Flourishing Life

“For we were the purpose of his embodiment, and for our salvation he so loved human beings as to come to be and appear in a human body.” – Athanasius of Alexandria

The 12^th century Buddhist poet, Saigyo Hoshi, wrote the following poem following a visit to a Shinto Grand Temple:

        God’s here?
        Who can know?
        Not I.
        Yet I sigh
        and tears flow
        tear on tear.

The world longs to experience ultimate reality. People want to believe in and experience a being and power greater than themselves. All human religion represents this longing, the human search for God.

The Christian faith is radically different. We believe God is in search for humans, that he sent his only Son, Jesus, to become human, so we could know him and know what it means to be truly human. The message of Christmas is one of the most needed messages in the world today. We’re not alone. Our lives have meaning. There is a purpose driving our existence. There is One who loves us and has reached out that we might know and love him.

This Christmas, my prayer is that you would know Jesus and live in such a way that your words and actions help others experience God’s presence and grace.