Made known. . .Revealed. . .Seen. These are the actions of God. They are not my actions; they are His. God does the saving, and He makes it known by coming to earth: living the fullness of a human life, sharing that life with people around Him, suffering on our behalf, dying unjustly. And then He shatters death’s grip on us through the power of His resurrection.
God reveals His righteousness through the written and preserved evidence of people He loved, called, and saved. We have these accounts in Scripture and through the revelations of all the people in history who understood God’s love. This love was revealed through Martin Luther, John Calvin, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Fanny Crosby, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, C.S. Lewis, Gene and Martha Wilson, Frank Harrington, Vic Pentz, Rich Kannwischer—and you could add even more to that list.
The only thing that remains is for that love to be SEEN. All over the world this week, that love will be shared in community. It will be seen in homes and neighborhoods, in prisons and hospitals, in both big and small churches. It will be expressed by strangers to strangers, offered between beloved friends, and welcomed in reunion with family. The love of Christ, as He brings us all back to Him, will truly be seen to the ends of the earth. Amen—and Merry Christmas!