John 1 : 1 - 18

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

God with us! God isn’t simply aware of us; He isn’t simply watching over us, protecting us or guiding us. God came to be with us. That is supposed to be the most amazing part of this story. It is supposed to be, but it isn’t. The most amazing part of this story is not that God crossed time and space and miraculously and mercifully became flesh so that we might know Him; no, the most amazing part of this story is that when we saw Him face to face we simply shrugged our shoulders and moved on unimpressed. As John puts it, “the world did not recognize Him,” and, “his own did not receive Him.” (Jn. 1:10-11)

How could we be unimpressed with God? How could we not understand how incredible this was that God came near and made His dwelling among us? How could we stare in the face of our creator and not be moved? I’d like to think that I would have been different; that if I had been there I would have understood who He was and worshipped. But who am I kidding? I miss God all the time. Psalm 19:1 tells us that creation reveals God’s glory, and yet I drive through it everyday largely unmoved. I see the poor and needy regularly and fail to respond even though Christ said Himself in Matthew 25 that a response to them is a response to Him. And everyday God speaks to me through His Spirit, His Word, and His people. And yet I often miss Him. How often have I failed to recognize Him and receive Him because I am too busy, too distracted or simply too self absorbed?

My prayer for myself this year – and for you as you join us on this journey through Vertical – is that we would not miss Him. I pray that we would all slow down and seek to recognize this God who loved us enough to send His one and only Son to come near to us so that we might know Him… not miss Him.