Daily Devotional for February 6

 

February 6                                                           John 1:1-18

       "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
                          full of grace and truth..."

In two thousand years the Christian church has not yet compre-
hended these words. We have been taught to despise the flesh.
We are sure sexual and physical things are inherently evil. We
are embarrassed by our bodies. We hide ourselves, even from
ourselves.

Yet John tells us that the Spirit of God took on all flesh. Nor
did this incarnation of spirit stop at the neck or the waist, but
it filled every cell of Christ's body. John goes on to tell us that
Christ's flesh was beautiful, filled with grace and truth.

God desires to fill us in like manner. God wills that each of
us should be full of grace and truth. Many people have negative
self-images. We look with disgust upon our bodies. A part of
our salvation surely must be a new appreciation of the flesh,
our flesh. When we consider that the Word of God chooses
to dwell in us, we can begin to look at our flesh and our
sexuality in a whole new light. God's creation is called good.

This is good news. How wonderful! What delight is mine! Just
think for a moment: God created all of me, calls me good, and
wants to use all of me. More than this, Jesus Christ fully
understands everything about my flesh and my life in this
world. God has come so near to me. This is my good news.

                Jesus, take my hand. Today, more than
          ever, I need to let your truth and your Spirit fill
   me. Maybe some parts of the world and of the church
   don't understand your being in my flesh, but I do, and
          that's enough for me. I always knew that you
            knew me; thank you for making it so clear
                                   in your Word.

from The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C