We’ve all heard the phrase “down to earth”. If we say that someone is ‘down-to-earth’, we mean that they are well-grounded in the reality of the situation around them, and concern themselves with practical ways of living and relating with others.
In today’s Gospel reading, John introduces us to the down to earth God. We can say that our God is a down-to-earth God because he literally came down to earth in the person of Jesus. Interestingly, John gives us a starkly different perspective to the Christmas narrative we are so used to and heard again last night, featuring angels and shepherds.
- In Luke’s version there is a full cast of angels, shepherds and census crowds. In John’s version there is only One, who came full of grace and truth.
- Luke’s narrative gives details of particular times, places, people, and events. John’s version has the cosmos in view. The Word, above and beyond creation spoke all of existence into being, “in the beginning”.
- Luke focuses on the child Jesus. John focuses on the children of God.
- Luke tells us what happened. John wants us to know what it means.
In their different styles, both Luke and John proclaim that Jesus is God, down to earth for us. In today’s text, John puts it this way: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Now the original word for ‘dwelt’ carries the language of ‘tabernacle’. It means to fix one’s tent, or one’s tabernacle, and live in it. We could translate: ‘The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.”
Here John draws on the Old Testament imagery of the special connection between the Tabernacle and God’s presence among his people. We can find God’s extensive instructions on how the Tabernacle was to be made and furnished in the book of Exodus. The purpose of the Tabernacle was not an end in itself; it was to be the means for God to live with his people he had redeemed from slavery to Pharoah in Egypt and bless them. Since rescuing them from Egypt, His holy presence had been with them and not left them, veiled in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Now the Tabernacle would be where God dwelt with his people, and God promised that when the burnt offering was made at the entrance to the Tent of meeting, he would meet with his servant Moses and speak to him. God’s holy presence would be veiled with the smoke from the burnt offering. God said:
“For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory” (Exodus 29:42-43).
In today’s text John says that the apostles have seen God’s glory: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Since Jesus was born, God’s glory has been revealed on earth in a greater way than to the people of old—not veiled by cloud, smoke or fire, but veiled by the body of Jesus; the Word of God made flesh, dwelling with his people.
God is also down-to-earth in the sense that he has come to relate with people in real circumstances of human life. If God came down only as God, it would be no different to the days of him tabernacling with the Israelites in the desert. He would not be able to share the full experience humanity, being tempted in every way we are, yet without sin. He would not be able to redeem our weak humanness.
But enfleshed in the Christ child, God has come into the world as it really is: in the midst of the fighting, abuse, arrogance, rejection, segregation, pride, greed, hatred, inhumanity, and violence; a world which discriminates between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’, a world which shatters the lives of the vulnerable, and seeks to oppress good with evil. In the Word made flesh, God came to dwell among us despite the world’s strife, brokenness, suffering and death. In Christ, God came to associate with those unfaithful in marriage and those hurt by unfaithful people. In Christ, God came to associate with those who abuse and exploit others, and those broken by abuse. He came for those who steal and cheat, those who are addicted to all kinds of things, those who live on the street. He came to welcome sinners and eat with them. With real human hands he reached out to people and healed those who were hurting, and blessed those who were spiritually poor, to give them true light and life.
John says of Jesus: “In him was life, and that life was the light of humankind.” The Word made flesh, and divine life and light go together. And John says that the light that Jesus gives shines in this dark world, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Parents and Grandparents know that when children are afraid from a bad dream, strange sounds, or shifting shadows at night, putting on a light is one of the most helpful things to do. And the first thing that is usually said is “See there is nothing there!” The light washes the darkness away to bring comfort and peace.
That’s what Jesus has done for you. It is not just little ones that are afraid of the dark. The dark world is a scary place. Fear is something we all experience. Fear of not being loved. The fear of what our future might hold. Fear waiting for the results from health tests. Fear over the impact of world conflict on our future. Fear over climate change. Fear over financial future in the face of retirement and redundancy. The fear of reduced capacity and changed lifestyle that senior years bring. The fear of dying. The fear of whether God really does forgive us as we struggle against sin and our guilty conscience.
I don’t know the deep fears you have. But God in Christ does. Isaiah foretold centuries before, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9, verses 2 & 6).
God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 It is as if he has turned on the bedroom light and said “Dear child of God, see there is nothing really there!” His light has washed away the darkness away to bring comfort and peace.
In the depths of whatever life brings for you this day, Jesus comes to you with his light and life. He came that people might have life and have it abundantly. He is the resurrection and the life. He is the way, the truth and the life. He gave his life for the life of the world. He gave his life for you. The promise of God for you is “to all those who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (verse 12).
This is what his holy supper proclaims. This is where he comes, full of divine grace and truth for you. This is where you have seen his glory and see it again today. This is where God now tabernacles with his people—in the tent of human flesh. Hands that once took a towel and wrapped it around his waist, and washed the feet of his disciples, hands that were pinned to a cross, hold bread and wine.
It is not at the entrance to the Tent of meeting that he welcomes you. But through Christ God invites you, welcomes you, meets with you and speaks with you here. The Word who spoke all things into existence speaks again to bring about a new creation, saying: “This is my body given for you, this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” The whole place is consecrated by his glory. And you also are made holy by his presence with you.
And as you gather with other lowly folk like the shepherds, and sing with the angels, this is a foretaste of the time you will share in God’s own glory in heaven forever, together with all those who believe and have been given the right to be called the children of God.This is what Christmas means. This is why God in Christ dwells with you here now. He is here for you, now. And he is for you, forever. Amen.
