Jesus the Light

John 1.1-4, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The Word became 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.

The Word was made flesh. A mystery – something beyond human understanding. Something so wonderful, we celebrate this mysterious reality every year, every day

The stories of old written in the Bible and repeated each year that we listen to and sing have led us to this moment. Oh and we’re not done yet. The story never ends. The songs never end. New ways to tell the story keep coming; new songs keep being written.

Why, because in each generation our stories remain the same. They are about people who lived and died. People who made a home for themselves, worked, laughed and cried. People who lived the best they could with what they had. People who so often have never really understood the God who says, I love you: I am your God; you are my people

So through the prophets, God had been sending love letters. Some of warm words, some sharp.             Some to encourage and some to correct. Because the author of those letters, the Word himself, Jesus, before he was born, knew that we can love only because he first loves us. That’s what love does: true love transforms.

The trouble with all these love letters is that the people needed to see the author. They needed to see the eyes and hear the voice. They needed to believe that God actually understood what it meant to live in the world we know.

So Jesus made his dwelling among us – the word is the same as the old testament word tabernacle – the meeting place for worship. To show us that he cares; he entered our reality so that we may enter his. The reality where community, love, holiness belonging are real.         To show us that he knows. He knows what it’s like to be misunderstood. To not get along with his siblings. To be judged unfairly. To be accused of having the wrong friends. To get sick, to die young. To show us that whatever we may face, he has too.

All this so that we can trust him more fully and take him at his word.  ^{John 16.33} “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

That’s why we celebrate Christmas every year and Easter every Sunday.              Jesus dwells among us still

Take him at his word, will you? He is our God and we are his people, In the name of the Father, Son and Spirit, Amen!