Became Flesh

John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Marwa gave them a penetrating glance and replied, “Not at all! Among my people, if a stranger ever asks you the way, you do not just point the way. You walk with that person along the way.” “That’s amazing,” said the nun. “That’s exactly what our Jesus tells us in the gospels.” “Well,” answered Marwa, “I guess your Jesus must have been one of my people.” (This story appeared in Sojourners magazine.)

Indeed, the affirmation the native man Marwa makes is the same affirmation the followers of Jesus make. For while we do not know what challenges or struggles we may face as our lives unfold, we do know we never face those challenges and struggles alone. The God in Whom we trust does not just “point the way” but walks beside us every step of the way, healing our sorrows and deepening our joys by sharing them while seeking to renew our faith, refresh our hope, and rekindle our love. The God in whom we trust is a God who is with us at all times, even if we are not always aware of this presence. And God goes so far as to become flesh within time, being born in a humble Bethlehem stable, to remind us of this truth and help awaken us to it. As the Gospel of John declares, the One who calls all worlds into being also comes to us to dwell among us and reveal that we are not now, nor have we ever been, nor will we ever be … alone. It is God’s name which reveals God’s location, and God’s name is “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us”.

In a year when many of us may not be able to have the traditional Christmas gatherings we cherish, it is good to bear this in mind, as the novelist Taylor Caldwell does when she writes, “I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.”

Prayer:

O Timeless One Who has entered time, let our hearts become Your birthplace. Let our lives become Your home.  Let Christmas cast out any sense of aloneness.  Amen.