The Word Became Flesh Series

Everybody in the world has a birthday. It doesn't make any

difference if they are rich or poor, black or white, or educated or

uneducated. Everybody has one in every age. Methuselah had 969

of them before he died, and that was the world record until Jesus

came. Jesus only had 33 birthdays before He died on the cross, but

He conquered death and rose again after 3 days, and so He has

never really missed a birthday since He was born in that manger of

Bethlehem. He has had about 2000 of them, which is over twice as

many as Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived. That makes

Jesus the record holder for birthdays.

But the birthday of Jesus is not just the greatest because it is

the oldest, but because there is no other birthday like it in history.

His is the only birthday where we all receive a gift greater than

anything we can give to Him whose birthday it is. At many

birthday parties the guests receive prizes and get small gifts, but

who ever heard of the guest getting more and greater gifts than the

one whose birthday is being celebrated? Only at Christmas does

this happen, and that is why it is such a joyous birthday.

Now what is it that we all receive from God on Christmas?

John tells us that God gave us a Word. A word doesn't sound like

much of a gift does it? If all I had to give was words it would be

cheap and easy task to do my Christmas shopping. I wouldn't have

to leave the house. I could just say great words like love, joy and

peace to each one in my family and I would be done. A word would

be a very disappointing gift. All of you would be sad this Christmas

if all you got was a word. Why then is the Word that God gave us

the greatest gift in the world? It is because the Word became flesh

and dwelt among us. The Word was the name of Jesus before He

became a child in the manger. He was with God forever in the past,

and He was just like God, for He was invisible. God had wonderful

thoughts for man back then when Jesus was the Word. God

thought, "I love man even though he is sinful. I love him and want

to save him. I want to make it possible for his sin to be forgiven so

he can enter my presence in peace, and have fellowship with me."

Now all of those great thoughts did not do man any good until

God put His thoughts into action. Parents might think of how nice

it would be to get Billy a new bike, but what Billy really wants is to

see the new bike. Good thoughts are not enough for us, and so it is

with God's good thoughts. So God sent His good thoughts into the

world wrapped in swaddling clothes. His Word became flesh where

we could see, hear and feel His love. Gifts are words we can see and

touch. In your mind you have a thought that you love your child.

It is a good word you have in your mind, but then you take action so

that your word becomes a gift that your child can see and touch,

and then they can experience the reality of your thought.

God so loved the world, but He didn't just say so, for that

would be the Word staying as a word. God so loved that He gave

His Son, and that was the Word becoming flesh. God gave us a

Person on Christmas, and there is no greater gift than that. God

gave us himself and all His love in Jesus. If we receive Jesus, we

have the best that God can give. We have His best thought, which

was His Christmas thought. It was His thought that He loves us

and will save us if we receive His Word.