And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. – John 1:14
What have we seen? At my house, we’ve seen quite a few Christmas movies – some old and some new.
One of the old ones is called It Happened on 5th Avenue from 1947. This black and white movie is about some people who are homeless and spend Christmas in the boarded-up mansion of the 2nd richest man in the world. The plot has a bit of Dickens Christmas Carol, a bit of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and a bit of the mystery of the glory of love. One of the refrains of the rich man in the story is, “Business and compassion don’t mix.” Maybe you can imagine how that turns out.
We also watched a new movie on Netflix called Christmas on Mistletoe Farm (2022). This very colorful movie tells about a widowed father and his five adorable children. The father receives two surprise gifts. From his boss, he is gets the honor of making an important presentation on December 24th to a potential client. From his estranged father, he gets a farm near a charming village in the English countryside. There’s a bit of Dickens Christmas Carol in this one too, as the father is doing his best to write the presentation that his boss and coworkers are counting on. Of course, the five children and the farm are getting in the way. The refrain of the father’s boss throughout the movie is, “Business and children don’t mix.” You can probably imagine how this one turns out, too.
Both movies have echoes of the beautiful truth that John describes so poetically in the first chapter of his gospel. Long before we were born, Jesus, the word made flesh, was in the world as a part of creation. Long before we knew about God’s plans for us and for the world, God sent us love in Jesus Christ.
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.
In the movies and in our lives, when we realize something is missing, it turns out to be that the answer is love.
Wherever we see the light of love, we see the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
What have we seen? What have you seen this holiday season so far?
Where have you seen the light of love and the glory of God?
United Presbyterian Church 