This weekend, the Disney+ streaming service released a new 3 part documentary on the Beatles. “Get Back” features all sorts of new footage and offers a unique behind the scenes video and information. My wife and I are big Beatles fans, even going so far as to naming our daughter after the last Beatles album. We are both looking forward to watching the series, so when reviews started appearing online during the first few days after the release, I jumped on the opportunity to read peoples reactions. What I found most interesting about the responses I read was that the fans responded to the new glimpse of the Fab Four with a sense that they suddenly “knew them” in a more intimate or personal way. Many of them said so outright. This sorta jumped out at me because it may have felt like they suddenly knew the musicians better, but in reality, they only knew more about them. Apart from the Beatles coming by and spending time with these fans, they will never really “know” them. That will be particularly difficult given the fact that two of them are not alive anymore. I was thinking about this while writing my sermon for this Sunday. We began talking this week about the incarnation as a part of Christmas observances. The incarnation refers to the idea that God’s son came to live among us, taking on flesh and becoming a man. This meant that there were people who could actually know God personally. It’s actually a unique thing for ancient religions, where God is typically referred to as being “out there” somewhere. In Jesus, people actually met God face to face, ate meals with Him, and talked to Him. They could choose to argue, make jokes, ask questions, or even strike Him. This is very different from “knowing” God through books or thoughts we have. It was literally hanging out with Him. The Bible tells us that when Jesus departed, after the resurrection, He said that He had to go in order to send a better gift. He sent the Holy Spirit, who lives inside us. We can know God because His spirit dwells inside of our hearts. He communicates with us through the Scriptures, the church family, and occasionally through prompting or leading us. We can know God directly through the Spirit dwelling inside us. This is very different than “knowing” the Beatles through behind the scenes footage or “knowing” some historical figure by reading biographies about them. It is knowing through relationship. It is what man was made for, to know God and enjoy Him forever. There is an interesting element to this relationship that makes it like every other relationship in the world. We can grow to know God more deeply and intimately by talking to Him, listening to Him, spending time with Him, etc. This is what prayer, worship, and reflection are for. We are spending time with God to deepen and personalize our relationship with Him. It’s a fundamental part of knowing God as we are meant to, rather than as dead words on a page.
