In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that He didn't make. ... So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us.
This is John the Gospel writer's Advent narrative. It takes the cosmic view. In THE beginning. The very beginning. This isn't the Genesis beginning where you have a cosmos and God forming order out of the prehuman murchiness. This "beginning" predates that.
It's way of describing is not concerned with sheep or shepherds or Magi, or any of the ground level happenings that are depicted in a good or not so good children's Christmas program. I've seen a few of these that like B-Movies were good specifically because of their badness. But that's not where this narrative is occurring.
This narrative answers the question immediately of whether or not we're alone in the universe. And good news: we're not. Before we got here, the universe was previously inhabited by an intelligent, reasoning, perfect, emoting, caring, creating Person. It was People, plural, really. Who lived in perfect holy community. God, Word, and Spirit.
No fiction as fantastic and wild, a mother made by her own child, the helpless Babe who cried was God incarnate and Man deified. And that is a mystery, more than you can see, give up on your pondering, fall down on your knees. (Michael Card)
It feels like in journeying from the cosmos to Palestine an erratic Stranger had shown up on our doorstep. He pitched His tent here. Really, He brought home to us. Forever and ever, God, you have been our home (Psalm 90:1).
Hebrews 5:8 indicates that Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered. Mind blown. The shifting context of embracing our humanity was a new thing in God's story. The lengths He went to for reconciliation. Because the fall did devastate, Creator must now re-create. And so to take our sin became like us so we could be like Him. And that is a mystery more than you can see. Give up on your pondering, fall down on your knees. (Card)
But there is no mistaking this fact: Jesus was already at home here or anywhere. What felt like an infinite journey with all its alien weirdness was really just a homecoming. God was answering the question of whether we're alone or wanted: we're not and we are.
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