Who is God? Why can’t I see God? How do I know God? What is God’s purpose for my life?
These are all questions that I think every human ponders at some point in their lives. They are tough questions, but they are also questions I think we need answers to.
In so many ways, these are the defining questions of our life. That is part of the reason we struggle so much with them. It is also part of the reason so many books have been written on the topics they address. The topics of meaning and purpose are the ones that most readily come to mind. There is a whole industry, in fact, dedicated to helping us answer these questions.
Then, within that industry, there are A LOT, I mean, A LOT of different opinions on how to answer them. But what if I told you, all those questions, and more, can be answered in one place. You would be interested, right? And what if I told you, it was right now in the very season that we are celebrating, Christmas, that they can be answered.
In the opening verses of the Gospel of John, the writer weaves a series of beautifully poetic lines about Jesus, his coming, and his purpose. It can be a little difficult to understand in parts if you aren’t very familiar with the Bible, but the final line of the opening section is clear as day. It says this, “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known” (John 1:18).
It is in those words that we find the answer to all our questions from earlier. Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, came to make God known. Who is God? Jesus comes to embody it for us. Why can’t I see God? Jesus comes to show us who God is. How do I know God? What is God’s purpose for my life? Jesus comes to tell us. This is what we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus coming into the world to be God, to show us God, and tell us about God and his purposes for our life and world. This is the great gift of God for us at Christmas. An answer.
Now, it is not right away, mind you. It is only the beginning of a story that is about to play out in the world. As we move forward from his birth and begin to read the stories of his teachings, his miracles, and even his death and resurrection, God reveals himself and his purposes to us. But that is a conversation for another day.
In the meantime, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, I want to encourage you to stop and take a moment, in the midst of the busyness of the season, to ponder the great gift of love God has given to us in Jesus. God has seen our struggles. God has been there as we have searched for answers to life’s difficult questions. And out of his love for us, God has sent us Jesus to answer those questions and show us the way to the salvation we need to experience them fully.
With that in mind, as we gather around our trees and tables this Christmas, may we welcome the child Jesus into our hearts and homes. May we give thanks to God for the wonderful gift we have received in him. And may we encourage one another to not simply celebrate him for a day and then cast him aside, but rather, to embrace him and all that his coming means for us. A coming that shows us God, that answers our questions of meaning and purpose, and that leads us to a joyous life now and forever with him.
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