In the
beginning the Word already existed. The
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and
nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that
was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness can never extinguish it.
So the Word
became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and
faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one
and only Son. John 1:1-5, 14
We got there early to get a good seat; and (wonder of wonders) we succeeded, right down front where we could see the dimples on my beautiful granddaughter as she sang a solo part, and we could also see our ,grandson in that red bowtie...priceless! People were in a festive mood, and the kids sang the obligatory numbers that choirs have been singing for centuries. They also sang “The Twelve Days AFTER Christmas” (five gold rings that turned your fingers green, along with three French hens that were turned into chicken soup to cure a cold….well, it was a hoot!).
But that wasn’t Christmas – not the word
become flesh. The stage was
decorated, the kids wore elf hats and antlers; but that wasn’t Christmas,
either!
What made it Christmas, for me, was the rowdy
crowd! Through all fifteen songs the
parents and friends of these kids kept up chatter, trips to the bathroom
complete with swinging, slamming doors.
They talked, laughed, and made it impossible to hear the singing. One group behind us must’ve had bladder
problems; I counted eight trips to the facility in the hour and fifteen-minute
concert. The young lady behind me was
reclining on her seat, one leg draped over the arm of her chair, dangling in
the aisle; she was texting, playing video games, bouncing her baby sister on
her lap, talking to her boyfriend, and singing (rather off key) from before the
opening curtain, straight through to Silent Night. It was like attending a combination football
game and tractor-pull. The crowd
distracted everyone who was trying to sing, play, direct or hear. Whew…talk about a “rowdy-crowdy”! Our “concert rowdy-crowdy” was unknowing of
the treasure those 7-9th grade kids had practiced weeks to bring
them.
So, what’s the connection with the
word became flesh? God came to
the rowdy and blind…and he did it on purpose!
Humanity without God is blind and unknowing. Most of our manger scenes are quiet, very
pastoral, and serene. But has farm life
ever really been quiet? With all due respect
to “Away in a Manger” – when cattle are lowing, they are loud. They bellow because they’re ready for
something to happen…very ready! Goats, sheep,
and pigs add to the noise too.
The Word becoming flesh was God choosing to come to the middle of a rowdy mess, like an interrupted concert, a distracted choir, and a crowd, all blind to the beauty. That’s grace…we didn’t deserve it, but he came anyway. God chose to die for us – it tells us the truth – we’re that messy!
For You Today
You
chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
Title image: via Pixabay.com
W Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For more posts on John 1:1-14 see Catch and
The
Fullness of Time
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