Getting to know one another
Christmas Day
John 1:1-14.
Getting to know a new car (well, new to me!) is quite a
task. There are lots of switches I’ve never seen before and no handbrake. The handbook is, of course, the key. But I find it a disconcerting read as on every page there’s a large panel that says ‘Warning, danger of ...’ And every so often it reads ‘Danger of death.’ It’s a risky business getting to know a car; but then perhaps that’s the point the manual’s trying to make.
Expressing oneself
The same point applies to getting to know a person, though we don’t often think of it that way. Indeed cars may be easier; after all once you’ve learnt its complexities it stays the same in a way that people do
not. Add to that the fact that the car does nothing to help or hinder you
getting to know it. People are never that easy. Getting to know a person always means receiving from the person, not just knowing about
that person. We say,‘Let her speak for herself,’ meaning that only the
individuals themselves can truly disclose what they feel or think. Self
expression in language is essential to knowing a person. One way or another, the person you’re trying to get to know has a controlling contribution to your efforts. There’s no way of getting around that.
God expressing himself
So it is that the Gospeller John tells us that God expresses himself so that we may know him. ‘The Word became flesh.’ That Word was already expressed in the created world – ‘all things were made through him’ – but what we know of God in the wonders of creation is no more than the manufacturer’s handbook in comparison to what we celebrate now. And the same applies to reason, that light that sparks in every person. These things, as wondrous as they are, remain in the realm of ‘knowing about.’ By the coming of Jesus an incandescent beacon is lit that unquenchably lights the path of life:
‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’
This is the final step in God’s revelation of himself to his people. He comes to where we are; he lives where we live. He dwells with us, as John puts it. You get to know a person by living with them. That’s the horror of student accommodation according to my daughter. Characteristics and foibles come to light that are entirely unanticipated and too often unwelcome. Getting to know a person can have unfortunate consequences. But Jesus is not the unbearable flatmate. His living with us makes plain in human terms the profoundly loving and gracious heart of God. He discloses himself to us, and we come to know him as true Saviour and friend. The only Son makes God knowable, not just know-about-able.
Living together
This living with us never ends. The promise is that where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is there in the middle of them (Matthew 18:20). Saint Paul calls the church the‘body of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 12:27) and he means it literally. The baby born in Bethlehem – touchable, noisy, beautiful, attention needing, and the rest –all the urgencies
of a human life, remains all those things in the fellowship of those who believe in him. We are to be the people who know God, not the people who know about God. Taught by the scriptures, nourished by the bread and wine of the Eucharist, and
embraced by the companionship of the faithful, we live with Christ in the household of God’s people. Living together makes for a getting to know one another that’s unique and deep – if we’ll let it be.
Christ is at home with us. Bring your problems home – you know you’ll find comfort there. Bring your tiredness home – you know you’ll find rest and recuperation there. Voice your heartfelt concerns at home – you know you’ll find a listening ear. Celebrate at home – for there those who love will gladden your heart. The loving-kindness and faithfulness of God dwells with us. Let’s get to know him.
This script was first published in the journal The Preacher.
task. There are lots of switches I’ve never seen before and no handbrake. The handbook is, of course, the key. But I find it a disconcerting read as on every page there’s a large panel that says ‘Warning, danger of ...’ And every so often it reads ‘Danger of death.’ It’s a risky business getting to know a car; but then perhaps that’s the point the manual’s trying to make.
Expressing oneself
The same point applies to getting to know a person, though we don’t often think of it that way. Indeed cars may be easier; after all once you’ve learnt its complexities it stays the same in a way that people do
not. Add to that the fact that the car does nothing to help or hinder you
getting to know it. People are never that easy. Getting to know a person always means receiving from the person, not just knowing about
that person. We say,‘Let her speak for herself,’ meaning that only the
individuals themselves can truly disclose what they feel or think. Self
expression in language is essential to knowing a person. One way or another, the person you’re trying to get to know has a controlling contribution to your efforts. There’s no way of getting around that.
God expressing himself
So it is that the Gospeller John tells us that God expresses himself so that we may know him. ‘The Word became flesh.’ That Word was already expressed in the created world – ‘all things were made through him’ – but what we know of God in the wonders of creation is no more than the manufacturer’s handbook in comparison to what we celebrate now. And the same applies to reason, that light that sparks in every person. These things, as wondrous as they are, remain in the realm of ‘knowing about.’ By the coming of Jesus an incandescent beacon is lit that unquenchably lights the path of life:
‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’
This is the final step in God’s revelation of himself to his people. He comes to where we are; he lives where we live. He dwells with us, as John puts it. You get to know a person by living with them. That’s the horror of student accommodation according to my daughter. Characteristics and foibles come to light that are entirely unanticipated and too often unwelcome. Getting to know a person can have unfortunate consequences. But Jesus is not the unbearable flatmate. His living with us makes plain in human terms the profoundly loving and gracious heart of God. He discloses himself to us, and we come to know him as true Saviour and friend. The only Son makes God knowable, not just know-about-able.
Living together
This living with us never ends. The promise is that where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is there in the middle of them (Matthew 18:20). Saint Paul calls the church the‘body of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 12:27) and he means it literally. The baby born in Bethlehem – touchable, noisy, beautiful, attention needing, and the rest –all the urgencies
of a human life, remains all those things in the fellowship of those who believe in him. We are to be the people who know God, not the people who know about God. Taught by the scriptures, nourished by the bread and wine of the Eucharist, and
embraced by the companionship of the faithful, we live with Christ in the household of God’s people. Living together makes for a getting to know one another that’s unique and deep – if we’ll let it be.
Christ is at home with us. Bring your problems home – you know you’ll find comfort there. Bring your tiredness home – you know you’ll find rest and recuperation there. Voice your heartfelt concerns at home – you know you’ll find a listening ear. Celebrate at home – for there those who love will gladden your heart. The loving-kindness and faithfulness of God dwells with us. Let’s get to know him.
This script was first published in the journal The Preacher.
