"And the Word became flesh"

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1: 14)

When I was a child, I remember hearing -- and saying -- "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."  The intent behind the expression is to toughen us up, to keep our feelings from being hurt whenever someone calls us a name or says something unkind, but the truth is, words CAN hurt, and words matter far more than we'd sometimes like to admit.

The biblical writers knew how important words are and refrained from speaking or writing the "Tetragrammaton," the 4 letter name of God, in order not to commit blasphemy, and in the gospel of John, we are reminded that everything that has come into being was created by the Word of God; as John Wesley writes in his Notes on John 1, "the Word by whom the Father speaking, makes all things." This means that creation itself is an oral act, and moreover, the very same Word that spoke the world into being has entered into human existence, taking on our frail human flesh, or as Wesley so beautifully says, "tabernacled among us."

And just as the tabernacle in the Old Testament was an easily movable tent where God's glorious presence dwelt among the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness, so too did Jesus pitch his tent of flesh to live awhile among us,"displaying his glory in a more eminent manner, than even of old in the tabernacle of Moses." In wonder and in a spirit of praise, Wesley writes in his notes on John 1: 14 that human beings are by nature "liars and children of wrath, to whom both grace and truth are unknown," yet we partake of them "when we are accepted through the Beloved."  He goes on to say that this verse might be paraphrased in this way:

And in order to raise us to this dignity and happiness, the eternal Word, by a most amazing condescension, was made flesh, united himself to our miserable nature, with all its innocent infirmities. And he did not make us a transient visit, but tabernacled among us on earth, displaying his glory in a more eminent manner, than even of old in the tabernacle of Moses. And we who are now recording these things beheld his glory with so strict an attention, that we can testify, it was in every respect such a glory as became the only begotten of the Father ....  In all he appeared full of grace and truth ... and really exhibited the most substantial blessings, whereas that was but a shadow of good things to come.

Wesley's reflections upon the richness of this one verse in John's gospel shine a light onto the extent of God's love for us as displayed in the Incarnation.  The Word took on flesh and became completely human in order to bless us richly, yet even these wonderful earthly blessings are "but a shadow of good things to come."  What lengths our Lord goes to in order to be in relationship with us, to reorder our lives and remold us by the Spirit into the daughters and sons of God we were created to be!  How much we are loved and cherished and valued by the One who stopped at nothing so that we might be reconciled to each other!  And so, with John Wesley and with Charles Wesley and all the company of heaven, let us join in this exultant hymn of Advent hope and yearning for his return in glory --

Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
Come, Lord Jesus!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Everlasting God, come down!