And We Beheld His Glory!

I remember feeling the same awe holding my daughter in my hands 26 years ago on her first Christmas and I it has all come back holding my new granddaughter today. He came like this!
God became part of his own creation in the form of a human being to show us exactly who he is and how feels about us. He took on the helplessness, vulnerability and limitations of human flesh so that he could experience life just as we do, from infancy through adulthood to his tragic but glorious death on a cross.

Isn’t that the most awesome miracle? He was here! In flesh and blood, experiencing the same sorrows and stresses, joys and affections! We get to behold that through the eyes of those who lived with him in those days by their accounts in the Gospels. But the miracle doesn’t end there. He came in human flesh to open a door whereby he could come and live in us. Among his last words to his followers were these:

He came in the flesh the first time, so that he could live in you today! Yes, he came as a little baby, just like my granddaughter. But he is no less present in you today as he was in a stable in Bethlehem or at Lazarus’ home in Bethany. This Word of God still dwells in human flesh. In you he experiences all the joys and pains of life, and through you he desires to demonstrate the love and character of his Father to the world.

This is the miracle of all miracles. The Word is still being made flesh in you and me! Christianity is a life lived in him and he in us; it is not primarily a theology, a ritual or an ethic. In this season Sara and I pray that Father will make his presence known to all who call upon him. May you see him in whatever way he makes himself known to you in these days and may you know the depth of his delight in you and the freedom to run to his side in the darkest of days and the brightest of joys!