Sunday December 24
John 1:1-18 God dwells among us
In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into
being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of
all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome
it.
There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that
all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to
testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming
into the world.
He was in the world, and the
world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to
what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who
received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of
God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of
man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh
and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only
son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was
he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was
before me.” ’) From his fullness we have all
received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only
Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
****
If ever there were verses to reveal to us that Jesus is God and
came to dwell among us, it is these. John’s poetic writing style grips us with
the mystery of creation and spirit and God in the flesh as Jesus Christ. God’s Word is Jesus is God.
John foretold Jesus’s coming as a light that would overcome
darkness. Yet, God’s creation did not
recognize him or know the light. But
some, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, did.
And in recognizing Jesus, we are no longer born of flesh but are born of
God. What a divine miracle if you really
think about it. Our acceptance and
belief in Jesus Christ gives us God’s spirit.
The Word lives in us.
Jesus came to dwell among us so that we would know God. I believe that God came through Jesus Christ
to know us better, too. Read Philip
Yancey’s book, The Jesus I Never Knew.
All of our struggles in faith, our back and forth relationship
with Jesus are roadmaps to God, because Jesus was flesh and blood and showed us
how to live in this world. I can relate
a lot easier to Jesus than I can to God, can’t you?
Prayer: In this season of Advent, let’s
welcome Jesus to our world with song, quiet love prayers, celebrative
gatherings, dancing for joy, fill-in the blank.
Lynn Byrnes
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