Word Made Flesh

The Word became flesh
and stayed for a little while among us;
we saw the Word's glory --
the favor and position a parent gives an only child --
filled with grace,
filled with truth.*
John 1: 14

I recently read an article about a parent who writes a Christmas love letter to his spouse and to each of his children every year. A nice sentiment. A wonderful gift. The letter describes the love for them and how they contribute to the beauty of their family. Each letter, no doubt, makes for an unforgettable Christmas present.

We could say that Jesus was the love letter God wrote to the world. And what a wonderfully Word-ed letter it is! In the Greek, Word is translated as logos, meaning divine mind or order that unites reality. But John, ahhh, in John’s writing it’s so much more. More than a thought, Word becomes flesh, a person.

     In Jesus we find ourselves and our relationship with our Creator. This Word is the bridge that unites us in mind, body and spirit to our Loving Parent. Parents, human and divine, are placed in our lives for a particular reason. Human parents are our first teachers and our first love relationships. LGBTQiA+ children learn to love their parents the same as all other children. However, the sad truth is that when LGBTQiA+ children come out to their parents, sometimes they are not met with the love of Jesus, but rather rejection based on twisted words describing Jesus.

As we journey through the last days of Advent, pondering this mystical Love about to break into the world, please know that these days can be very heartbreaking for some in the queer community who have been told, by well meaning Christians (and yes, some even Lutheran…) that the Word tells them they stand apart from God’s love. Not as Beloved community but rather as Other community. Actually, what the Word says is  nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:38-39).

LGBTQiA+ people would so love to be welcomed and included at a Candlelight Christmas Eve service. How do I know? Because I am one. We know the Word became flesh and dwells among us, ALL OF US. We also know that we, like all who believe the Word, are set apart by our baptism.

We are all set apart by our baptism into the love and mystery who is the Christ.

If you know of someone who would like a love letter for Christmas, invite them to a Candlelight Service.

_______________________

*The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2007

**LGBTQiA+ is not complete. The acronym is used to indicate a non-cisgender-heterosexual person, but is by no means a complete description of a person, their beauty or their createdness. For more information visit PFLAG.