The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

This wonderful verse is arguably one of the most important in the Bible. From the context, we know that the “Word” is God the Son Who was born into the world and named Jesus. When God moves in such a way for the Word to become flesh and walk among us, we know that everything is going to work out. Since God has gone to such great lengths to become one of us, we can be confident that He is doing so in order to touch and heal our lives. Whatever struggles, pains, or challenges we may have, the fact that Immanuel (literally “God with us”) is here to help.

Scripture bears witness that He became flesh to save us. Christmas is the wonderful celebration of the Incarnation of Christ, in which God takes on flesh. In the Incarnation, Jesus has come into the world as fully man, yet he set aside the prerogatives of divinity and lived as a man fully submitted to the Father’s will, and lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. Though He was surrounded by all the sins which beset us, but He walked through His life never surrendering to temptation from the world, the flesh, or the devil! The author of Hebrews wrote:

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet [He alone remained] without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

Because of His obedience, He was able to have victory over the sin that disobedience brought into the world. As the ultimate victor, He can share His victory with us. Though we were born as sons and daughters of disobedience, the victory of Jesus in the Cross and resurrection offers us profound new life that is characterized not by what we have been and done, but it is characterized by Who He is! He has made all things new in us! Hallelujah!

As a result of Who He is and what He has done, Jesus deserves our hearts, lives, and our service as a thanksgiving offering. At this joyous time, Susan and I join in celebrating Christmas with you and thank God for our relationship with you! How wonderful it will be when we can be together again.

+Bill and Susan