The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

The Word Became Flesh= and Dwelt Among Us

Christmas 1, Year C

John 1:1-18

St. Stephen’s in-the-Field

The presents are open= ed and baby Jesus is in the manger. = Over 200 people celebrated the Nativity of our Lord Jesus at our two Christmas E= ve services here at St. Stephen’s – 200 people! As soon as Advent started, attenda= nce just blossomed as people became caught up in the anticipation. We had several well-attended servi= ces throughout Advent anticipating the arrival of the Baby – It started w= ell when so many stayed during coffee hour to help decorate the church and the Christmas tree on the First Sunday in Advent. Then, many came to the Posada to re-enact Mary and Joseph trying to find a place to stay in Bethlehem. There was also the Advent Evensong= at St. Julie’s with lots of music celebrating La Senora de Guadalupe = 211; Mary, the God Bearer, the Mother of Jesus.= Our service of Lessons and Carols was one of the best services ever = with a variety of people wanting to share their gifts to help make Advent a spec= ial time of expectation. And then – 200 people for our Nativity celebrations!

There is something sp= ecial about the Incarnation. During Advent we are focused on Mary, Joseph and the soon to be born baby. But now it’s Christmas and t= he Babe is with us, Emmanuel. The Christmas story is good news and we all could use some good news right now. But it’s mor= e than that. We are drawn to the Chr= istmas story because it is about a baby.

Sometime during the b= eginning of Advent I had a dream. In t= he dream I was window shopping and looking at Christmas decorations. I was focused on one of those big = Fontanini Nativity scenes. It had the Shepherd and all of his sheep, the Innkeeper, even the three wise men. I looked into the manger to see th= e Baby Jesus, and something amazing happened.&nbs= p; The baby started moving. At that moment, Baby Jesus was very real and very present for me. It was a spiritual experience that seemed to take me to Bethlehem the night he was b= orn and the Incarnation – God became Flesh - became very personal.

Since then I’ve been thinking= about babies a lot. What is it about babies that make us all want to come and adore them? I know a part of it is because the= y are so darn cute. But maybe it is= their innocence and their unlimited potential.&n= bsp; Maybe we like to be in their presence wishing for that innocence once again. I want to tell you a b= rief story someone shared with me about the innocence of babies.

&= nbsp; There was a family with a four year old son and the mother was expecting another baby. The little boy was so excited. Every day he would a= sk “Is it time?” Not= yet, replied the mom. Finally, aft= er what seemed like an eternity, the baby was delivered and the little boy had= a brand new sister. He was the perfect brother and helped with the baby whenever he could. He liked to hold her and watch as = his mom fed her. One day the litt= le boy asked his parents if he could spend some time alone with his sister. The parents weren’t sure abo= ut that, but because they had one of those baby monitors in her room, they cou= ld listen right outside the door and be in there immediately if necessary. The little boy went in the room an= d went up to her crib. The parents l= istened as he got close to her. He le= aned down and said “Tell me about God, I almost forgot.”

Children have a conne= ction with God that we adults can only envy because it hasn’t been tainted = with the world and its doubts. The little boy thinks the baby links him back to God. At Christmas we celebrate that the= baby is God.

I find it sad that th= e church only focuses on baby Jesus for 12 days.&nb= sp; That doesn’t provide much time to form a bond with Him. The real world gets more time gett= ing to bond with the baby. The time = in the womb and the time when babies are small is when that overwhelming bond forms with our baby. During that ti= me our love grows exponentially every day. We love the child so much; we don’t care about the messy diape= rs and the sleepless nights. As = that love grows we can handle the “terrible two’s”, teaching t= hem how to drive, and the teenage years. =

After these 12 days, = we celebrate the Epiphany – the arrival of the Magi that come to pay hon= or to the new born King. As soon= as Epiphany is over, Jesus is baptized and begins his ministry with his disciples. How can we form th= at deep bond that gets us through the tough times in only 12 days?

