Live Out His Life
by Pastor Steve Peich
"And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
You are reading this on the day before Christmas; the day that changed every other day for all eternity. And if you are like most folks, the holiday season has just about left you breathless with all its busyness. But I want to invite you to stop for a moment, take a breath, and consider something as we wait for Christmas day.
A very young virgin travelled with her betrothed approximately 90 miles for about a week to arrive at the small town of Bethlehem. As I consider Mary’s journey from the time the angel told her she would carry the Son of God, it is hard to grasp how such a simple peasant woman would be so significant in changing the world by bringing to flesh the Word of God.
When we reflect on how simple or small our life may seem in the great scheme of things, many of us may think that we do not have much to offer in bringing God’s best into this crazy world. But Mary’s story challenges all of that. Here was a woman, likely of little education and from some podunk town 90 miles from anything spiritually significant, about to be a part of something that would change the world and humanity forever.
As John 1.14 clearly reminds us, the Word became flesh. But we must never fail to remember who it was that helped bring that about. Mary, in one very physical and real sense, gave flesh to Jesus. So, my question before you today is this: do we, as Christians today, join with Mary in giving ‘flesh’ to Jesus in our world today?
Think about that for a moment. As Mary gave physical flesh to Christ through birth, the Bible tells us that we give flesh to Christ by living out His life together. We give flesh to His words in our actions. We give flesh to His goodness when we stand against sin in His name. We give flesh to His justice when we live justly with our neighbor and fight for God’s justice in our world. We give flesh to His provision in our giving to others in need. We give flesh to His forgiveness and grace when we forgive and have mercy toward others who have hurt us. You get the idea.
The work of the Word become flesh did not end 2,000 years ago. It continues through the body of Christ, His church, today.
Merry Christmas!
Reflection:
How have you seen others “give flesh” to the purposes, power, values, and character of Christ in your years as a Christian?
What can you “give flesh” to this coming year?