In the beginning was the Word .... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1, 14.
As contemporary philosopher Steve Martin once put it, “Some people have a way with words and other people, well ... uh, not have way, I guess.” If you are like me and are one of those who “not have way”, fear not because there are plenty of others working to fill in the space. I read recently that on average we hear 20,000-30,000 words per day. That’s roughly 120 double spaced typed pages of text. Add to that the roughly 16,000 words per day we speak on average and you see that we are surrounded by words.
Those numbers may actually rise during the Christmas season. Do you watch more movies? Lifetime Network and Hallmark Channel now offer plenty of Christmas movies to fill empty air. Or maybe you have pulled out your Christmas CDs and are listening to more music. Anyone writing more cards than usual? My guess is that during this time of year we are awash with words. The climax of this may just be Christmas day. Buyers beware of gifting anything electronic or anything saying “some assembly required.” A 40 page manual for a child’s toy seems a bit much. Who writes those anyway? Having gone through this with my children I now understand the genius of my mom and dad who gave us pajamas, walnuts, a football, and matchbox cars for Christmas. There was silence in the house on Christmas and my hard-working parents had an opportunity to rest. That is Christmas.
At Christmas, God became one of us. God took on flesh and pitched his tent right alongside his people. I have been to Bethlehem. I have seen the surrounding countryside. I imagine that at the time Jesus was born, a single word at midnight would have punctuated the stillness of midnight and rippled out across all creation.
In silence, you can hear a single word. Ask a contemplative and they will tell you that silence is God’s first language. In that silence a single word can strike every fiber of your being. “And the Word became flesh ...” This is John the Evangelist’s Christmas story. It is a story about the silence and a word spoken into the silence. No noisy angel choirs and little drummer boy. No shepherds shrieking in fear nor their bleating sheep. No muddy -booted visitors bearing nifty gifts. John’s story does not make for a homey nativity or child-friendly pageant. On all those things that make for a traditional Christmas, John is silent.
I think the gift John is inviting us to receive is the gift of silence into which the word of God can be born. “In the beginning was the Word ...” Before light and dark, before earth and sea and sky, before life and death, before PlayStation and Instant Pot, before all the words about all things, there was silence and there was the Word. The Word is still found there.
May God bless you with peace and quiet in your home and in your spirit this Christmas season. May God’s peace rest upon your loved ones. And may the Word of God speak into your silence. Merry Christmas,
Fr. Bill+