Incarnation

This reading from the beginning of John’s gospel, reads like a lovely piece of poetry. But, like much of John’s Gospel, it can be a little difficult to understand.

John doesn’t start with a birth story like Matthew and Luke,

John begins with the same phrase that begins Genesis, “In the beginning”.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth; John tells us that the Word of God was present in the act of creation.

In the Old Testament, the Word of God signified God in action. [i]

This Word of God, that spoke creation into being, has now come in human form. The technical word is the Incarnation – God coming to share this human life.

Play: The Incarnation Cloth for the Cradle p 86ff [about 700 words]

God trying to communicate with us, talking to us, cajoling and encouraging us, and finally becoming human just like us.

God could have demanded we be obedient, but that isn’t love;
God could have forced his way into our lives, but that isn’t grace;
God could have left us in our despair, but that isn’t compassion.

A friend sent me this story a few years ago: 

There was a man named Henry who was a pastor in charge of a home for disturbed children.

It was Christmas Eve, and preparations were being made for the carols by candlelight service. Everyone was ready to go, but at the last minute a young boy called Tommy crawled under his bed and refused to come out. The staff couldn’t get him to come out. They begged, they pleaded, they threatened - but Tommy refused to budge from under his bed. So the staff sent for Pastor Henry. Henry stood beside the bed and talked to him. He talked about the brightly lit tree, the presents beneath it and all the fun games they would play- but no answer.

Time was slipping by and Henry was getting concerned about being late for the service that he himself was conducting, but he put his own needs aside and got down on his knees and lifted the bedspread and looked straight into Tommy's two enormous blue eyes. He could have pulled him out easily - and it was tempting, but it was not pulling that Tommy needed, it was trust; so Henry launched into the menu for Christmas Eve dinner that was soon to be served, and he told of a special present just waiting with Tommy's name on it. But it was no use, there was just silence from Tommy. No indication that Tommy heard or cared at all about Christmas.

Henry was beginning to feel a bit foolish. After all he was a Pastor – a man of authority and this was an undignified position to be in, especially with his staff watching. Nevertheless he got down even lower, flat on the floor and wriggled in under the bed along side Tommy, and he talked for quite a long time. Eventually, after talking of decorations in the church, the candles, the carols the kids were going to sing, and finally running out of things to say he simply waited. He just lay, in silence, under the bed beside Tommy letting him know he wasn’t alone.

After a while the small child's hand slipped into his, and Henry said, "You know Tommy, its a tight fit under this bed. How about you and me go out where we can stand up straight."

God waits with us, for as long as we need,
so we can slip our hand into God’s hand.

God still comes into our lives today,
finding us wherever we are,
even if it is hiding under the bed.
God seeks us out,
wants us to be able to stand up straight and
be the people God knows us to be. 
Even when that means waiting with us,
lying beside us in silence in the dark,
waiting for us to trust God enough
to move our hand into God’s.

  

This morning we share again around the table,
sharing bread and juice,
remembering the life of Jesus,
acknowledging the death on the cross,

celebrating resurrection and the new relationship with Christ that is offered to each one of us.

Where, is God waiting for you to trust, to put your hand into God’s hand, and to stand with God?

---

[i] Gordon Dicker, Faith with Understanding, p 118