The Nativity account = in the Gospel of John that we heard today has the answer. You may have missed it because it’s much shorter than Matthew’s Nativity story that includes a= ll of the generations between Jesus and Abraham. Or of Luke’s account with th= e conception of John the Baptist and the Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel to Mary.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> John uses only 9 words: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” Jesus lived among us to be in relationship with us. God lived among us to be in relationsh= ip with us – this is what makes Christianity unique. The word John used for WORD (as in= the Word became flesh) is the Greek work Logos – it means more than “word.” It conveys how something works. God works in and throu= gh relationships. Truth was inve= sted in a personality - Jesus Christ. Most of the truth which really matters com= es to us not through a user manual, but rather from personal relationships. We don’t say “Okay kid –you’re two now, I’ll be = back when you are an adult and capable of talking rationally.” We can’t give our five year = old a manual on child rearing and expect them to figure it out on their own.=

It is the same thing = with God. Just giving us the Bible= and telling us to read it is usually not enough. It is through our relationships wi= th others that we form that deep bond with God. These can be relationships with those we live with – our family. Or maybe it’s t= hrough friends, especially your friends here at church. Lastly it can be those brief relationships with strangers who my pass through our life in the line at the grocery store who can have a powerful effect on our lives and can teach us = more about God than those we’ve know our whole life. These relationships will enable us= to form that deep indivisible bond with God.&= nbsp; Just as babies need their parents, we need others. Christianity cannot flourish in a vacuum. There is no such thin= g as a solitary Christian.

Here at St. Stephen&#= 8217;s we have many ways to further our relationships with each other. I just listed several of them at t= he beginning of the sermon – those services are opportunities to fellowship with e= ach other – but also learn more about God’s love for us.=

Bible study. Studying the Bible is a fabulous w= ay to deepen your relationship with God. You can ask any of the 13 people who partook in last fall’s classes and they will tell you their relationship with God increased a great deal. Bible study will resume= next year, probably after the Lenten series; which is another way to develop relationships with perhaps someone new.&nb= sp;

Coffee hour – a perfect opportunity for you to share how you were touched by God = in the service – was it the music, a particular scripture passage, the sermon, or the Eucharist? Sha= ring these experiences shows us new ways God reaches out to us. It builds faith. Each one of us has a unique relati= onship with God. My relationship wit= h God started with science and my understanding of creation. Others may have developed their relationship with God through music, poetry, or art. As we share our experiences of God= with one another – that hel= ps us get a bigger picture of God, and helps strengthen the bond with God - this = same bond that is formed between a parent and a child – this same bond that gets us through the sleepless nights and messy times. This is the Word made flesh living in us today.

I haven’t alway= s been this in love with God. There = was a time when I was going to church, but it wasn’t a big part of my life. But God was always clos= e to me even if I didn’t recognize it.&nb= sp;

All three of our chil= dren were born late in the year and so in December they would still be waking up= at night hungry. With each one I= would take them into the family room and turn on the Christmas tree lights and put the Christmas tapes on real low. I would sit in my rocking chair while they ate and watch the lights and liste= n to the music. I ended up staying there a lot longer than it took to feed them. There is something so intimate about watching a baby sleep, especially when Christmas tree lights would shine on their faces and Christmas carols being sung. I wasn’t religious back then= , but I now know that this was the Baby Jesus – God made Flesh – that= was with me and each of my children during those three special Decembers.

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I hope that this year= you can keep the image of the Christ child in your hearts and minds longer than the= 12 days the Church Calendar gives us. <= /span>

I am thinking of keep= ing one of my Crèche scenes out for the whole year. I can use it as an icon during my = prayer time and continue to meditate on baby Jesus and see what new insights God w= ill reveal.

Over the coming year I encourage you to seek out new relationships and to learn more about God thr= ough them. A new Bible Study= will begin probably after Easter – please consider signing up for that. I promise you the return on your investment of time will be returned many times over.

The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us<= /b>. = Thanks Be to God!! Amen.<= /span>