John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
A devout Hindu from India was visiting America and exploring the Christian faith. His deep reverence for life meant he would never kill an animal, fearing it might be one of his reincarnated relatives. He couldn’t accept Christianity’s claim that God actually visited this planet in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. How could the Great Creator God of the Universe become a man, and why would he do it?
One day as he meditated in a field he came across an anthill. He observed in wonder the thousands of industrious ants. But then he heard an approaching tractor plowing the field. It would shortly reach the anthill and flatten it. He became frantic, desperate to warn them of their impending destruction. He thought to himself: “How can I warn them? If I wrote in the sand, they wouldn’t be able to read it. If I shouted to them, they wouldn’t understand me. The only possible way I could communicate with them would be by becoming an ant, if I had that ability.”
And then it dawned on him as the Spirit of God revealed to him the reason for the incarnation – the God of the Universe becoming one of us in the person of the God-man, Jesus of Nazareth. He understood for the first time Paul’s words in Philippians 2:6,7:
“He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
That is the message of Christmas! The Son of God became man so we could become sons of God (Galatians 3:26). He incarnated the message and calls us to do the same today – to live out his message of costly love, to bring life and meaning and purpose to others. And remember, the stakes are high, so let’s get out there and reason, explain, urge and beg the people we interact with to beware of the approaching tractor.
Lord, help me incarnate your message faithfully and urgently today. Amen!
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