And the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his
glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace
and truth. (John 1:14)
Christmas is a great
celebration of God’s generosity! Jesus as the “Word made flesh” freely enters
into the messiness of human existence in order to immerse us in God’s grace –
God’s favor – that is, God’s generosity! Our lives now can be filled with hope,
peace, joy, and love because Christ Jesus was willing to be born in humble
circumstances, reveal in his life the goodness of the Father, suffer
mistreatment, and then die for us on the cross. That is the incredible
generosity of God poured into our lives and overflowing like a renewing river
into the wilderness of this tormented and tormenting world.
We who experience God and
God’s goodness are called to share freely with others not only the Good News of
God becoming human like us, but to be generous with ourselves and others. This
means supporting people as they face difficult struggles, encouraging others in
living to their fullest, and, of course, being patient and forgiving to those
who have wronged us. This in no way means excusing sinfulness in ourselves and
others, for God also is holy and will judge all evil. But it does mean that we
always are ready to point people to the Christ who knows the weaknesses we all
wrestle with, and that in Christ God always is eager to restore and heal anyone
who will turn to God and receive God’s amazing grace – for God is a generous
God.
So this Christmas season,
take a moment every know and then to think about how generous God is to us –
how blessed it is to live each day knowing firsthand the goodness of God in
Christ Jesus. Let’s not take such a hope filled truth for granted, as we share
freely with others the generosity we have received. After all, this is the
reason we give gifts at Christmas. It is a reflection of the greatest gift
given to all who will receive it – Emmanuel – God with us!
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12
