Eight.

The Word.

"Christians believe that Jesus is God’s finest Word to us. Jesus is God’s sermon and song addressed to us. Jesus is God’s serenade to the human community. And, if you have ever been serenaded, you know words matter ...not only what is said, but also how.

It is because they were serenaded by God that smelly fishermen, quarrelsome brothers, and a tax collector found themselves leaving everything behind and traipsing after an ex-carpenter up and down the length and breadth of Palestine. Through Jesus, God serenaded them until their hearts melted.

One of the great gifts of the season of Advent is its profusion of extravagant words: words that sound and feel as though they have been dipped in gold and silver. Words like: “Prince of Peace,” and “Glad tidings!” and “I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be to all people” and “Peace and good will to all!” and “Merry Christmas!” and “Emmanuel, which means, ‘God with us,’” and a glittering tumble of words about angels, stars, exotic magi, costly gifts, shepherds, animals, a manger, and a storied birth....

Words matter. In Advent, God waxes eloquent, serenading us with a Word named Jesus, Emmanuel. With this Word God says, “I love you.”
~Nancy S. Taylor