Christmas Day is Almost Here!
We’re only a few days away from… Christmas!
We’re nearing the big day and if you’re anything like me, there are still a few more presents to buy, boxes to wrap, and things to do!
We’ve got movies to watch and cookies to bake. Then we’ve got to start thinking about what to pack up and when to head out to see the grandparents, the cousins, and everyone else so we can celebrate with them, too!
Not only is it the hap, happiest time of the year. It may be the bus, busiest time of the year!
Which makes me wonder…
When was the last time you took time to be still?
Snow Storm
I still remember February 2021.
Our family was living in Dallas, TX. My parents were in town because it was Valentine’s weekend and they were going to stay with the kids so Alisha and I could enjoy a quick getaway.
But all of our plans changed when what seemed like the winter storm of the century rolled in that weekend. Our house was about 15 minutes from DFW airport. They recorded a little over 11 inches of snow at the airport.
Needless to say, the whole city was shut down. There was snow and ice everywhere. Our kids loved the snow.
Because of all the snow and ice, you couldn’t go anywhere. And what was worse, people were losing power left and right.
At this point, we’ve got our family, our dog, plus my parents and their dog, in our house. And then we invited some friends over who had lost power to come and stay with us. We didn’t have consistent power, but they were rolling our power on and off so at least our house was staying somewhat warm. At one point, we had at least 10 people and 2 dogs!
And with no where to go and limited power, everything just kind of slowed down. We ate dinner by candlelight. We played cards. Everything else had stopped.
All the kid’s activities were cancelled. All the games, practices, extra things, it all stopped. Everyone was home. Every night felt like Friday night.
I don’t want to minimize what was happening across this part of the country where the winter storm hit because so many people were affected, people we know and love were affected, but it was the first time in a long time that our family slowed down.
A similar thing happened a few months ago when hurricane Beryl came through and we were without power for a week. All of a sudden our kids activities are cancelled. We didn’t have power and so we didn’t have internet. So our family gathers in the living room for a week to play Monopoly. It was the first time in a long time our family slowed down.
Busy ≠ Good
Why does it take some kind of snow storm or hurricane for us to slow down?
When did we lose the ability to just be STILL and be WITH one another?
Why are we always in a hurry?
And when did we decide it was a good thing to be busy? We’ll ask someone, “How’s it going?” And we expect the answer, “All good, just busy!”
And we think busy = good.
We think busy = status.
We think busy = important.
But what if it’s not good? What if it’s not good at all?
Instead of slowing down to be with people, most of us are down to zero friends and about 5 million acquaintances we’re trying to keep up with on social media.
Instead of family dinner, we’re hoping everyone can pick up food on their way to whatever activity is next. Instead of conversations, parents are like ships passing in the night communicating about what’s next and who’s going to take who where through text messages and two minute phone calls.
Instead of thinking about something or asking an actual person for advice, we Google or better yet, ChatGPT our questions because we don’t really have time for anything else.
We’ve lost the ability to DWELL.
To dwell on something or with someone… Who has time for that?
Somehow this isn’t just the hap, happiest time of the year for us. It’s the bus, busiest season of all!.
Hope for the Hurried
But there is HOPE for us. And our hope has a NAME.
In this season where we’re celebrating, especially those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ, the birth of the Son of God, the One who literally slowed down and stepped down from Heaven to Earth for us, the One who is the Light of the World, yet the speed of Light slowed down to a baby’s crawl, the One had always been Omnipresent, every where at every time, is now present in one place, at one time, lying still, stationary, located in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem.
John’s gospel is not like the other gospels. It’s different in almost every way. And especially in the way John tells the story of the coming of Jesus.
Instead of a historical account about Joseph, Mary, and a baby, John gives us a poem. Instead of details about what happened and how it happened, John invites us to imagine God’s eternal plan in a whole new way. And he gives us a name for Jesus that we probably never would have come up with on our own.
John 1.1-5
1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Who is this WORD?
Who could simultaneously be distinct from God, yet be the same as God?
Who existed before creation and was the One who was the agent of creation?
Who is this Word who is also Light and Life?
You may have heard that the word for Word here in John 1 comes from the Greek word Logos. And that’s true. John’s gospel is written in Greek and that’s the word used here in the original language of the text. And that word, Logos, carries the idea of divine communication, reason, or order.
But John was Jewish, and the Hebrew word for Word was Davar which is used throughout the Hebrew Scriptures to signify God’s spoken word or command. In Genesis 1 God SPEAKS and through His living and active spoken word, everything that was created was created!
But the common language of the Jews in John’s day was Aramaic. And the Aramaic word for Word was Memra. This is the word that would have been used in the Targums, which are Aramaic translations and paraphrases of the Hebrew Scriptures. Memra itself means “word” or “speech” and is used to refer to the “Word of God” as a manifestation of God’s communication and expression. It was used to signify God’s dynamic presence.
John calls Jesus the, “Word.”
And when John uses the word, “WORD,” it is a loaded word! This WORD is more than a word, He is a person, He is eternal, He is creative, He is Light, He is Life, and His dynamic presence in the world He created is about to change everything forever.
The WORD who Dwells
Listen to what John writes next in John 1.14:
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
The Word, the Eternal One, the One who is Light and Life, is the One who is the manifestation of God’s communication and presence. The Word who was with God and is God has now become human. Not only that, He has made His home among us.
