The Word Became Flesh
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 1-18)
When John the Baptist heralded the end of the Old Testament era and the beginning of the New Testament era, none of his followers could have imagined how sweeping and how everlasting the changes would be. History simply cannot prepare us for such epochal events.
Today, we may stand on the threshold of another such era, one for which we may not be fully prepared, a period of trial and tribulation, which will call us to rethink our lifestyles and values from a Christian perspective.
By any measure, these have been historic years. Decades from now, when people look back, they will still talk about the election of the country’s first black President, our nation fighting wars on two fronts, the credit crisis, Wall Street’s melt down, a record number of foreclosures and bankruptcies, and a worldwide recession, despite humongous federal bailouts.
When John the Baptist heralded the end of the Old Testament era and the beginning of the New Testament era, none of his followers could have imagined how sweeping and how everlasting the changes would be. History simply cannot prepare us for such epochal events.
Today, we may stand on the threshold of another such era, one for which we may not be fully prepared, a period of trial and tribulation, which will call us to rethink our lifestyles and values from a Christian perspective.
By any measure, these have been historic years. Decades from now, when people look back, they will still talk about the election of the country’s first black President, our nation fighting wars on two fronts, the credit crisis, Wall Street’s melt down, a record number of foreclosures and bankruptcies, and a worldwide recession, despite humongous federal bailouts.
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 1-18)
When John the Baptist heralded the end of the Old Testament era and the beginning of the New Testament era, none of his followers could have imagined how sweeping and how everlasting the changes would be. History simply cannot prepare us for such epochal events.
Today, we may stand on the threshold of another such era, one for which we may not be fully prepared, a period of trial and tribulation, which will call us to rethink our lifestyles and values from a Christian perspective.
By any measure, these have been historic years. Decades from now, when people look back, they will still talk about the election of the country’s first black President, our nation fighting wars on two fronts, the credit crisis, Wall Street’s melt down, a record number of foreclosures and bankruptcies, and a worldwide recession, despite humongous federal bailouts.
On the economic front, the news has been so unsettling that one TV commentator was heard to say, “If you’re not confused, you don’t know what’s going on.”
How did we get ourselves into this fix? And what can we do about it going forward?
Most of the talking heads on TV say we got ourselves into this mess by living beyond our means. As a credit card nation, we ran up unsustainable household debt levels and, in many cases, became gullible victims of predatory lenders. We forgot that our nation’s motto is “In God We Trust,” not “In Debt We Trust.” We shopped until we dropped and the drop has been long and steep.
Many economists say it could be another year before we work our way out of this recession and decades longer before we, as a nation, pay off the trillions in debts we have incurred as a result of the bailouts. The country is very likely in for a period of painful adjustment in our standard of living.
What can we do about it?
When John the Baptist heralded the end of the Old Testament era and the beginning of the New Testament era, none of his followers could have imagined how sweeping and how everlasting the changes would be. History simply cannot prepare us for such epochal events.
Today, we may stand on the threshold of another such era, one for which we may not be fully prepared, a period of trial and tribulation, which will call us to rethink our lifestyles and values from a Christian perspective.
By any measure, these have been historic years. Decades from now, when people look back, they will still talk about the election of the country’s first black President, our nation fighting wars on two fronts, the credit crisis, Wall Street’s melt down, a record number of foreclosures and bankruptcies, and a worldwide recession, despite humongous federal bailouts.
On the economic front, the news has been so unsettling that one TV commentator was heard to say, “If you’re not confused, you don’t know what’s going on.”
How did we get ourselves into this fix? And what can we do about it going forward?
Most of the talking heads on TV say we got ourselves into this mess by living beyond our means. As a credit card nation, we ran up unsustainable household debt levels and, in many cases, became gullible victims of predatory lenders. We forgot that our nation’s motto is “In God We Trust,” not “In Debt We Trust.” We shopped until we dropped and the drop has been long and steep.
Many economists say it could be another year before we work our way out of this recession and decades longer before we, as a nation, pay off the trillions in debts we have incurred as a result of the bailouts. The country is very likely in for a period of painful adjustment in our standard of living.
What can we do about it?
- The first thing we can do is pray for the strength and fortitude we will need to see us through these turbulent times.
- Next, we have to maintain a positive attitude and a belief in the creative, can-do spirit of American enterprise.
- But we may also have to re-examine our personal values and buying habits. If we have been running up debts, we have to control our spending and distinguish between our needs and our wants. Contrary to what the TV commercials have said, we can leave home without our credit cards and we can avoid reckless, impulse spending by using a shopping list. We can learn to live within our means, pay as we go and save for a rainy day.
- Finally, we can pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire and guide the administration in Washington as it grapples with the unprecedented problems that our nation faces.
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