12-23-2014

Good Morning All,

         John 1:14; “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

      The young wife was crying, almost inconsolably.  Her husband, wanting to ease her pain and be the hero, began the process.  She had taken her wedding ring off while washing some glasses in the sink.  As she pulled the plug and the water went down the drain; she reached for her ring to put it back on.  Her hands were still wet and slippery so the ring slipped and fell into the sink and went down the drain.  She put the plug back in and screamed and cried.  Her husband came and they did want most newlyweds do; they called dad.

    Dad told them to get a bucket and take the trap beneath the sink loose and drain it into the bucket.  As the mixture of grease, food bits, hair and soap poured into the bucket, the couple hoped that the ring was in it.  So the husband reached into the gooey mess and felt around until he retrieved the ring.  He gave to his wife and all was well.

     Yesterday we looked at how God “got his hands dirty” by forming man out of the clay of the earth.  Today we read where God does even more.  When the Apostle John first wrote this verse in the original Greek, he was making a play on the words.  Where we write “Word” he wrote “logos.”  This conveys the thought of pure logic, pure thought, total reason.  So we see God on the purest form possible.  At the creation, God spoke and all occurred.  Where we use the word “flesh” John used the word “sarx.”  Here we can think of the dirty and grimy part of human existence; the sweat, the smell, the grittiness of human existence.  You can think of the “gunk” in your sink trap. 

    Yet rather than just immerse his hand into this gunk, God sent his Son to completely immerse himself, his entire body and existence, into the cesspool like world of humanity.  God did not choose the easy way or the simple way and certainly not the clean way.  He did it this way because of his love for you.

   He hears your cry, he knows your pain and he brings about healing.  He doesn’t avoid the mess.  He doesn’t expect you to be “mostly clean.” He picks you up out of this muck and grime in order to give you live, in order to bring you to the purity in which we were created.  This is what the birth of Jesus really means to us; God, in his purity, enters into the depravity and sadness that makes up the human existence.  Into this pain and sorrow, Jesus brings healing and hope.  He brings God’s mercy and his love and comfort.  He enters into our existence and heals it and takes us into his existence.  He came as a child to grow and to live a human life in order to dies for your sins.  He comes to us today, in his Word and sacrament, to bring you healing and strength; to bring you new life.

Gracious Lord, you give us new life.  You lift us up and take us from the dredge of sinful existence to holy life with you.  Help us to know your love and mercy.  Help us to trust in your promise.  Be with those who are in pain and sorrow at this time.  Lift them up by your grace.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret