Joan Osborne had a song in 1995, entitled One of Us. A line from that song is “What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us.” I remember being in my twenties when I first heard that song and thinking how dare she speak of my Savior like that!

Since that time my faith in God has deepened and I have come to understand the line in that song. God did come as one of us in the person of Jesus and not in the way that many had thought or expected God would. God came into the world as a young, innocent, lowly, and marginalized one. I find this to be so meaningful and important. Luke’s Gospel also recounts that there was “no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

Think about how many people in our world today who are young, innocent, lowly or marginalized? How many people in our world today I have said through my own words and actions, sorry I have no room for you? Yet, the Savior of the world chose to come into the world, and become one with us all. There is so much beauty and love in this! I find that the Incarnation is about us. God’s message, through the person of Jesus, is a message of hope, love, compassion and mercy, and I love how our parish aims to live this out together. Through the Incarnation, God becomes one with the world to help show the world how to become more like God. My prayer for us all this New Year is that we continue to become more like Jesus. And may our relationship with Jesus continue to be an abundance source of hope, love, compassion and mercy for us all.

Peace and God's blessings to you!

Photo: Brave Heart/Flickr. CC-BY-NC-ND