A Verse On Sunday

The Gospel according to John, chapter 1, verse 12
'But as many received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.'

The previous verse is qualified a little here in this verse. The rejection of the Lord by his creatures is not absolute. Some people received him. Some saw the Living God in their midst.
And those who received him, the Lord gave eternal life, true life, not the half-life of appetite and gratification, but the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, giving glory to God, living eternally as the sons of God.
These blessed ones, 'the sons of God', believe on his name, that is they believe that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, and will be, eternally the Son of God, made flesh, God Incarnate.
The Incarnation is a wonderful mystery, the unity of matter and God, the inclusion of the material in God, the reconciliation of Creator and creation. There is no duality here, no false Eastern spirituality of self-harm and bodily abuse, no hatred of the body. By being the Son of Man, God honoured our human existence. He lived and suffered and died, not only for us, but with us too. Such great love God stoops to bestow upon his creatures! The least we can do is to receive him with humble love and give all the glory to God.