"The New Way Made Flesh"

Number 7 in series of 10

Sermon by Pastor David Layman

August 5, 2007

John 1:1-14

In another pastorate, I was talking with a woman who had lost her husband. Understandably, she was lonely. She referred to a story she'd heard of a little girl who called to her mother in the night, saying "Mommy, I'm scared!" Her mother came in, and talked with her, telling her that she wasn't really alone; God was with her. The little girl responded "I know God is here. But I want someone with skin on." The woman who was grieving her husband's loss knew just what the little girl was talking about. She was lonely; she wanted her husband back. And if not him, someone else with "flesh on." The New Testament tells us that humankind's deepest yearning was met in the coming of Jesus: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." John is saying that God became flesh and blood and lived among us. Eugene Peterson's The Message translates this verse "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood." That's what God did through Jesus! Some people think that Jesus was just a representative of God, as an American president might send his secretary of state to represent his country. Jesus came into our world as more than an earthly representative, a secretary of state, an ambassador, the human son of a human father. Jesus was God in the flesh!

Earthly sons don't always live up to the reputation and ability of their earthly fathers. I've heard Billy Graham preach, and his son Franklin. Franklin has some ability, but I'm tempted to take Lloyd Bentsen's approach to Dan Quayle when he said "I knew John Kennedy. I was a friend of John Kennedy's. And believe me, Dan Quayle, you're no John Kennedy!" While Franklin Graham has some gifts, few would maintain that he's the equal of his father. We'll have the opportunity one of these days to see if Patrick Knight is as good a basketball coach as his father. I'm not counting on it, but I DO hope Patrick Knight isn't as profane as his father!

But Jesus is not in the same category as these other sons of famous fathers. Because Jesus was God's son in a way that no one else in all of history has been a son of a father. Jesus was of the same substance as God, his father. Jesus said "The Father and I are one", (John 10:30) and Jesus wasn't lying. Jesus was God in human flesh.

Don't be surprised if you have a hard time accepting this. Because the learned religious leaders of Israel largely failed to grasp it. Religious Jews in Jesus' day believed that God was transcendent, distant, far removed. That's why the devout in Jesus' culture avoided even mentioning God by name. They would talk of "the almighty" or "the kingdom of heaven", but not the "kingdom of God". Skeptics in our day want to think of Jesus as "a great teacher" who lived a very ethical life. Some might think of Jesus as a "representative" of God. But Jesus acted for God precisely because Jesus was God. Jesus was God's Word made flesh!

I suppose the deism of Thomas Jefferson and the Enlightenment is better than no belief at all. But as N.T. Wright has noted, "Deism, historically, produces atheism; (we see this is true, as the deism of the Enlightenment was followed by the atheism of Marx, Nietsche and Freud); first you make God a landlord, then he becomes an absentee landlord, then he becomes simply an absentee." (What Saint Paul Really Said, Eerdman's, Grand Rapids, 1997, p. 162) As N.T. Wright notes, "It's hardly worth getting out of bed for a god like that." A significant portion of our increasingly secular culture seems to agree with that!

The reason I get out of bed early on Sunday morning is that God became flesh in the life of Jesus. God gave Himself for us through Jesus, and wants to send His Spirit coursing through my humble life and yours, that we might move at the impulse of His love. A God that would go to the cross for me is worth getting out of bed for...and much, much more!

I can still remember walking Andrea to school for her first day. Pam and I watched Andrea at the school play ground get on the little merry go round and happily spin around. Then some older boys also got on and got it going so fast, Andrea flew off and skinned her knees. We took her into the office for medical assistance, and the secretary, who was a member of our church, treated Andrea's knees and got her ready for her first day of kindergarten. It was so hard to say goodbye to our first child with the bandaged knees that first day of school! How much we wanted to be able to become kindergartners ourselves and go through the day with Andrea!

That is what God decided to do through Jesus. The word became flesh and dwelt among us! God became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood! God made the long journey from heaven to earth in the person of Jesus. Had we lived 2,000 years ago, we could have touched God the Son in Jesus, we could have had him over for supper. He could have given us counsel when discouraged. He would have wept with us when we lost loved ones, hugged us, and promised us a new day to come. But we have His Word, and the Holy Spirit sent to dwell among us. Next week in our series we will consider how Christ calls the church to become members of the body of Christ. Perhaps even more amazing than to consider that God became flesh in Jesus is that Christ calls us to be part of His body, to represent his flesh, to weep with those who weep, to hug those who are alone and discouraged, to join hands with one another in prayer!

Now, let us come to the table of the one who became flesh and dwelt among us. On the very night when Jesus was betrayed, Jesus took bread.... (Words of Institution, then Affirmation of Faith, sing Lord's prayer, and celebrate communion.)

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