Words, Words, Words...

“But, Mommy, you said I could….”

“Ethan, I want you to…”

“But, Mommy, that doesn’t make sense….”

I sat below the balcony of our time-share condo and listened as my four year old grandson argued using logic to convince his mother that he should not have to do what she wanted him to do.

“My word (pun intended)”, I thought, “if he can use words like he does now to try to persuade his parents to see things his way, what will he be like at 12?”

And then it struck me! I had a sudden flash, a snapshot of what the boy Jesus must have been like.

Remember the story in Luke of the 12 year old boy Jesus who stayed behind on the family’s annual trip to Jerusalem to discussing Scripture with the teachers? They were “amazed at his understanding and his answers”. I suspect the boy Jesus loved words as well.

Can you imagine being Jesus’ mother? I imagine that conversations with her son left her amazed and probably exhausted as well.

By the time the boy Jesus becomes a man, words become His trademark. Just as He did as a boy, He amazes all who listen to him. He speaks with wisdom, not as the scribes and Pharisees. He uses words to heal, words to teach about the kingdom, words to tell about His father.

Ethan loves words. Life with Ethan is a litany of non-stop words from the moment he awakens until he goes to bed at night, with a brief pause for a nap.

He loves the sound of new words, and he always wants to know their meaning… and then he tries them out. He loves the sound of words, but even more he loves the way he can use words to describe things, to define his conversation, to enhance his word pictures.

He comes by this interest naturally. Both his parents earn their living using words. His grandpa was/is a wordsmith. His aunt and his grandma use words pretty effectively as well.

Words - the use of words - is one of the things that separates us from all other forms of life. Many animals communicate with sound, but only humans have this breadth and depth of communication. We use words to describe, to define, to enhance.

Remember what John says when he introduces Jesus, the Christ? John calls Him the Word made flesh. Jesus is the Word of God.

Jesus is God defined. He is God articulated. He is the Word picture of God become man.

As we move through the Thanksgiving season we use words to express our thanks. Sometimes we don’t feel very thankful, but during this season most of us summon up the words to at least sound thankful. And sometimes the sound of our own words reminds us to really be thankful.

Soon we move into the season to anticipate and celebrate God become man. God articulated. The Word become flesh.

As we enter this season of celebration may we hear in a new way the words of God. May we come to understand better God described in the person of Jesus.