Became.
On this first Sunday of Advent, pause with me for a moment to soak in the stunning presence of the word “became” in connection with God the Son.
Immutable and eternally uncreated, God became something else:
Infinite became finite;
Eternal became temporal;
Invisible became visibly a baby, born in a remote part of Palestine and tethered to flesh and bone.
If you are like me, and this confounds your imagination and sets your thoughts straining to believe in the impossible, perhaps we are on our way to being ready for the sacred journey of Advent.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Rejoicing in the mystery,
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Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
It defies imagination in our heads but in our hearts, where the spirit lives, it brings a tear of joy. May your first Sunday of Advent and your entire Advent season be filled with hope.
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Oh, that’s so true. With the eyes of our heart, we understand the incomprehensible.
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May it never cease to amaze me! Blessings!
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Amen!
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Oh to have lived in the day of the becoming of Flesh. I like to think I would have recognized Him. Always though the future possibilities to ponder over Advent.
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What a terrific thing to ponder. I have a feeling I’d have missed him in all the busyness of first century life for women. Grateful, though, not to have missed him in this time frame.
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Praising God with you that Jesus came, and longing in my heart for Him to come again!
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That’s the double edged sword of Advent! So well expressed, Elizabeth.
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thank you for speaking into my post-Thanksgiving exhaustion today, friend …
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Oh, you definitely have been a Thanksgiving warrior. Now, it’s time to breathe…
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How well you state the mind-boggling reality of God becoming something else. Yet I wonder at it even more knowing Christ was always there from the beginning, became something else still to enter our world in a form we could touch and know and then left His Holy Spirit to be with and in us when He left the earthly domain. Our finite our minds!
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Mind-boggling for sure, and yet God is greatly glorified when we lean into the mystery and let our hearts be challenged by its depth. Thanks for joining the conversation to this end!
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He had to become flesh to die and take our place, that still amazes me, He bore so much our beloved Prince of peace.
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Yes, so much to ponder and be thankful for.
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It humbles me that the God of this Universe and the Lord of my little beating heart became man for me. “Invisible became visibly a baby, born in a remote part of Palestine and tethered to flesh and bone.” Love this devotional. You are a blessing
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Humbling, yes, that’s the perfect description. When we think of all the ways God could have orchestrated redemption, it’s amazing that he decided to allow himself to identify with us in such an intimate way.
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Michele,
Yes, it’s mind bending to try to grasp that infinite God – the one who Was before anyone or anything else, became finite as a tiny baby, wrapped in flesh, in a manger. He came to save all that He had created. Who does this? Love does.
Blessings,
Bev xx
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Yes, love, and God’s relentless mission of making his glory known!
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I love how your reflection on that one word ‘became’ highlights the importance, and magnitude, of Christmas.
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It really stopped me in my tracks, Karen. I had intended to write about John 1 (the whole chapter) for Advent, but have found that there’s so much truth in verse 14 I’ll be spending every Sunday of Advent there.
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I love everything about this season. It’s so hard to truly wrap my mind around all of it, but I am so grateful for it ❤️
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There’s a whole lot to be said for enjoying truth without letting our inability to comprehend get in the way.
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Your list sparked a few more comparisons of what Jesus BECAME for us: Rich BECAME poor, the Exalted One BECAME humble, divinity BECAME human. I’m sure there are more–a worthy exercise to inspire fresh wonder in what our Savior endured–for us. Thank you, Michele!
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Good ones, Nancy! Thanks for adding them to the mix!
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I love meditating on that word “became” and just contemplating all that He “became” for me. Humbling!
Tweeted.
Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!
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It stopped me in my tracks quite unexpectedly, Patsy, and I’m glad it did.
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I don’t think I’ve thought of it in quite this way ever before, Michele. He “became” something. Thank you for new insights!
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It washed over me for the first time this Christmas, Lisa–I love it when truth finds me!
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The awe and wonder of Christmas! Immanuel–God with us! That He would love us THAT much is still so amazing to me, and I try never to forget that He that was, is and always will be, left heaven for earth to show us how to live and to die for our sin. Thanks for sharing! Happy to have a new connection through the Insta-link-up!
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He certainly re-defines all our understanding of self-giving love.
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Believing in the impossible is our only hope. He became and I am forever grateful!
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Yes, grateful!
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What lovely insights on the word “became”. Thank you for this Advent lesson, Michele. I sometimes need some help getting into the proper mindset for the season.
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I’m finding this year that sitting with one verse is much better than flooding myself data.
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Rejoicing in the mystery. I love this. laurensparks.net
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Me, too! So much to ponder.
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Happy Holiday!
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Amen. It’s something to ponder this week, for sure!
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My family and I are reading through Luke to prepare us for Christmas. It is great to reflect that Jesus was a man. He came here with a purpose. The word encased in flesh.
#trafficjam
~Tracy
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I have to admit I have always had a special place in my heart for Advent. It is a lovely time of preparation for Christmas. And now I am enjoying spending this time with my girls and teaching them about it. Thank you so much for linking up to #globalblogging x
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Yes, the action of passing what we love on to our children is priceless!
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I love the beautiful simplicity of this post! Just as you said- I don’t comprehend it, yet it gives me such peace
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Yes, trying to wrap our minds around the wonder is a life long project, and our inability to do so just fills us with even more wonder. So good to hear from you, Valerie.
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We often think of a new year as a time for change, an opportunity to become more than we already are. But I think that Advent is a beautiful reason to start this mindset. Thanks for linking up with #dreamteam
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I wonder if that’s why it’s considered to be the beginning of the church calendar?
Good thinking!
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Thank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Happy Holiday!
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Thank you for your kind thoughts when visiting Oh My Heartsie Girl
Happy Holidays!
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My heart goes out to you, Karren, as you navigate this season of adjustment.
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Hi Michele – I am trying something different tomorrow on Grace & Truth. I am featuring the article with the most clicks for December. Your amazing post won. You will be our featured writer tomorrow.
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I’m so surprised and thankful!
Blessings to you in the new hear, Maree!
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[…] The Word Became Flesh – Sunday Scripture […]
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Michele, this is so powerful.
Immutable and eternally uncreated, God became something else:
Infinite became finite;
Eternal became temporal;
Invisible became visibly a baby….
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The paradox of the incarnation–it captures my imagination and my heart every year as we celebrate Advent.
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