Thank you for joining me here, on Day 20 of our Advent journey.
Our Bible text today is John 1: 14 ...
The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (HCSB)
Today’s verse reveals four great certainties about our faith:
• Jesus became human - When He stepped out of Heaven, Jesus Christ became the visible expression of the invisible God, the ultimate visual aid, as it were, to reveal the nature of the Father to humankind!
• Jesus lived among us - in the original language of the Bible, the phrase "took up residence" used here means "pitched a tent". That's a significant phrase, because it's hard to be very private in a tent - the walls are canvas, so sound travels through them, and you have to share bathroom and kitchen facilities with the other campers. "Pitching a tent among us" implies that God wants to be on intimate, familiar terms with us. He wants to be close. He wants a lot of interaction with His Followers!
• Jesus revealed His glory - The word "glory" refers to the visible manifestation of God's presence and power. When you look at Jesus, you see the face of God, because God wants to be seen and to be known in His Son. When you hear Jesus teach; you hear God teach. When you come to experience Jesus; you experience God. In Jesus we see God!
• Jesus invites us to Himself - When he stepped down from Heaven, Jesus offered grace and truth. These two words explain why Jesus took on human form and came to the earth. Because He was full of grace, He died for you and me while we were yet sinners. Because He was full of truth, He was able to pay for our sins completely. By coming to us, He invites us to be reconciled to the Father through His actions on our behalf!
"I’m absolutely convinced that our understanding of Christianity stands or falls on what we believe about the statement, "The Word became flesh.” I would ask you a very serious question this Christmas season: Do you really believe the Word — God — became flesh?" (S. Briscoe)