Blessed Christmas to You!

John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
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.

God so loved the world that He was compelled to visit us. He became flesh. The same breath you breathe was inhaled by the lungs of the child Jesus. This visitation changed not only your life but the lives of a panorama of human kind. Time forever was intersected by the birth of this baby.

Think of the various ways that we visit each other. The depth of the visit depends somewhat upon the means of communication. Postcards, e-notes, text messages, voice mail, flybys… Some visits are fleeting – a casual connection that imparts practical information or a lighthearted greeting. They accomplish a specific purpose…but it is generally temporary.

Other visits are more long term. We may spend an afternoon with somebody, or go on a road trip, or engage in an extensive project or mission. These relationships are time specific…but they can be revisited regularly through reunions. Or we may “re-member” the connections, retelling the stories or lifting up quotations and sayings that were pivotal or remarkable.

Then there are the visits and connections that permanently unite people. The visit takes root in the heart and mind and serves as a catalyst that transforms feelings, thoughts and actions forever. Life is different as a result of the visit. Priorities and goals change…the people involved in these relationships are forever connected in small and large ways.

God’s visitation is more immense (and more precise) than any human means of relationship. God communicates His Word to us with incomprehensible meaning. But the communication accomplishes its purpose regardless of whether we “understand” it, or not. This visit is deeper than a cellular transformation…it is broader than the span of our days…and it is wider and higher than eyes or ears can perceive. Although we cannot fully comprehend it, in faith we can rest with it, dwell with it and reverberate with every whisper of this “word” that is with us forever.

Blessed Christmas!