In other words, God has slowed down and stepped down to be among us.
The Light of the World who travels beyond the speed of light has now slowed down to a baby’s crawl to be with us.
The Eternal One who is seated high and lifted up on His eternal throne has stepped down from Heaven to Earth to be with us.
Another translation says it this way:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (NIV)
The WORD has made his dwelling among us.
Tabernacle = Dwell
I love that word dwell.
Literally, it means that He came to tabernacle among us.
That may not mean much to you, but to John’s original readers, they knew exactly what that meant. They remembered the tabernacle that Israel carried with them from place to place in the wilderness on the way to the promised land.
They remembered how they would set up the tabernacle, which was essentially a portable Temple for God, and every time they would pause their journey and set up the tabernacle, also called the Tent of Meeting, the presence of God in the form of a cloud would settle over it, on it, and they would know that the Spirit of the Living God was dwelling with them.
To Dwell is the spiritual practice of being WITH and being STILL.
The word tabernacle (Mishkan in Hebrew) literally means dwelling place or habitation. This Word that John speaks of has decided to tabernacle, to dwell, to be with and be still among His people. Among us!
This is John’s version of the Christmas story, the story of Jesus coming from Heaven to Earth to dwell among us.
Living Nativity
This time of year it’s not uncommon to see a nativity scene set up in someone’s front yard. You might even have the opportunity to go to a live nativity scene somewhere around town.
They say that St. Francis was the person who created the very first live nativity scene in 1223 bringing the Christmas story alive in a tangible way. He wanted people to be able to experience the reality of God coming to dwell with us in Jesus.
As you read John’s gospel, this is what he wants us to see, to know, to understand… that Jesus, who was in the beginning with God and who was God, has now come to dwell with us. He slowed down and stepped down to be with us. And…
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. – John 1.16-17
Jesus Stepped Down & Slowed Down to Walk with Us
So if you want to see God, take a look at Jesus.
If you want to know what God is like, get to know Jesus.
If you’re wondering if God is near, John says Jesus is here.
In a very real way, the God of the Universe slowed down to dwell with us, among us.
I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this idea of God slowing down. It’s not that God has ever been in a hurry, but God was and is more than wiling to slow down so He can be with and walk with you. From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, this has always been God’s heart and God’s desire, to be with and walk with His people.
But God doesn’t just slow down, so to speak, to be with us, to dwell with us. God steps down.
He steps down from Heaven to Earth. He humbles Himself. Lowers Himself. And he doesn’t do this begrudgingly. He’s not frustrated, irritated, or annoyed. Like a parent that stoops down to play with their child, like a father who gets on the floor to be with his kids, or a mom who stops what she’s doing to be fully present with her babies, God steps down to be with us.
Another Christmas Story
You’ve probably heard the famous story about Joseph and Mary, when they got to Bethlehem they discovered that there was no room in the Inn.
There’s a legend that goes with this story. No one knows if this is true, but as the story goes… That night when the innkeeper turned away Mary and Joseph, someone was watching. The innkeeper’s son was nearby and he saw what happened. He heard the conversation. And he was unsure about the situation.
His heart went out to Mary and Joseph. He knew his father was right, they didn’t have any room. Because of the census they were full. There was no vacancy. Still, something inside him told him that there was something special about this family. His father called him to show Mary and Joseph to the stable.
He did as he was told, did whatever he could to help make them a little more comfortable, and then the boy stayed close through the night. Although he doesn’t fully understand it, he knows something significant is happening. He sees the star above them. He hears the first cry when the baby is born, he experiences joy and wonder when the shepherds arrive to worship.
He sees it all and he begins to realize, this humble stable that belongs to his father has somehow become the most important place in all of Bethlehem, maybe in all the world. Because this place has become the dwelling place of the Savior of the world!
Chances are, that story probably isn’t true. But what is true is that people miss the opportunity every day to make room for Jesus. To allow Jesus to make His dwelling place among them, within them.
What is true is that all too often we lack the childlike faith to look with wonder at Jesus and behold the Son of God who slowed down and stepped down from Heaven to Earth to be with us.
What is true is that Jesus still comes in humility to be with us and to walk with us.
And I just wonder, when was the last time you took time to be with Jesus?
Jesus is the Word who Dwells
When was the last time you slowed down to be with the one who slowed down to be with you?
When was the last time you stepped down to humble yourself and be with the One who stepped down and humbled Himself to be with you?
The invisible became visible so he could dwell.
The timeless one stepped into time.
The eternal took on flesh and blood.
The omnipresent took up residence and has an address.
The never before begotten becomes begotten.
Now Grace has a face, Hope has a name!
Jesus is the Word who Dwells.
If you want to dwell you have to step down and you have to slow down.
To Dwell is the spiritual practice of being WITH and being STILL!
This week, can I encourage you just to take a few minutes to step down and slow down?
To humble yourself to be with God and to just be still?
Maybe turn off your phone for just 5 minutes and sit in silence before the Lord.
Maybe find a quiet place and just spend a few uninterrupted minutes reading the scriptures.
Maybe try to write a prayer to God where you’re not asking Him for anything, you’re just praising Him for who He is and thanking Him for all He’s done.
Maybe take a walk and listen to the Word of God.
Just find a way to take time to step down, humble yourself, and slow down, locate yourself, in the presence of God.
In Revelation 21.3, John would later write…
“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.”
God is with us today.
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