Revealed in Christ - Revelation in a Certain Light (Focus 4 of 4)

God wants you to get to know him like he knows you, and so he has revealed himself in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. From his passionate purpose to his paralyzing pain, from his reality as both absolute God and ideal human, from his life, death and resurrection, God is revealing to you the closest and most intimate being that can exist—the savior, the everything. The incarnation is not just God's way of treating the problem of sin, it is also a reflection of who he is. Let's see him in it.

See what this Spotlight—and series— is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 1" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Let's talk about amounts.
Listen to this clip when you’re ready to begin today’s Spotlight.
(And welcome, by the way! It’s great that you’re here!)

Take a moment to meet Marshall McLuhan.


Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian philosopher who lived from 1911–1980. From the website of his estate:


One of the most charismatic, controversial and original thinkers of our time whose remarkable perception propelled him onto the international stage, Marshall McLuhan is universally regarded as the father of communications and media studies and prophet of the information age.

McLuhan thought, wrote, and spoke about media. Not "news media" or "media elites" or anything like that, but rather about what media people are using when they try to communicate. Are you writing your message via text? Putting it on a screen? Delivering it in person? These are all types of media, and according to Marshall McLuhan,


The medium is the message.

This matters, says McLuhan, because:


We shape our tools, and then our tools shape us.

In other words, it's not only what you say but also the method you choose for delivering your message that makes a difference. This is why people react differently when someone sends  a mass-delivered promotional email than they do when someone shows up at the door and tell them something directly. It means something for someone to come speak to you in person, and it means something for them to simply send an email.



In this Revelation in a Certain Light series, you've considered more than one medium God uses to reveal himself:

1. Creation
2. Conscience
3. Canon (Scripture) 
4. and today you'll add one more: Christ (a human being)

It's helpful to consider these media of revelation in terms of McLuhan's statement that "the medium is the message."

Choose one of the four media listed above and consider/discuss (within the two-minute time constraint of the timer below) what message that medium sends.

Use this interactive presentation to ponder a very special baby.
Treasure this unique and remarkable child alongside a special mom.

Imagine teaching the child, Jesus, about death.

Watch the below video for some advice on explaining death to children.

Use this interactive presentation to ponder a very special childhood.
Treasure what it was like to raise such a uniquely remarkable child.

Listen to this song and rest in what was revealed to him.

Like Mary's Song, every Christmas carol that turns your gaze ahead to the path this newborn child would walk gives unique rest. Watch (and/or sing and/or hum along with) this song welcoming Jesus into Mary's arms and into our world.

Note especially these lines: 
Fragile finger sent to heal us,
tender brow prepared for thorn,
tiny heart whose blood will save us
unto us is born...

Fill in the blanks in this interactive presentation.
Ponder the duality of a single word.

See three resurrection appearances through the lens of intimacy.
Navigate through this interactive presentation to complete the activity.

Hear the meaning behind the song, "Be With Us," and then listen to the actual song.
Learn more about, "Be With Us," as Drew explains why he wrote it:

Listen to the song, itself:

Discover what diffused responsibility is and then apply it.
Taking responsibility requires taking on vulnerability—there's no real difference between this and taking risk. This is what Jesus did for us.

Take five minutes (using the timer below) to come up with 30 examples of diffused responsibility. Go!

Share your three best examples in the comments section below for other groups to see and think about.

Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Meditate and listen to this reading of Philippians 2:1–11.

Close with the song, "All of Me" by The Orchardist.

Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.
Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.