He Took On Flesh

I’ve always found it fascinating that when God decided to take on flesh and live as one of us, he came as a baby born to peasants in the Judean countryside. Why not choose a royal setting instead?  When Jesus grew up and announced his ministry as the ministry God assigned to the Messiah, he did it in the little synagogue in the backwater town of Nazareth. Why not set up shop at the temple in Jerusalem instead? And when Jesus chose apprentices to accompany him and carry on his mission, why did he choose so many average people instead of the best and the brightest the Jewish religious complex had to offer?

This is just how God works. Over and over again in Scripture we find God creating great things from small, broken things. He does it to show his power. He does it to humble those who think they are something they’re not. And he does it to teach us that none of us are worthless in his kingdom mission.

Have you considered how impossible it is for any one of us to show the multifaceted beauty and glory of God? But consider that when we function together as God’s chosen family, the church CAN display the love of God in ways none of us can on our own! The church is such a great gift to us and to the advancement of God’s mission in the community around us, and we should realize how special it is.

Sometimes people feel like it’s enough just to be present in worship, but God calls his church to more than that. And sometimes people feel like they don’t have anything to offer, but God calls us to reject that lie from the devil. We are God’s people, and it is his power that enables us to be part of his ongoing mission in this place. And that’s exciting.          

—Patrick Barber