“The Word Became Flesh”

By now the decorations are up, perhaps some (if not all) of the gifts have been purchased, wrapped, and are under the trees, the music of the season is on the radio and in the stores, and you are finally beginning to get into the mood. Three weeks from tomorrow it will be Christmas Day.  And many will gather again with family and friends for parties and dinners and other celebrations.

            In the next three weeks my wife and I will go to a concert in Jacksonville, the Christmas show at the Savannah Theatre, a couple of Sunday School class parties, and we will host an Open House for our church family and neighbors. And of course we will spend Christmas Day with family. We will eat great food and exchange gifts.  And we will be filled with joy.

            I know that you get this reminder from preachers and others every year, but it bears repeating. Please don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas that you forget its true meaning.  Don’t become so tense and agitated by all that you have to do that the joy of the season passes you by. 

            The temptation is certainly there.  This time of year can become overwhelming. And it is even more difficult when this is the first Christmas season without a special loved one.  It can be hard.

            But the point of Christmas is simple. God, because of His great love for us, became one of us (“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”).  He lived a perfect sinless life, and then gave that life as a sacrifice for our sins that we might live with Him forever. That kind of love is difficult to fathom. But oh how grateful I am for that love.

            I pray that you will find true joy this Christmas. Celebrate the goodness and the grace of the Lord. Worship Him. Love Him. Serve Him. Jesus truly is the reason for the season.