“Millions of words tumbling from our mind and lips, could never be enough. Billions of words in libraries fell short. Trillions of words stored in our most powerful computers could not contain what God had to say.” Anonymous

Words are powerful. Words convey thoughts and discoveries. Words provide a strong way to identify an idea and understanding. Yet, words were inadequate to communicate what God had to say.

God had to put human flesh on the one Key Word—JESUS.

The brave questions of Socrates and Plato would leave us empty. The most choice words of poets and singers would not satisfy the human soul. The visionary words of seers and prophets were inadequate. The disciplined, scientific words and mathematical formulae of physicists and astronomers would never be the final answer.

One word—one “Solitary Life” (remember that beloved poem: He was born in an obscure village, The child of a peasant woman. ….) was the only way God could transmit the fullness of his love.

Do we risk reversing the incarnation whenever we make words about Christ more important than the deeds that express God’s loving reality?  Does winning an argument and forcing our perspective on others displace a passion for seeing and serving Christ in those who surround us?

I was going to give you some examples of choice believers who have enriched my experience, but I have changed my mind. You already have examples in your own experience. Those special persons who put flesh on the Word of God for you. Take a moment at the end of this year and/or the beginning of a new year to recall those people who have touched you with God’s love and grace. Celebrate the living incarnation in friends, neighbors, and family members.