Words of the Father

By John Fischer

“Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing …”

Words. We do so much in words. We hear sermons and read books and attend seminars and get all excited when someone says something in a way we haven’t heard before. And we get upset when someone says it in a way we think is wrong. We judge a person’s commitment or lack of it by his or her words. We rush to the store or jump online when new words come out. We are people of many words.

Imagine if God had chosen to come to us in the form of words only. Then following him would be a factor of how well you could read or take notes. And the keepers of the words would hold all the cards.

But he came in the flesh, or as John put it, “The Word became flesh.” (John 1:14) Later in his first letter, John expanded on that, saying that he was the Word of life that they heard and saw and touched. It was Christ’s physical presence that sealed it for them and for us all.

Even still, some prefer to stay immersed in words – their spirituality a factor of how well they can take notes. Imagine the disciples at the cross pulling out their Palm Pilots to take down Christ’s words as he died. That’s what would happen if words were everything.

But Christ’s presence transcended words. Those who followed him experienced him. They heard, saw, and handled the word of life in human flesh. And because of that they were able to observe Jesus as well as listen to him. And my guess is that what he showed them stuck with them more than what he told them. They heard him talk about serving each other, but they watched him wrap a towel around his waist and wash their feet. They heard him say that he came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and then they watched him spend himself on the crowds and the needs of everyone who came to him. They heard him tell them to remember him and what he did on the cross, and then served them bread and wine so they would have something tangible to remember him by.

The Word of the Father appeared in the flesh and his name was Jesus, and today, our human existence has taken on hope. We can hear and see what he did in his earthly life, and trust his Spirit to give us the power to follow in his footsteps, deny ourselves, and serve those around us as he did. May we be the fulfillment of the peace and goodwill the angels sang about on the eve of his birth!