“[God] has spoken to us by a Son” (Hebrews 1:2).
“In the beginning was the Word,” we read in the Gospel of John. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us” (1:1,14). It is Christmas-time. God the Father sent God the Son to become His Word among us.
In today’s parlance, we might say that God has “texted” the human race.
The world of cell phones and Palm Pilots® has led to a revolution in the field of human communication. It is called “texting.” Many of our pocket-sized gizmos feature pocket-sized keyboards. You drive them with your thumbs, entering abbreviated text-based messages on screens the size of a matchbook. “Will you join me for prayer?” becomes “wl-u jn me 4 pryr?”, and so on. The messages are tidy, straight to the point, and easy to send and receive. They keep text-ers connected to the world and one another, at all times.
You have seen the phenomenon, I am sure. Take a trip to your local mall. Have a seat and look around. You will be amazed at the number of text-ers you may see on any given day. You will recognize them by their attention to electronic devices in the palms of their hands: they will be checking their messages and texting replies. And you don’t need to travel to the mall to find them. Recently I heard a guest preacher here in Minneapolis. During the course of a twenty-minute sermon, he felt compelled – twice – to produce his Blackberry® and check for new messages. (All right, he was concerned about a family member facing a difficult passage in her young life…but, come on, twice in twenty minutes? And during a sermon?)
Essentially, “texting” is a form of shorthand. But unlike the shorthand my mother used as a young secretary many years ago, “texting” is developing into a full-blown dialect of the English language. It is not only greetings or simple personal messages that are texted. A recent article from the BBC reports that literary classics are being translated into “texted” format, too. You can download entire volumes of Dickens or Shakespeare. “To be or not to be, that is the question” becomes “2b? Nt2b? ???”. (See BBC Online.) And the Australian Bible Society has recently completed a translation of the entire Bible. The book of Genesis begins, “In da Bginnin God cre8d da heavens & da earth.” (See BBC Online.)
At Christmas time – bear with me now – God has “texted” the human race with the message of his love. He sent a single Word that encapsulated his entire design for the world. Do you want to know God’s plan for the world…and for you? Look to Jesus. Do you want to understand God’s divine character and activity? Look to Jesus. Do you want to find the pathway to a new and reconciled life with God? Again, the answer may be found in a single and powerful Word. Look to Jesus.
Jesus is the essential summary of God’s will for the universe. And you don’t need a Blackberry® to receive him. This is a Message that is tuned in by sheer and simple faith. This Christmas, look to him.