December 9: God, the Ultimate Communicator
♫ Music:
WEEK TWO
December 9-15
A NEWBORN BABE: THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF LOVE
Almost everyone who has experienced childbirth is deeply moved by the miracle of a new life coming into the world. God could have sent his son in a variety of ways, but in his infinite wisdom chose the form of a helpless infant. A newborn babe is the ultimate expression of love and sacrifice a husband and wife can give each other. Babies offer their fascinated families joy and hope in the midst of life’s uncertainties. Jesus humbly embraced the various stages of human development so that he could fully identify with us in our mortal flesh. And ultimately, as author Henri Nouwen writes, “The eternal Son became a child so that (we) might become (children) again and so enter with him into the Kingdom of the Father.”
Day 8 - Sunday, December 9
The Eternal God Became Human
Scripture: John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.
Poetry:
At Burt Lake
by Tom Andrews
To disappear into the right words
and to be their meanings...
October dusk.
Pink scraps of clouds, a plum-colored sky.
The sycamore tree spills a few leaves.
The cold focuses like a lens...
Now night falls, its hair
caught in the lake’s eye.
Such clarity of things. Already
I’ve said too much...
Lord,
language must happen to you
the way this black pane of water,
chipped and blistered with stars,
happens to me.
GOD, THE ULTIMATE COMMUNICATOR
When we read this verse in John, our first thoughts take us to the sanctity of family life and the birth of the newborn child. The wonder of life is repeated by all humanity as the natural outflow of God’s love to all mankind. Procreation reflects the dignity and sacredness of husband and wife. Life itself is created and perpetuated by God. Yet, far greater is the predetermined act of God to send his only begotten Son to become fully human. This is his plan of redemption of mankind in order that he might create a people for his own possession. The Apostle John captures this powerful truth with full authority.
In John’s day, the church was growing with a significant presence among the Gentiles. John writes to strengthen the faith of this nascent church against the many heresies beginning to develop. He was uniquely qualified to address this problem.
For three years he walked and talked with Jesus. He observed him, touched him, and knew his voice. John was present when Jesus performed many miracles, followed him to the Mount of Transfiguration where he witnessed the glory, and he heard the voice of God saying this is my beloved Son. John remained at the cross during the crucifixion; was one of the three discovering the empty tomb. His testimony, we beheld his glory, has weight, gravitas.
God is self-revealing. Unless he discloses himself we cannot know him. The Son has no equal, no peer and is fully able to reveal the Father. John wants to cause us to remember that Jesus was pre-existent with the Father and became Jesus the God-Man. This is an expression of unity with God in intimate communication with humanity.
Today’s artist, Grace Bomer, our personal friend, helps us visualize this event. Her image of the invasion from the heavens, much like dividing the waters of the Red Sea, sets us to ponder this glorious event. Her art, as well as that of today’s music and poetry, compel us to respond. We can appreciate their skills using abstract techniques to represent the transcendence of the God-Man. Their creative contributions invite us to engage the Word. We must implore the Holy Spirit to enable us to grasp the magnificence and wonder of Jesus the God-Man and to commit our lives to him. We stand in awe of the majesty of this act of God who startled humanity with his presence.
This verse signals the fulfillment of God’s promises. Our attention is arrested as we begin with the incarnation. Immanuel, God is with us. The Word appeared with stunning suddenness. It was the fullness of time. God the Son communicated himself as one from another sphere, bursting on the scene as a laser beam splitting the atmosphere. “If the revelation of God through creation gives life to all who live on earth, how much more does the manifestation of the Father through the Word give life to those who see God!” (Irenaeus 202 AD)
We rejoice in the first Advent. But we anticipate his coming again.
We are called to worship the Son of God. “For he became the Son of man, who was God’s own Son, in order that he might make the sons of men to be children of God.” (Chrysostom died 407 AD)
Prayer:
Lord God, help us to get a renewed vision of Jesus your only begotten Son. As we do, we will bow before him to bring him honor and exult in his glory, “glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” He is more than the babe, he is the God-Man.
Amen
Dr. Glenn T. Collard
Director of Coram Deo International
About the Artwork:
One Who Came on the Waters of Time Series / Incarnation, 2013
Grace Carol Bomer
Oil on canvas
36 in x 36 in
Bomer’s painting has been called “a silent form of poetry” that explores “the extravagant mystery of God’s grace.” This image titled Incarnation is part of a series titled One Who Came On the Waters of Time inspired by a poem from Michael O’Brien’s novel Island of the World that addresses the necessity of looking past the temporal to see that which is transcendent. The vertical shaft descends from a luminous space above bisecting the roiling earthy red to create a horizon that is, in the words of O’Brien’s poem, not a fixed line, but “a wave” that is “the hiatus between matter and infinity,” representing the fullness of the Incarnation—Emmanuel, God with us.
About the Artist:
Grace Carol Bomer was born in Alberta, Canada, and pursued a career in teaching before she became a professional painter. Moving to North Carolina to study art at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Carol established her Soli Deo Gloria Studio there. As an abstract expressionist characterized by sumptuous color, textures, and palpable light, Bomer seeks to explore themes that center around “the human condition surprised by the grace of God." She is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for her art. Her work has been featured in numerous solo and juried exhibitions, and is held in many public, private, and corporate collections including Wachovia Bank, Westinghouse, Holiday Inns, Inc., and Cessna Corp.
About the Music:
“re:member” from the album re:member
About the Composer and Performer:
Icelandic composer and multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds (b. 1986) combines electronic loops and acoustic instruments to bridge ambient, pop, techno, and classical music. He sees music as a constant conversation between artist and listener and his goal is to always inspire creativity in his audience.
About the Poet:
Tom Andrews (1961–2001) was an American poet and critic. When he had a major accident on an icy sidewalk that put him in the hospital for many weeks, he discovered that he had hemophilia. While he is best known for his poetry, he also wrote criticism and a memoir, Codeine Diary: True Confessions of a Reckless Hemophiliac. Andrews graduated from Hope College in 1984, and in 1987 he graduated from the University of Virginia with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing. Poet and critic Lisa Russ Spaar has called him, "One of the great stylists — and one of the best, and under-known, poets — of the past 20 years." His collection, The Hemophiliac's Motorcycle, is available online for free through the University of Iowa Press. Though some scholars have examined his work through the lens of disability, much of his poetry seems more concerned with the body as spectacle, in its achievements as well as its limitations. Guy Davenport, a critic, said, "These are not poems about illness. They are about the dominion of the spirit when it is rich in imagination and courage."
About the Devotional Writer:
Dr. Glenn T. Collard is the Director of Coram Deo International (Before the Face of God), in Charlotte, North Carolina, a ministry encouraging a resurgence of historic, authentic worship in today’s church. He writes, “The central concept of Coram Deo International is to live every day before the face of God. I believe this is the key to both the spiritual formation of the individual and of the resurgence of the church. The unifying principle is to anchor our current praxis to the ancient church fathers.” Glenn and his wife Dianne are the parents of three children. Their oldest son, Tim, is with the Lord. They have two other grown children, who are married and serving the Lord. They are the proud grandparents of five granddaughters.