The Word became flesh

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14

At Christmas, many people make a point of being with family, even if that means traveling great distances. This is fitting, given that much of our modern observance of Christmas centers around family. But it also is fitting, given the event we celebrate at Christmas. For that event also was a matter of family. At Christmas, the Son of God entered our human family and became our brother.

The fact that the eternal Son of God took on flesh and became a true human being goes far beyond our understanding. John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, eloquently describes that fact for us in the prologue to his gospel. Yet while the incarnation of the Son of God goes beyond our understanding, it was not a surprise to anyone who was paying attention to God’s prophecies in the Old Testament.

Already in the Garden of Eden, the Lord had announced that the one who would crush the serpent’s head would be the offspring of a woman. Isaiah added the detail that the woman who would give birth to the Savior would be a virgin. Micah prophesied that the promised offspring of the woman would be born in Bethlehem. Luke records the fulfillment of all these prophecies in his wellknown account of Jesus’ birth by the virgin Mary in Bethlehem in Judea. What God had promised took place in history. The Son of God became our brother.

God’s son become our brother in every way. Like us, he was born of a woman. Like us, he was born under law. As one who was under law, he kept that law perfectly in our place. Already

as an infant, he was about his work of fulfilling the law for us. At 40 days old, he was presented in the temple, “as it is written in the Law of the Lord.” His obedience for us continued into his adolescence, as at age 12, he put the Word and worship of his heavenly Father foremost in his life and at the same time was obedient to Mary and Joseph, his earthly parents.

All this our brother did for a specific purpose: to save us. As the writer to the Hebrews tells us, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Because our brother, by his perfect life and death in our place, has freed us from our slavery to sin and death, we have now been adopted into God’s family as his dear children. Through faith in our brother Jesus, we call God “Abba, Father!” We no longer are slaves but sons and daughters of God. And if we are his children, then we also are his heirs.

Yes, Christmas is about family. The Son of God became our brother. Through faith in him, we are the sons and daughters — heirs! — of God. That is what we, like the shepherds, praise God for during this Christmas season and beyond. That is what we, like Mary, treasure up in our hearts and ponder.

Happy to call Jesus my brother, just like you!

Jacob Hanneman is the pastor of Shepherd of the Plains Lutheran Church in Fort Morgan. In-person worship is at 9 a.m. Sundays. Online worship can be found at www. shepherdoftheplains lutheranchurch.com.