1/5/13- The word Made Flesh

14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Thoughts: This is the theological description of the birth of Jesus.  It cannot be fully understood without looking at verse 1 & 2- "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God."  In other words- God spoke to us by coming down to us.  God breaks the silence of the universe by showing us who He is, by coming down for us.  
     He dwelt, lived, tabernacled, made His home among us.  He lived in our midst knowing our pains, hurts, the problems of evil and misunderstanding- but also the joys of human friendship and life.  Not only did God break the silence by coming down, He also dissolved any lack of empathy for our plight.  He has walked a mile in our moccasins so to speak.  
    We have seen His glory- He is writing from the perspective of the resurrection and ascension.  Jesus has shown He is not an ordinary guy. But the real glory of the One and Only Son is seen in how He lived and taught- it was full of grace and truth.  Grace is unmerited favor- giving us hope, love and strength that we do not deserve.  Truth means Jesus gives us a reliable purpose and meaning in life.  The glory of God is found in our ability to see and understand His grace and truth.  This grace and truth is ultimately fulfilled for us in heaven where we shall see face to face; but it is also fulfilled partially right here.  We get a glimpse of the glory of grace and truth embodied here when we look at the person of Jesus- the Word made flesh.  

Prayer: Lord, thank you for coming to us to set an example of grace and truth for us.  Help us to live in and for this grace and truth in our lives. 

Incarnation

Tintorreto (Venice)

1/7/13- Glory came down

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made, In him was life and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:1-5, 14)

Thoughts: Since our purpose is to glorify and enjoy God, we should ask where has God declared His glory and how.  John testifies above that "we have seen his glory."  That is an amazing statement- God's glory has come down where people could see it.  Heaven has come to earth- and it did so in the person of Jesus Christ.  As such a clear and decisive declaration of glory, Christ is the Word (logos) of God.  In the ancient semitic world, the word of a king had the same authority (often sealed) as the presence of the king.  To deny the king's word would be to deny the king himself.  Listening to the king's word written or his word represented (by envoy) is listening to the king himself.  But John here is saying that Jesus is more than an envoy or ambassador- but the Word become flesh- God in the flesh.

Prayer: Give me grace, O Lord, to listen to you respectfully today.  Lead me in your paths for you are my God.




I. God’s Word: The Authority for Our Confession
The clearest declaration of God’s glory is found in His Word,
both incarnate and written. The Son eternally proceeds from
the Father as His Word, the full expression of the Father’s
nature, and since in the incarnation the Word became flesh all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are offered to His disciples
The written Word grants us those treasures, proclaims
the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, and graciously teaches all that
is necessary for faith and life. We glorify God by recognizing
and receiving His authoritative self-revelation, both in
the infallible Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments
and also in the incarnation of God the Son. We affirm that
the same Holy Spirit who overshadowed the virgin Mary also
inspired the writing and preservation of the Scriptures. The
Holy Spirit testifies to the authority of God’s Word and illumines
our hearts and minds so that we might receive both the
Scriptures and Christ Himself aright.

Link: Heaven came down and glory filled my soul (old gospel hymn revised)