The account of Jesus' birth in John's Gospel (John 1:1-14) just can't compare to the birth narrative in Luke: no decree from Emperor Augustus, no stable, no shepherds, no angelic host praising God in the middle of the night, not even a Mary and Joseph. How can kids be expected to stage a Christmas play out of a single, nondescript verse from John 1:14 (NRSV) "And the Word became flesh and lived among us"?

Despite its unremarkable nature, this verse in John's Gospel tells the same story as the well-loved narrative in Luke's Gospel-but without the stable and shepherds and singing angels, the "stuff" of Christmas plays. But John's version is just as remarkable as Luke's. In fact, the pointed theological message is perhaps even more profound: that which was with God from the very beginning (John 1:1) is now with us, here on earth... and he looked just like one of us! But John reminds us that there was something very different about the "Word made flesh": he was filled with God's glory-the same glory that Moses beheld in the burning bush, the same glory that the prophet Isaiah witnessed in Heaven's throne room, and the same glory that the shepherds witnessed in the fields of Bethlehem.

It is as if John did not need all the "extras" that Luke provided in his birth narrative about Jesus. John got straight to the point: God has come in human form to dwell among us. That is indeed a profound message! That is the message of Christmas-not the stable, nor the shepherds, nor the angels, nor even Mary and Joseph. Christmas is about one thing and one thing only: God made a deliberate choice to reach out to humans and to walk among us for a short while, showing us how to live and believe.

In the quiet of Christmas morning, allow yourself to focus on the simple yet profound message of Christmas. Forget the Christmas plays and parties, the gifts and wrappings, even the symbols and carols about the Christ Child. Think about John's birth narrative: "And the Word became flesh and lived among us."

Christmas morning has come again. Let the surprise of Christmas startle you to reckon with its profound truth. And may you be grateful for the grace that the Christmas event offers our world.

"Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things" (Psalm 98:1, NRSV).