The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.-John 1:14 (NIV)
This imagery is so powerful that Christians around the world wrap up the Christmas season with this verse. But have you ever stopped to wonder why? Why did Christ come to this world the way He did? Why was He born where He was and when He was? Why did He make His dwelling among us?
Well, yes, Christ came to earth to die for our sins and set us free. That was His ultimate purpose. But let us pause for a moment to think about the manner in which He did such a thing. He could have very well come down from Heaven, assumed the human form (and with it inherited our sinful nature) and then carried out an enormous dramatic death scene worthy of some Oscar glitter. Surely then people would know He was the Son of God.
But He didn’t.
Instead, He came from the Father full of truth and grace. Born in a manger, worked as a carpenter, and lived AMONG the people. He didn’t just assume our sinful nature, He took on and experienced sin from His people: pride, jealousy, lust, and every other transgression known to man ultimately ending in murder. He knew this, yet He still made His dwelling among us. WHY?
He became one of us, so that we could become like Him.
How many times have we asked ourselves, “How can I be more like Christ?” As Christians, sometimes we get caught up in the teaching aspect of it, wanting to tell people about the Love of Christ, but find ourselves becoming more distant the very people we wish to serve and minister to. We preach from the comfort of our Christian pulpit, talk with our Christian friends, living the Christian life. All the while, we still feel like there was something more we could do.
He became one of us, so that we could become like Him.
Perhaps we need to start living among our brothers and sisters. Break free of the comforts around us and don’t be afraid to get a little messy. Instead of donating to food and clothing drives, maybe take the items down to the local shelter in person. Strike up a conversation, share a prayer, or simply share a smile. Instead of inviting a friend to church for the twentieth time, spend a Sunday with them and be the church, have a conversation about faith. Perhaps it’s time to take a mission trip and live among the people whom you’ve been donating money to for the past decade. Or maybe it’s something as simple as putting your phone away when you are waiting. Look up in the doctor’s office or at the bus stop and be with the people around you.
He became one of us, so that we could become like Him.
Then, let’s become one of them, so they too can become like Him. Because really, there is no us and them.
It’s all about Him.
This is Day 5 of my Advent series on Instagram. You can follow along at @jenniferltanaka, or check the sidebar for some recent posts.
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“Perhaps we need to start living among our brothers and sisters. Break free of the comforts around us and don’t be afraid to get a little messy.” – This is super challenging for me. It’s so not easy to be vulnerable to people, especially considering how independent I am. But He’s really been challenging me to be vulnerable, to get out of the comfort of my solitude and actually love people the way He loves us. Extravagantly. Thanks for sharing this!
It’s challenging for me too! But we’re meant to do this WITH God, so we are not doing this alone. ??
If we aren’t intentional about living among our brothers and sisters, we miss the opportunity to share Christ with them. Thought-provoking!
Thanks Kelly! ?
Oh, wow. This was such a great read! Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for taking the time to read it! ?
I love this: “Instead of donating to food and clothing drives, maybe take the items down to the local shelter in person. Strike up a conversation, share a prayer, or simply share a smile.”
It’s something that I’ve definitely been considering doing myself is going around to those who are homeless in my community, make some lunches or something for them with prayers inside and offer to pray. I think there’s so many ways to show the love of God, but I know that is only possible through Him – therefore even in doing these things we have no place to boast or take credit for it. I am praying this holiday season, where society encourages us to think about our special “gift lists” or things we want that we may all have a posture of giving towards others as onto God and for His glory <3
Ro! YES to all of this!!! Move with the passion God stirs in your heart and to Him all the glory! ❤️❤️
Spot on, my friend.
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I love that God loves doing life with us. The fact that he isn’t afraid of mistakes, messes, or our issues comforts my heart. Perhaps this is one of the things I love about Christmas, we get to do life with our family and friends. Its an opportunity to extend more love and grace just like Jesus did. Challenging though.
Amen!??