Word beyond Words

It's Christmas time. The notion of God as a human child should shock, confuse and amaze us. Its profound significance is utterly beyond words. Yet God's paradoxical incarnation was expressed hauntingly and captivatingly in this meditation from the Late Late Service community in Glasgow, drawing on the mysterious opening words of John's gospel.

Image of the invisible, image of the invisible God...

In the beginning was the word, this early word, the first word, mysterious voice talking behind the back of the universe, back before its beginning. The I am who I am word, the with God word, the was God word. A voice that called us into being across the reaches of infinity, the without whom nothing word, an unheard of word behind words, world making word, speaking the language behind language.

Body of the untouchable, body of the untouchable God...

When babies try to tell us what they want by pointing, babbling, playing, copying, making us feel good by learning our names, playing out endless games of things appearing and disappearing. They hide behind their hands then take their hands away and - there they are. And bit by bit they show themselves. But were these also God's desires, to recognise and name and know - to communicate? To play some cosmic language game with us, God's word play, to show and tell and communicate?

Weakness of the all powerful, weakness of the all powerful God...

And the word became flesh, and the word became word-less flesh, a baby with no words. And the voice of the maker became a hungry voice, a cry for food, a cry for milk. The voice that made gravity cried out for fear of falling. The voice that made woman cries out for a woman's breast and screams with disappointment when it is denied.

Crying of the invulnerable, crying of the invulnerable God...

There are no words yet, only the cry of flesh. No way of telling, only the depth of need. If only this is God, this word made flesh that looks and feels and acts like flesh, then now God is this small thing, is a baby that can be dropped or hurt or left unfed, left unchanged, left wet and smelly or be child-abused. If this is God with no words and if this word-less God is God, then God has flesh like our flesh, bones like our bones, needs to be taught to speak...

I've posted a 40-second meditation on this theme on YouTube ('christmas paradox'). May you know God's presence, hope and peace this Christmas time.