Wednesday, December 25, 2024

12-25-2024

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 Word.” God’s Word is beyond anything we can even comprehend. It was by God’s spoken word that all things came to be. God said, and it happened. The light came to be, the dry land separated from the water came to be, plants, animals, humans, everything that is, came to be because God spoke. God speaks and mountains shake and go into the sea. God speaks and the great fish answer, the lion and the bear go silent. God speaks and stars begin to shine or cease to shine. God’s Word is powerful.

    Man’s word, not so great. Think of Chip Diller in Animal House trying to stop the stampede at the homecoming parade at the end of the film. (He ends up smashed into the asphalt.) Man’s word, if any good at all, only lasts as long as that man does for, like the psalmist says, “When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” So much for his word. I can remember numerous times where one person promised someone else something but when the first man died, so did the promise, whether it was a pickup, a watch, or a piece of land; when the man dies so does the promise, so does his word.

    Yet God’s powerful Word takes on human frailty. God becomes man so that man might become God! God assumes a human nature to bring about man’s participation in the divine nature; God became a child, the Word became flesh, so that we might become children of God. How can we even begin to comprehend this? The God who creates, sustains, and keeps all of creation becomes a baby, frail and tiny. The eternal, omnipotent God takes on our flesh, our weaknesses and carries them all his earthly life.

    The eternal God takes off his robe of majesty and takes on beggars’ clothes in order for us to take on his robe of righteousness. God’s Word became flesh, and he lived among us. In the rot and stench of a broken and sinful creation, God lives and breathes among us, in order to bring us up to Him that we may live to all eternity in His joyous kingdom. God became like you and me so we could become like Him. Now that is a Christmas present!! No batteries, no assembly required, no breaking, no wearing out, it always fits, and it never goes out of style. God, in the flesh, lived in our midst and we saw the glory of God, we saw what creation is supposed to be like. No death, no pain, no diseases, only peace and rest in His Name.

    That same Word comes to you today. He comes to you to give you the joy that the world never knows, the peace that the world cannot understand and a hope that shines brightly in the darkness of our fears. The Word, powerful and mighty, became frail flesh so that you might be called sons of God and so we are!! Merry Christmas to all of you!!

Father of mercy, we give you thanks for sending Jesus to make us your own. That we may know of our eternal salvation in His name. Help us to always remember your great love. Help us in times of sorrow or struggle to know that peace is always in your Name. Defend us, encourage us, and give us peace. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

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