“The Word Became Flesh” John 1:14

Christmas Day December 25, 2024
“The Word Became Flesh” John 1:14
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

I marvel at Christmas. Do you? Do you marvel at the thought of God becoming man? God taking on flesh? The Creator becoming part of His creation? The Immortal becoming mortal?

By coming here, the One who had no needs became needy, seeking everything from His mother and His earthly father. By such an action God Himself needed to be fed, burped, given a bath and changed when His diaper became dirtied or soiled.

Our understanding of God’s nature is that He is immortal, unchangeable, He knows everything, has all power and is present everywhere at the same time. But when Jesus was born He was weak, tiny, powerless, dependent. He even lacked a place to call His own home. I marvel at Christmas.

There are many people who say that these inconsistencies or even contradictions prove that Jesus wasn’t God. God taking on flesh? God is spirit. No bones, no flesh, no physical nature. God doesn’t get tired, nor does He sleep. He has no need for food and He never gets thirsty. But Jesus required all of those things. The Word became flesh. Remember what John tells us in the first verse of his book, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And now John tells us, “The Word became flesh.” He’s talking about Christmas. He’s talking about Jesus.

Normally we think of flesh as being negative and not positive. Often, we attribute our failings to our flesh. Lust and unfaithfulness come from our flesh. Jealousy, envy, greed, bitterness also. The battle between God and Satan is seen in the battle between God’s Spirit and our flesh. “In my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work within the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:22-24) In the old Kings James Version we read, “If you live after the flesh, you will die.” (Romans 8:13)

And still Jesus became flesh. Fully God. Fully man. Understanding what a marvel this was, coming to earth for our salvation, fighting the devil as God and as man, winning against every temptation, Martin Luther said that when we speak the part of the Nicene Creed which says, “and was made man”, the knee and the shoulders should bow in respect for such an action.

I serve as the Circuit Visitor among the 7 congregations in the Denver Southwest Circuit. The Circuit Visitor is asked to assist congregations when pastoral vacancies occur. At times we see larger congregations needing to fill vacancies when an Associate Pastor leaves. Filling this vacancy is not easy. First, the number of available pastors has declined in recent years. But, also, not as many pastors desire to become an Associate Pastor. The Associate Pastor is not the Senior Pastor. They are second or third in that line of authority or leadership. Some tell us on their refusal to be on a call list as an Associate Pastor, “I don’t think I want to take a step down.”

But what did Christ do on that night in Bethlehem and what did He do when He began life in Mary’s womb? He took a step down!! Way down!! II Corinthians 8 says, “But you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (Verse 9)

When speaking about the way of Jesus, Paul in one of the first creeds of the church said, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death – even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)

Pastor Eugene Peterson, in his paraphrase of John 1:14, our text, writes, “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” “The neighborhood” is much more than where we live. It is where all humanity lives. Do you know what happens in this “neighborhood”? Abortions happen in the neighborhood. Marriages end in pain and anger and disappointment in this neighborhood. People deceive others and lie to others in this neighborhood. Discord, disruption, death all happen right here. “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.”

Have you seen the “Jesus commercials” on TV? Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to let people know that “Jesus Gets Us.” One that I saw recently, showing people in extreme anger over color of skin, place in society, and political views ended with the words, “Jesus loved the people we hate.” He really comes to our neighborhood.

Earlier in John we read about the Word becoming flesh, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:10-13)

He came that we would be born from God, born from above. Born anew, again. This is an amazing day not just about what happened to Him, that He became flesh, but what happened to us. In chapter 3 Jesus speaks about the transformation that He came to bring, the new life that He came to bring, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:6-7)

This is an amazing day because this transformation, this salvation, this new beginning comes to us from Him who is full of grace and truth. Grace. Undeserved favor. A gift. Totally free. No strings attached. Gratis. Salvation is a gift. Baptism is a gift. Holy Communion is a gift.

And you can trust His word. When Jesus spoke He always spoke truth. You don’t have to question His word or His purpose, He is true and honest in what He says. He said, “Anyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)

Christmas amazes me. I hope until the day I die I will ponder this mystery of the Word of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us, full of grace and truth. Christmas amazes me because Christ amazes me. The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. My neighborhood. My home. Your neighborhood. Your home. And He did it all out of love. Amen!!