Year A
Christmas
Nativity of the Lord – Proper III
Contextual Background:
John’s gospel begins not with shepherds or mangers but with a hymn: “In the beginning was the Word.” The cosmic Christ takes flesh, shining light into darkness. In the Roman world, Caesar was called “lord” and “savior,” the bringer of peace. John proclaims another Word — one who enters vulnerability and rejection to reveal God’s glory.
Within the Jewish Tradition:
The Word evokes dabar — God’s creative and powerful speech in Genesis and through the prophets. God speaks and creation comes to life. Now the Word is not only spoken but embodied. The tabernacle of God is pitched among us in human flesh. The Divine Logos (word) also relates to the divine Sophia of the wisdom tradition. This portrays Jesus, who though a male, as embodying all of humanity and the divine wisdom.
The Challenge Then:
The challenge was to believe that God’s eternal glory could dwell in the fragile human Jesus. Many could not recognize him because they expected grandeur and victory, not humility and rejection.
The Challenge Now:
In our culture, Christmas is often captured by consumer religio — equating joy with consumption and power with wealth. The gospel insists God is revealed not in spectacle but in vulnerability, solidarity, and love.
Implications for Leaders & Communities:
- Leaders can proclaim Christmas as God’s radical presence with us, not just a holiday of sentiment.
- Communities can practice incarnation by seeking God’s presence in the ordinary and in those the world overlooks.
- Christmas calls us to embody God’s light in gloomy places through acts of justice and mercy and by offering a proclamation of the Kindom of God not the Kingdom of Christian Nationalism.
What I Am Learning:
Incarnation teaches me that God’s glory is revealed not in escape from human life but in its deepest realities — even in struggle, grief, and fragility. It teaches me to sink into my own life, body, and self. Like the core message of the Creed, it teaches me: If human life can be embraced by God, then I can begin to embrace my life as-it-is.
The Question I’m Sitting With:
How do I train myself and my community to recognize God’s Word made flesh in ordinary and overlooked places?
