Dear Congregation

Christianity is a very flesh and blood, rooted in the soils of real life sort of religion. Sure, we do believe in some very abstract and spiritual things like souls, and Spirit, and resurrection, and an alternate (or ultimate) reality where there is a new heaven and a new earth where God reigns in eternal peace, but I am very thankful that while those essential spiritual realities are true, God doesn’t expect us to only experience Him in the upper echelons of spiritual awakening. He meets us, and has met with us, in the most basic of our flesh and bone restricted realities. 

I was struck afresh by this truth when I read the opening verse of John’s epistle today. 

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us …” - 1 Jn 1:1–2 (ESV)

The eternal life, the one who has been with the Father for eternity, was made manifest! God didn’t choose to remain as a spiritual theory waiting to be figured out by those with the highest levels of philosophical observation and deduction. He entered into the world as a manifest reality through His Son.

He was heard, real words from His mouth were heard with real ears.
He was seen, the reality of God’s love and wisdom was seen with human eyes.
He was touched - in His skin and bone reality - by the weathered and calloused hands of fishermen, the perfumed hair of a desperate woman, the brutal hands of Roman executioners. 

This idea of an incarnated Lord is so profound on so many levels, but I want to suggest two ways that it is helpful to you today in the midst of your busy “Fall in Austin” lives. 

Firstly, this is a tangible reality that anchors us in the midst of distracted and sometimes doubtful lives. When I am struggling to piece together all of the mysteries of God and His activity (or seeming lack thereof) in the world, I can come back into the historically grounded reality that Jesus Christ existed, and that He was who He says He was. If that is true - and it is - then all of the rest of it can and does hold together. Sometimes all that my distracted and discouraged heart is a remembrance … Jesus Christ of Nazareth really lived, really died, and really rose from the dead. I love the fact that God roots that assurance into the soils of time and space and history.

Secondly, it is a reminder that God is concerned with and present in the most flesh and blood realities. We don’t have to escape the reality of our lives in order to experience Him, which is great news for so many of you who are running so hard in a busy season. I have spoken with a few of you this week who have noted that Summer feels like a lifetime ago and that the pace of the last few weeks has been crazy! You wonder when you will get to catch your breath. Maybe next Summer?

Here’s the good news of an incarnated God. He is with you in the midst of all of it. In school runs, board meetings, meet the teacher nights, football schedules, takeout drive throughs, morning coffee runs, stressful budget meetings, mounting laundry, stacking homework, complex schedules … all of it. There isn’t an element of your life that is somehow too earthy, too human, too flesh and bone for the God who showed the world who He is by manifesting in the midst of very real lives.

He sees you. He is with you. He became like you, so you can become like Him.

Reach out to Him.

The music this week is from Jason Upton. His voice is otherworldly.

Home To Me (Live) - Jason Upton

See you Sunday.
Ross