Thursday, Dec. 4th

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Thursday, Dec. 4

John 1:14

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.

This past August I spent three days in the Boundary Waters between Minnesota and Canada. I joined my son, several of his old high school church buddies, and a couple of other Dads on a camping and fishing trip.

Since my son and I have no outdoor skills to speak of it was our job to set up the tents, which we managed to do without significant bodily injury.

We spent three glorious days in the wild; fishing, sitting around a campfire and sleeping in tents.

Did I mention it was three days?

Well, the second day it was raining too hard to fish so we all gathered in the largest tent and spent the afternoon hanging out, telling manly stories, playing cards and napping. Four college age guys and three men in their 50‘s in one tent for about five hours.

It was...how do I say it... “close!”

We were most definitely with each other!

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us

The Greek word John uses for “dwelled” means to “set up a tent.”

To us to “set up a tent” sounds temporary...like a three day camping trip. But in that culture it meant something much different; it meant something permanent.

The meaning is closer to “God moved into the neighborhood.”

Setting up his tent means that God has come near.

He has come to dwell in our world; to walk our streets; to commute with us to work; to eat at our tables.

He has come so that we can know what God is like.

John writes:

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.

Johns says that in Jesus we see three things; glory, grace and truth. We’ll talk about grace and truth tomorrow; but let’s start with glory today.

John says that Jesus is the glory of God made visible.

Hebrews 1:1-2

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,

In Jesus we see the glory of God, and that glory is seen in a surprising way! For this glory is not seen in flashes of lightning from the sky; or in untold riches of heavenly splendor; but in human flesh that suffered, bled and died.

In Jesus we see the glory of a God who is willing to enter the brokenness and pain of our world.
When we think of glory, we usually think of a person of great fame or importance or power. We typically think of glory as that which belongs only to a very select few. Glory is beyond the reach and experience of ordinary people.

Not so, says John.

In Jesus God’s glory came to earth; in Jesus God’s glory became visible; in Jesus God’s glory came to us.

Pastor Brian Coffey