‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’ John 1:14
Merry Christmas! We have arrived at Christmas Day.
During this strange year Janet and I commissioned an artist that I knew to create a pair of paintings. You can see an interview with Sally Coleman on our Presidents Facebook Page (Chrysalis- Presidency of Congregational Federation). One was for Janet to keep and one for myself.
Admittedly, mine is not the most Christmassy picture in the world - no snow or cute robins for a start - but it speaks to me of the sheer wonder of what happened in Bethlehem.
The paintwork is chaotic, and it goes in all directions. It takes time to realise that there is a pattern at the centre. To me, it looks like the double helix of DNA. The Son of God was born as fully human and so born with the unmistakable, foundational human fingerprint of DNA.
St John of Damascus wrote in the 7th century:
“I do not venerate matter; I venerate the fashioner of matter who became matter for my sake . . . and through matter worked my salvation. . .I hold in respect that through which my salvation came because it is filled with divine energy and grace.”
John of Damascus, Treatise I.16. See Three Treatises on the Divine Images, trans. Andrew Louth (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press: 2003), 29.
Basically, God became like us so that we can become more like God. Just let that sink in - the sheer, humbling wonder of the incarnation!
Yet there are fears about DNA being manipulated and changed. Will there be designer babies, or will we create genetically modified superheroes? What qualities would we enhance or eradicate? There are even myths on the internet that the long-awaited vaccine might alter our DNA. We are scared about being changed at such a fundamental level.
Yet, the incarnation does change me on a fundamental level - not DNA but the soul. Somehow the unchanging building blocks of my character have been altered. I thought my faults defined me and my failings held me back. Yet, Jesus has shown me that sin does not have the last word and that His glory can often shine better through my weaknesses than my strength. Jesus reshapes my humanity from the inside out and it begins in a feeding trough in Bethlehem.
I love that this painting is also a riot of colour, today is a day for exuberance and joy!
Suzanne Nockels