“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Through him all things were made” (John chapter 1) This is one of the Gospels for Christmas Day, but we are being asked to look back past the birth of the baby Jesus to before the creation of the world. We are being asked to see Jesus Christ in the context of Genesis and the opening of Holy Scripture itself - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John is doing this deliberately. He wants us to understand the wonder that is Jesus Christ, the person who lived and died, and rose again, and ascended to the Father within (for him) living memory. He is probably writing around the turn of the century and people are still trying to get their heads around the meaning of Christ’s life and death. The only way John can put it into words is to give it as cosmic setting. While Luke and Matthew set the birth of Jesus in the context of human history - the census Augustus calls for or the reign of King Herod the Great - and Mark doesn’t even consider the circumstances of Jesus’ birth to be worth mentioning, John sees Jesus from the start of his Gospel as the Son of God, the Word. There is a lot of Greek philosophy here, but we remember also the beginning of Genesis, where God creates, not by making things, but by calling them into being with words - “and God said:’ Let there be light!’ and there was light; and God saw that it was good.” Right from the beginning Jesus Christ is the Word of God active in this world, bringing light to humanity, sharing the splendour of God with the human race. John’s Gospel is the story of the struggle between light and dark. John (notice in this whole passage of John chapter 1, verses 1-14 John refers to John the Baptist by name, but he does not refer to Jesus by name) reminds us of the rejection that the Word will receive - “his own received him not.” Remember the darkness around the Last Supper or the darkness in the crucifixion, and then remember the light of the Resurrection morning, the first day of the week, when Jesus has risen and the sun is shining brightly on the events of that glorious day, which we shall surely be able to celebrate this year in our churches. Our Gospel finishes with a promise for us all - “to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God… born of God”. And that, dear friends, is you and me! “The Word was made flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Truth is another theme of this Gospel. We remember Pilate’s question: “What is truth?” and it is standing in front of him! Jesus Christ is truth. Let us all, in our challenging lockdown, continue to rejoice in his light and believe in his truth. Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, now and for ever. Amen.
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AuthorCanon John Green Archives
May 2021
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