In the epistle lesson for today, Paul testifies that in the fullness of time—when everything was ready, when the world was ripe—God sent his Son—Jesus, the Incarnation of God’s love—born of a woman—flesh and blood just like you and me—so that we might become children of God. St. Augustine explains the purpose of the Incarnation by saying that God became human so that humankind might become God, what the Second Letter of Peter describes as “participants of the divine nature.” (1:4) And John in our gospel for today points out that Christ Jesus, the Word of God, is full of grace and truth, and that from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

The fullness of our Christmas customs celebrates the overwhelming fullness of God’s self-giving love in the Incarnation. The fullness of delight that comes from all the seasonal goodies, the visits of family and friends, the gifts, the music of the carols, the lights in and on our houses and trees , the cards and notes in the mail, the special church services indicates that we want to be a part of incarnating that love in the world today. There is an ebb and flow in all of creation. Emptiness is the other side of fullness. What comes in the fullness of joy on Christmas goes with the emptiness, the grief, the despair of Good Friday. With so much loss and pain wherever we look throughout world, it behooves us who experience the fullness of God’s love in this Christmas season to share our hope with those who are empty.

Sharing out of the fullness that we experience of God’s love and grace in our lives is what fuels God’s economy—that is how we incarnate God’s love to a hurting world—that is how we radiate the light of God’s presence in the darkness of life—that is how the whole creation becomes illumined with the fullness of the glory of God.