The Incarnate God

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

—John 1:14

We’ve sentimentalized (is that a word?) the nativity scene, to the point that we might forget its actual setting.

For example, we talk about how Jesus was born in a manger without perhaps even recognizing what a manger is. So, in case you don’t know, a manger is a feed box for cattle, usually filled with unsanitary wheat and oats and stuff. Cattle stick their nose in it, so it was full of cow snot. Not exactly an ideal place to take care of an infant! Yet that’s where God became a man.

The first people who got an invitation to visit Jesus were not religious leaders. Not some royals or politicians. They were shepherds. Today, we make shepherds the heroes of the story, but they were the zeros of that culture. They were nobodies, the outcasts of society because they did a job nobody else wanted to do. 

Later on, wise men from the east brought extravagant gifts. They were not just “three kings from orient are.” They were more powerful than kings. They decided who would actually become the kings of the Parthian Empire. In short, they were among the most influential, learned, and powerful men in the world. They were invited by a star to see Jesus.

So, from the highest in the world’s esteem to the lowest, all were invited to come see. And that’s the point. God wants to have a relationship with all of us.

I like Eugene Peterson’s take on John 1:14. “Jesus became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.”

That would be your neighborhood. My neighborhood. And the neighborhood where everyone in your oikos happens to live. The lesson there is that God meets all us where we are.

Invitations to see Jesus are still regularly circulating in neighborhoods all over the world. In fact, one such invitation was extended to a young man in Indiana not long ago. He was invited to a Christmas event at a local church.

No big deal, right? Uh, huge deal.

So paleeeeeze take a few minutes and listen to these guys discuss what happened to their families as a result of that simple invitation.

When you give to The Oikos Movement, you are contributing to more stories like this.

When a local church family has been sufficiently prepared to extend invitations like that, it makes all the difference in the world. And when pastors realize that leveraging their entire congregation is actually possible, it transforms entire ministries.