the practice of becoming flesh

Something amazing happened today.

Today I spent six hours with a friend that I hadn't seen in over three months. We had kept in contact, of course. The inventions of the telephone and the Internet had ensured that. But there's such an unearthly difference between words on a screen or through a receiver and words coming from a living, loving human being at one's side. Seeing her face made me realize how much I had truly missed her. A photo on MySpace could never serve justice. Ah, the long walks (and runs) across an open field; The deep silence while sitting atop a roof on a moonlit night. No words, photograph, or melody could ever recreate the joy in simple human presence.

No words can express what I truly long to say
And a tune cannot do justice to this simple three-word phrase
I love you
I love you
I love you on and on
And love that has no ending cannot fit in a song

Suddenly I realize that this must be why Christ had to come to earth. Sure, the Jews had the written words of God in their scriptures. They had heard God's voice, muffled to protect them from instant death. They even had small MySpace-sized pictures of God painted in many of the people from Old Testament times. But still Israel did not really know God. In fact, they completely misunderstood everything about God. This is why they needed to experience God in flesh. A law that lives and breathes and walks around. If the Pharisees had realized who Jesus really was, they would have known God with the intimacy of a friend at the side.

Can you imagine Christ's disgust when He finally comes and His people don't even recognize him? Not only that, but they persecute him and hang him for blasphemy! And it's not like they weren't looking for the Messiah, either. They just didn't see Christ for who He was. Imagine my friend coming up this weekend to see me, but I don't recognize her. Not only that, but when she repeatedly tells me who she is and even presents proof, I continue to stare blindly in the other direction waiting for who I think she should be. I finally get so bugged by her trying to get my attention that I arrest her and...well, you know.

The strangest thing is that God loves us despite this. Really, each of us has crucified Jesus by our thoughts or actions. But still God forgives and his love goes on and on. This is the love that has no ending. Praise God!