Readings for today: Psalm 106, John 1:4-14
Over the last 10+ years, I have been blessed to travel the world. I have been to China, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Israel, Jordan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Uganda. I have met men and women from South Sudan, North Korea, Iraq, Palestinian territories, Somalia, Djibouti, Cambodia, and a host of other nations. They all speak different languages. They all belong to different tribes. They all come from different cultures. But as I’ve listened to them share their stories, there is a common thread. A common cry that arises from the depths of every human heart. It doesn’t seem to matter if one holds to a particular faith tradition or not. It’s a cry for salvation. A cry for deliverance from all the evil and suffering in our world.
Listen to how an ancient song-writer once put it, “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” (Psalm 106:47) After cataloging all the different ways his people shamed, disobeyed, and rejected God, the Psalmist also is quick to remind his readers of the many ways God had saved them. He is confident not in the faithfulness of his own people but in the faithfulness of God which He demonstrates throughout their shared history. This is a great lead-in to the New Testament and the reading from the Gospel of John where the most marvelous thing takes place. A miracle much greater than the parting of the Red Sea. A promise much greater than the Promised Land. A salvation much greater than the temporary respites won against their enemies. God has indeed looked on their distress. God has indeed heard their cry. For their sake and for the sake of all those who would come after them, God remembers His covenant and acts in accordance to His steadfast love.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Friends, this is the central mystery of the Christian faith. Christ was born. Christ has died. Christ was risen. Christ will come again. The mystery of the incarnation - God literally taking on human flesh and human nature to become one of us - is God’s great answer to the deepest cries of our hearts. He comes to be with us. He comes to meet us in our suffering. He comes to sit with us in the dust and ashes of our lives. God is faithful and true. He will not override the freedom He instilled in us at the dawn of creation. He will not abrogate the authority He gave us when He made us stewards over all He has made. This world has been entrusted into our care. The pain and suffering of this world is a result of the many, many choices human beings have made throughout history. Stacking sin upon sin, we are constantly reaping what we have sown. Nation rages against nation. Tribe rages against tribe. Clan against clan. Family against family. This is the story of the human race and yet God refuses to let us go. He refuses to abandon us to our fate. He willingly enters human history to become one of us, die for us, rise for us, and show us a different way. He willingly enters the heart of “all who would receive Him, who believe in His name” and He gives them the right to be called His children. Children not born of blood or of the flesh but of the will of God.
God has stayed true to His plan. He has come to save us from ourselves. He has come to set us free from our captivity to our basest desires and instincts. He has come to deliver us from evil…primarily the evil that reside within each one of us. He has come to offer us life and that life is the light of all humanity. It shines in the darkness of our world and great news of the gospel is that the darkness can never overcome it!
Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 1, Luke 1:1-2:38