Dwelt

 The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us     John 1.14

‘Dwelt’ is an unusual word. It means to live among. One version uses the phrase ‘moved into the neighbourhood.’

Everything starts with this fact, that Christ was in the world. He left heaven for a remote village in a forgotten province, to join a despised race, to be born of an obscure teenage peasant girl in a stable, wrapped in rags, placed in a feeding trough instead of a crib.

He was one of us and walked among us. 

God himself came down and entered the human race. He moved into the neighbourhood and became just like us so that we could hear him saying, ‘I love you’.

Theologians use a particular word to talk about this. They call the birth of Christ the ‘incarnation’. That word means God came to earth and shared our humanity. 

The infinite became finite.

The immortal became mortal.

The Creator became the created.

The omnipotent lived inside a young girl’s womb.

The Almighty became a helpless baby.

The Deity was wrapped in rags.

The King of the Universe was born in a stable.

As Martin Luther put it, ‘He whom the worlds could not enwrap yonder lies in Mary’s lap.’

Read the New Testament again. Instead of flash and splash, there is a frightened father, an exhausted mother, a dirty stable in wintertime, rags for nappies, and a feeding trough. There he is, ignored by the world, a tiny, helpless baby. Immanuel, God with us. 

It’s so simple you know it must be true. Only God would have done it that way. 

One of the verses of a famous Christmas carol says it very well, 

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate Deity. 

Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hark, the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born King.’

Jesus moved into our neighbourhood. Have you met your new neighbour yet?

Lord Jesus, we are glad you moved into our neighbourhood. If you had stayed in heaven, we would never have met you. Thank you for making us part of your forever family. In Jesus' name, Amen