John 1:1-18 NRSV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 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. 15 (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.’”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 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.
We are still in the Christmas season by the liturgical calendar, so I am still thinking about Christmas words, food, decorations, gifts, even Christmas plays, and I wonder what kind of script you could write for a Christmas based on the Gospel according to John? I believe you’d have a hard time writing a children’s Christmas play based on John’s gospel. John does not talk about anyone going to Bethlehem. There are no shepherds or angels. There are no wise men following a star. Not even a baby lying in a manger: John goes earlier, way earlier, to the beginning, not of birth but of time. John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. …”
A Christmas pageant based on the gospel of John would be what we call a low budget production. No need for robes or crowns. No manger stuffed with straw. No gold, frankincense and myrrh. You wouldn’t even need actors. All you would need is a single candle. The church bare and dark, no furniture and decorations. The only thing visible would be a small, table. On that table would sit a single, unlit candle. The worshipers would come in and sit for a very long time. They would sit long enough to begin to feel uneasy at the silence — and maybe even a little scared of the dark. They would be waiting on the word…
Words are important, words can set the stage for what is to come. A prologue is defined as “the preface or introduction to a literary work” also “an introductory or preceding event or development.” The prologue lets us know what to expect later on, it sets the tempo. I like that the lectionary starts in John 1 at the start of this new year. This biblical prologue in the Gospel according to John gives us the words that set the stage for Christ. The Gospel according to John written around 90-100 CE is called the fourth Gospel, while Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are called the synoptic Gospels. The Disciple whom Jesus loved is credited as the author, John one of the sons of Zebedee. John is different than the other Gospel in many ways. This Gospel covers 3 years of Jesus ministry instead of 1 like the Synoptic Gospels. John does not have miracles in the text but rather signs, Jesus does amazing things in John, however they are called signs instead of miracles because each action has a purpose and that purpose is to point you on the right path, like signs do. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are writing with certain audiences in mind. Mark and Matthew were written with gentiles in mind to let them know that Jesus is our savior, and Luke was written with Jewish people in mind to let them know that Jesus is our savior. John is more focused on theology instead to let everyone know that Jesus is our savior, and that Jesus is God.
This passage starts in darkness, darkness in all creation and darkness in our own world. We start a new year after so many people have died from a sickness that did not have to. The world was ravaged by a virus that showed us people care more about politics than human lives. We start in darkness, recovering from person after person killed by police, my NAACP unit is dealing with one now by the name of Joshua Feast, he was the 94th black man killed by police since George Floyd and that was May 25th so from May 25th to December 9th, 94 people that look like me have been killed by law enforcement officers, darkness. People have lost their jobs, darkness. People have lost their homes; others will lose their homes once some of the eviction protections end darkness. While our country suffers politicians play a game of chicken with stimulus packages and the federal budget, darkness. Darkness in creation, darkness in our worlds. But that is where John wants to start with the Gospel story, in that darkness, in the beginning.
Words matter, and the Word matters, and that is where John begins his story, not with a manger, not with expecting parents, not with wise men coming later but with the word. In the beginning was the Word, the Logos, and the word was with God, and the word WAS God. Words matter, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word stands forever. When we want to make a promise, we give someone our word. When there is a dispute between two people it is your word against theirs. Even in slang when someone hears something substantial, they say "oh word" or "say word" words matter. Words matter and the Word brought us the light. The light to cut through the darkness in creation, the darkness separating us from God, the light shine for us all to see.
v1-5 The Word brought us the light, the word was there in the beginning and with God so Jesus was always there, the word was God, so we know that Jesus is God from this text. We learn from the text that in Christ is life, whatever dead situation we may be holding on to, we can find life in Christ. Even though there is darkness right now, that darkness cannot overcome the light of Christ.
v6-13 We respond to that light, once we get ahold of that light, we cannot keep it to ourselves. We have to testify to it, John saw the word and the light and he testified to it. He was a witness to it and told someone else. There is power in the testimony of others. We have to tell somebody about Jesus. The testimony is powerful, the confession of others has weight. When I watch realistic police shows I see that even if the investigators have forensic evidence, they still want a confession, they still want the person to open up their mouth and say something.
v14-18 The Word became flesh and showed us they were the light. Jesus fully human and fully divine, fully divine so that he would have the power to save us, fully human so he could be the perfect sacrifice for us willingly. Not because of anything that we have earned. but by the grace of God. Jesus is the light in a world full of darkness and we can look to the light and know that we are loved by God.
We may be starting the year coming off a whole lot of darkness, but words matter, and we should use our words to point to the light. The light of Christ, the light that shines through whatever darkness we are facing, sickness, poverty, diseases, unease in relationships. We can bring it to the Word, the word that was there in the beginning, the word that was with God, the word that was God. The word that brings us light, a light that darkness cannot overcome. That light is Jesus Christ. The one who close the gap between creation and creator. The one powerful enough to speak and make worlds, but also knows the number of hairs you have on your head. We need to look to the light.
I believe you’d have a hard time writing a children’s Christmas play based on John’s gospel. John does not talk about anyone going to Bethlehem. There are no shepherds or angels. There are no wise men following a star. Not even a baby lying in a manger: John goes earlier, way earlier, to the beginning, not of birth but of time. John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. …”
A Christmas pageant based on the gospel of John would be what we call a low budget production. No need for robes or crowns. No manger stuffed with straw. No gold, frankincense and myrrh. You wouldn’t even need actors. All you would need is a single candle. The church bare and dark, no furniture and decorations. The only thing visible would be a small, table. On that table would sit a single, unlit candle. The worshipers would come in and sit for a very long time. They would sit long enough to begin to feel uneasy at the silence — and maybe even a little scared of the dark. They would be waiting on the word…
Finally, someone would come down the aisle and, light that single candle. The darkness would be pierced, shoved back by the one thing that has power, ultimately, to push all darkness back: the light. The Word would bring the light, and that light would shine.
Walk in the light
Beautiful light
Come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright
Oh, shine all around us by day and by night
Jesus is the light of the world
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