The Love of God

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. (John 1:14-18 ESV). I love the beginning of the Gospel of John. It simply states the identity and purpose of Jesus. It’s easy to forget that he came for no glory for himself. He came to show us the truth and grace that God extends to his children. There’s a great little story of a man on Christmas Eve, who sat in reflective silence before the fireplace, pondering the meaning of Christmas. "There is no point to a God who becomes man," he mused. "Why would an all-powerful God want to share even one of His precious moments with the likes of man? And even if He did, why would He choose to be born in an animal stall? No way! The whole thing is absurd! I'm sure that if God really wanted to come down to earth, He would have chosen some other way." Suddenly, the man was roused from his reverie by a strange sound outside. He went to the window and saw a small gaggle of blue geese frantically honking and aimlessly flopping about in the snow. They seemed dazed and confused. Apparently they had dropped out in exhaustion from the flight formations of a larger flock on its way from the Arctic Islands to the warmer climes of the Gulf of Mexico. Moved to compassion, the man tried to "shoo" the poor geese into his warm garage, but the more he "shooed" the more they panicked. "If they only realized I'm only trying to do what's best for them," he thought to himself. "How can I make them understand my concern for their well-being?" Then, this thought came to him: "If for just a minute, I could become one of them, an ordinary goose, and communicate with them in their own language, they would know what I am trying to do." And suddenly ... suddenly, he remembered Christmas and a smile came over his face. Suddenly, the Christmas story no longer seemed absurd. Suddenly, he pictured that ordinary-looking infant, lying in the manger, in that stable in Bethlehem, and he knew the answer to his Christmas problem: God had become one of us to tell us that He loves us. And, isn’t that the best message we could hear from God? When I begin to fret over all the things that gnaw at my circumstances, trying to rob me of the joy of life, I find it very comforting to remember God loves me! That singular message grounds me in a grace that brings real joy in the face of anything. Try it. It will work for you too.