The Word Made Flesh

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.
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 1:1-5, 14 NIV)

I know this is something that I write about often but I believe it's important for us to fully grasp as we seek to live in love. Love is an experience, it is not a concept or set of principles. To experience love we need to know who is loving us. That is true for our relationships in our families and with our friends. Love is personal and it always leads us to the one who is loving us. 

Just as that is true for our human relationships so it is true in our relationship with God. My children don't call me 'sir' or the boss, they call me 'daddy'. They use a relational name and not a functional one. I believe the term 'God' expresses a functional relationship of what God does: he creates, he heals, he rules, he is Lord and Master. It does not, however, reveal who he is and who he wants to become for us. He is Father, he has always been Father and he wants to be a Father to you and me. That is a relationship and it goes way beyond a function. 

We've recently celebrated Christmas, the coming of Jesus, the son of God who stepped into our humanity. The very Word of God became a man for one simple reason. He came from the Father in order to reveal the Father to us. 

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (​John 1:18)

This revelation brings light and life. It shows us, with complete clarity, who God is and the relationship he wants to have with each one of us. Take a moment to consider your view of God: is he God or is he Father?