THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US by Pastor Adam Moline

Every Christmas Day, we hear the words from St. John, “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.” These words are important for our understanding of the incarnation of Jesus, but they also are words that give us a foothold for understanding the entirety of John’s Gospel.

The translation “dwelt among us” is a weak translation. In Greek, the text literally says, “tabernacled among us.” Tabernacled merely means tented. So, Jesus built His tent among us — in other words, He took on our human flesh and was “made man” as we confess in the creed. These words open our eyes to what else we should see in the Gospel of John.

There are many allusions to the Old Testament tabernacle and temple in John’s Gospel. Jesus Himself says He is the new temple in John 2: 19-21, speaking about “the temple of His body.” The tabernacle was built according to strict specifications laid out by God. What is more, it also needed to be set up in a particular way, as we read about in Exodus 40. We read about the table of show bread, the tabernacle lamp, and the veil to the entrance of the tabernacle.

Interestingly, all of these things line up with John’s Gospel and the first three I AM statements by Jesus. “I am the bread of life” (John 6: 35) matches up with the showbread table. “I am the light of the world” (John 8: 12) matches up with the tabernacle lamp. “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10: 7) matches up with the veil of the tabernacle as well. One could potentially make arguments on some of the other four I AM statements as well. For example, “I am the good shepherd who lays down my life for the sheep” (John 10: 11) could very well be seen as a connection to the bronze altar of the tabernacle. “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15: 5) could also reference the golden vine that hung over the door of the temple. These last items are a bit more nebulous, so I haven’t gone into too much detail on them.

In any case, St. John wants the reader of his Gospel to see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, the visible presence of God amongst His people. John’s Gospel could also be seen demonstrating Christ as the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s  vison of the heavenly temple in Ezekiel 40-48. The stream of water flowing from the temple then matches with the piercing of Jesus with the spear, out of which flowed water and blood. Ezekiel mentions that this river of life grows deeper and stronger as it flows away from the temple until, finally, the river is able to restore life, even to the Dead Sea.

But perhaps the clearest place that John gives us the picture of Jesus as the new tabernacle and temple is in the resurrection account of His gospel. On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene stoops down to look into the opened tomb and sees two angels sitting in the place where Jesus’s body had lain. One angel sits at the head and the other at the feet. This picture reminds us of the holy of holies in Solomon’s temple, where two cherubim stood with their wings stretched from wall to wall while touching in the middle. It also reminds us of the two cherubim that were built into the lid of the Ark of the Covenant in between whose wings God dwelt. Now, the place of resurrection is the holy of holies. Now, the resurrection of Jesus is the center of our worship!

In other words, John sees Jesus as God in the flesh and, thereby, the new temple/tabernacle where God dwells among us. He now has risen and ascended into heaven, and He will dwell there until the end of the world. St. John then sees Christ’s return depicted in Revelation 21, when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven. “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” The Word has become flesh, and He has tabernacled among us, and we have seen His glory. Glory as of the only-begotten Son of God. Glory beyond any temple made with human hands.

October – Pastor Appreciation Month
Take a moment to recognize our faithful pastors, Pastor Moline and Pastor Goodroad, for the ways in which they serve our congregation, pray for us, bring us God’s Word, and administer the Sacraments every week. Consider dropping a note of thanks, expressing your gratitude to them personally, and praying for them.

October 6 – Summary of Christian Doctrine Classes
On Sunday, Oct. 6, a series of classes will begin between the services (about 9:20 a.m.). These classes will teach the major doctrines of Lutheran Christianity. They will cover such topics as the Trinity, Creation, the Sacraments, Salvation through Christ, etc. At completion of this series, non-members may speak with the pastor about becoming a communicant member and what that means. This series of classes would also make a great refresher course for those who are already LCMS members.

October 6 – Life Chain 2024
Life Chain 2024 will be held on Sunday, October 6 from 2:30 to 3:30pm on “O” Street. Parking is available at the location. Signs will be furnished. You may bring a lawn chair. Please join us for this annual silent prayer vigil in support of all human life. Please see the News & Notes for contact information and location details.

October 27 – Reformation Bratfest Celebration
Save the date for the Reformation Bratfest Celebration on Sunday, October 27 after the second service. More details will be coming soon.

Lutheran Women in Mission Project
Good Shepherd’s Lutheran Women in Mission group has chosen a project for this fall. We would like to present the seminary students who have previously worshipped at Good Shepherd  and are currently students at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne with a VISA gift card. Any contribution would be welcome. If you wish to donate, we would ask you to give any monetary amount of your choosing. There will be donation envelopes available on the LWiM table in the narthex. Please make checks payable to LWiM. We would like these donations by November 11th so that we can purchase the gift cards. Please see the News & Notes for more information.

Ushering Help Needed
If you are interested in ushering roughly once a month, please call the church office with your name, contact information, and availability. Church phone number can be found in the News & Notes.

Altar Guild Help Needed
The altar guild needs people to set up and clean up for communion services on Wednesday evenings especially. Please see the news and notes for contact information to volunteer.