John 1:14 - The Word Became Flesh - December 25, 2022

Ever since the very first Christmas, people have been trying to capture the essence of this sacred day. They try to capture it in a photo, a song, a movie, in decorations and traditions. Maybe the most obvious example of this attempt to capture Christmas is the snow-globe – Christmas with snow that lasts year-round! But try as they might, all their attempts fail. You can’t capture Christmas in a picture of your family in ugly sweaters, a corny Hallmark movie, or a child’s toy filled with fake snow. Only the words before us this morning, the inspired Words of Scripture have truly captured the essence of Christmas. When you look past the lights and the gifts, the family and the food; when you scrape away the sentimental music and family traditions and the winter weather delays – even the angels and shepherds, the stable and the manger, this is what remains: the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.

John’s words are simple (even in the Greek!): the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. But what does this mean? We could spend every second of every day plumbing the depths of these simple words and never reach the bottom. The shepherds – who were there – could only repeat the things they had heard and seen (Luke 2:17). Mary herself could only ponder things so far above her understanding that her heart must have nearly burst (Luke 2:19). On that first Christmas, it took angels – those mighty messengers of God – to explain the meaning of all of this (Luke 2:10-14). And today we can only scratch the surface of this divine mystery.

In the first verse of his gospel, John identifies this baby lying in a manger as the same Word who was God and was with God in the beginning (John 1:1). This baby is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24) who designed and engineered the universe – from the largest galaxies to the smallest atoms. This is the Word who called forth day and night, sun, moon and stars, land and sea, plants and trees, fish and animals – out of nothing (Genesis 1). This is the Word that breathed life into a lump of clay and shared with mankind his image – his immortality, his holiness, his love (Genesis 1:27). This Word has always been, ever is, and ever will be (Revelation 4:8). 2000 years ago, that Word was conceived in the womb of a virgin and born to dwell among us. When you capture this, hold on to this, believe this, then you have captured the real essence of Christmas.

No other religion in the history of the world has ever conceived anything even close to this divine mystery. Sure, the Greeks and Romans had their myths of gods and goddesses occasionally “appearing” on earth (usually either to chase women or engage in war) – but they didn’t voluntarily give up their superhuman powers. Sure, there are many religions which (falsely) teach that flesh and blood humans can or will one day become gods. The world believes that through science and technology we can regain immortality and become “gods.” But only Christianity turns it all upside down by proclaiming that God became man. You could not make such a religion up and get away with it, not even 2000 years ago. But it stands because it happened. In Bethlehem of Judea. When Augustus was the Roman Caesar and Quirinius was the governor of Syria (Luke 2:1-2). It happened at a specific time in a specific place, with witnesses and consequences – just like any other historical event. The Word became flesh.

Why? The Word became flesh because that’s what we are. Flesh. While we try to avoid and deny our flesh and all its limitations and implications and pretend to be “enlightened,” and “wise,” and “powerful,” with our lofty ideals and oversized egos, but the Word willingly took on our humanity. We strive to be more than human, “supermen and superwomen” – to control not only our lives but to imagine that we can control the world around us. But the same God who created the universe was willing to become a baby; to play in his mother’s lap and accept the praise of filthy shepherds. We are human, sinful humans – fallen sons and daughters of Adam. The only-begotten Son of God became what we are (without the sin, of course) – because, left to ourselves, we are lost.

He came to be with us under the Law (Galatians 4:5), the holy Law of God that condemns us, that shuts our mouths, that fills our hearts with terror at the consequences of our sin, that keeps us awake at night and makes even Christmas anything but a wonderful time of year. But he came full of grace and truth. He came not to judge us but to save us; not to take us captive but to set us free; not to bring more laws for us to follow but to keep all of the laws we haven’t. He came to save sinners – of which I am the worst…and so are you (1 Timothy 1:15). He came to be your Shepherd and your friend, to lay down his life for you (John 10:11; John 15:12). The Word became flesh to save you, all of you, your body and your soul, by suffering the consequences of your sins and giving you eternal life as his free gift (Romans 6:23).

John testifies that we have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father. John was not there in Bethlehem. He came to know and follow Jesus much later (John 1:35-37). But he was an eyewitness to His miracles, including his transfiguration – that moment where Jesus revealed his full glory as God to sinful human eyes. With his own ears he heard the voice from heaven declare him to be the Son of God (Matthew 17:1-8). He was there to see him die in the darkness of Good Friday (John 19:26-27). And he was among the first to see his empty tomb (John 20:3). He stood gaping as the Word made flesh ascended into the clouds to his Father’s right hand (Acts 1:1-11). John was even privileged to receive the words and visions the Word spoke to him in what we call the book of Revelation. John saw Jesus’ glory: glory covered in humility, divinity wrapped in our humanity.

In Jesus, the Word became flesh to reverse the spiral of history – to reverse what the first man had done. The image of God, so disfigured and tainted by Adam, is now restored (Romans 5:12-21). Now, through faith in Jesus, God sees us as fully what he intended us to be from the beginning because he is fully one of us. At the hand of John the Baptist he was baptized into our place (Matthew 3:13-17) and when we were baptized, we were baptized into him (Romans 6:3-4). So as we follow the course of Jesus’ life through the church year – from manger to the empty tomb – we are actually tracing our life’s story. His birth, his obedience, his suffering, his dying, his rising – is our birth, our obedience, our suffering, our dying, our rising. Your sin became his. His glory becomes yours. The Son of God accepted the death you and I deserved so that we might enjoy the eternal life he earned!

This is Christmas summed up in just eight words: the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We might wish that we could have been there. We may wonder what that first Christmas was like. But there is no need for us to go to Bethlehem – unless you want to go as a tourist. You will not find the flesh and blood of Jesus there. But don’t worry – the Word no longer invites us to meet him in a stable; he invites us to meet him in the Word we can read and understand, in, with, and under the bread and wine we can taste, in water we can see and touch. That’s where the Word made flesh encounters our flesh, where our sins are forgiven, where we die and rise to new life. Because the Word became flesh we don’t have to go groping about blindly for God on earth (as so many do) or in heaven (as if we could, anyway!) (Romans 10:6-8) because he comes down to us to dwell with us still today. He dwells among us in Word and Sacrament to serve us. He dwells among us to save us. He doesn’t make his dwelling among the rich and the famous, the proud and the happy, the good and the righteous – in Fortune 500 boardrooms or White House situation rooms. He makes his dwelling with us: the weak and the lonely, the sad and the tired and the distressed and the dying. He comes here to serve us – and then he equips us with beautiful feet to bring the good news that the salvation of our God has come to others (Matthew 20:28; Isaiah 52:10).

Long after the gifts are opened and forgotten, after the decorations are packed away, after the holiday break gives way to a new work week – this is what endures. God is with us in this baby born of Mary named Jesus. He dwells among us so that we too may see his glory, hidden then in human flesh and blood, hidden now in Word and Sacrament, and soon – very soon – to be revealed in power and glory. The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. Whatever else you do today, hold on to this. Because this is Christmas. Amen.