Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

• John 1:1-14

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

• John 17:20-26

“In one sense, the great invasions of history are analogous in the way to which God, in the great cosmic struggle between good and evil, chose to deal with Satan’s rule over the earth—He invaded But not with massive logistical support and huge armies rather in a way that confounded and perplexed the wisdom of humanity.
“It was a quiet invasion.  Few people understood what was happening. Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew that she was with child, but she also knew that she had never been with a man, not even Joseph, to whom she was engaged. She had learned of her pregnancy and what was to be a virgin birth when an angel told her that she was pregnant with the Son of God.  …
“Most of the people in Palestine at the time of Jesus’ birth were expecting a Messianic invasion like we saw at D-day—conquers in armor bringing a sword to set the people free from oppression. …
“Sometimes I think Jesus’ humble announcement of the liberation of the people and the coming of the Kingdom of God is as badly misunderstood in churches today as it was by the Jews of His time. He was ‘bringing in the reign of God on earth—first through His own ministry and then by establishing a peaceful occupying force, His Church, which would carry on God’s redemption until Christ’s return in power and glory at the Kingdom’s final triumph. In the cosmic struggle of good and evil, Jesus’ inauguration of the Kingdom was more decisive than D-day or any other invasion in human history.”

• Charles Colson (with Harold Fickett), The Faith

Chuck Colson talked about a military invasion that did not make the news for decades and also some that did.  Then he speaks of God doing something even more spectacular.  As some people can pull off a secret invasion, God invaded the earth, but God did so with a single baby, who grew up to be a quite different Messiah than the one expected by the Jews.

Two authors have written books named Miracles, at least two that I have read.  Eric Metaxas and C. S. Lewis flip the tables on what people think.  Sure, they speak of the healing, bringing people back to life, and casting out demons, but the miracle that God would leave Heaven and come to earth is possibly the greatest miracle of all time.  Almighty God became a man, but not just any man.  God became an infant, born of a virgin.

Jesus did not come to earth to conquer land and subject it to a new government.  Jesus came to save people’s souls.  Jesus did so by preaching love, showing love, and exhibiting love by laying down His life for His friends.  Instead of killing in order to conquer, Jesus died in order to show His love, dying for sinners who could not come to God any other way.

And God the Father promised this by many Messianic prophecies throughout the Old Testament.

God became Man, experiencing what man experiences, tempted as man is tempted but not faltering, and facing opposition throughout His ministry.  God is all knowing and Jesus, in some way, knew what to expect.  So, why leave a place with no tears and no pain and no sin and no death?  Yet, God loved mankind, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him will be saved.

It is hard to say whether we would do such a thing.  Indeed, we might never conceive of such a thing, but God had this in His plan from the start.  He wanted a group of people, who each could be anyone on earth, and He gave them free will.  They used that free will to stray away from God.  But only someone with free will to want to return to God and stay with God could feel, in small part, what God feels when He loves us.  We are saved not through any attribute of ourselves.  We are saved when we open the door of our free will to God and allow Him to enter our lives and clean up the place.  In fact, God makes us better than anything we could imagine.

And this would not be possible unless we freely allow God to change us, change us from soiled to cleansed.

Lord, show me what are the foundations of “the Faith.” The concept that Jesus was fully human and fully God is important.  The fact that Jesus was in Heaven and He came to earth to save us is important.  And this being a monumental miracle is important.  God becoming man is an essential part of the deal.  Man must pay the price with death for their sins.  Only a man can do that.  And only God is Holy, so that one death is sufficient for all who, in faith, call on His Name.  In Your name I pray.  Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.