Listen

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

John 1:14-18

Think

Two years ago my dog Rosie went missing. She was gone for a terrible 20 days. One day I got a call from a teacher who had seen Rosie near a school. Several people had tried to get close to her, with no luck. Even though Rosie was exhausted and starving, she ran away from every stranger she saw.

Finally, a volunteer brought her own dog to join the search. As soon as Rosie saw them she went right over, touched noses with the dog, and wagged her tail. That’s when she stopped running and came home.

No one has ever seen God. Jesus became flesh so that we would see someone who looks, sounds, and smells human. Just like Rosie, we need one of our own kind to come find us and bring us home.

Sarah Councell Turner

Pray

Dear God, thank you for coming into the world with flesh like ours. Thank you for seeking us, and finding us, and bringing us home. Amen.

Go

Now go with the assurance that
God is present in you at your strongest and weakest.
God is present in all creation, including you.
God is present in every moment and in a single word.
God is present, recognized or not.
And God is present in the flesh – like our flesh – to bring us home.