Christmas Devotional: 23rd December 2020
Have you ever stared at the Sun? Okay, maybe not the best question. If you have, you’ll know why and if you haven’t then it’s best not to! But have you considered the Sun? How our everyday lives are the way they are because of our planet’s relationship to it? It not only gives us light and warmth, but the right amount. Our seasons, years, and daylight hours are defined by it. And why? Because it sits at the very centre of our Solar System.
Why talk about the Sun you may ask? Well, because here, at the start of his gospel account, John is trying to help us understand the cosmos-shaking reality that he is about to introduce. A reality, or more specifically a person, who will redefine Creation, God, and us. This person is of course Jesus.
John starts at the beginning: “in the beginning was the Word”. Suddenly we are whisked back to the Creation Hymn of Genesis 1 – but it’s different. It isn’t just God there but also His ”Word”: Jesus. And more than that Jesus wasn’t just there but “without him not one thing came into being” – he was the source of all of Creation! The whole of the Creation story is retold around him. Think again of the Sun but instead there is Jesus, and instead of the planets, it is the whole of the universe in orbit around him!
And John doesn’t stop there but goes on: “and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. Jesus is Emmanuel – “God with us”. Suddenly everything we as humans knew about God is on the line, as here He is! When we look at Jesus, we see God. Have you ever realised that everything Jesus ever says or does reveals the unseeable, unfathomable “I am”? How often do you comprehend that Jesus is the one around whom our entire knowledge of God is now centred?
If redefining Creation and God isn’t enough, then John tells us one more thing that Jesus’ coming redefines. Except this time, he comes to bring about something new and not just reveal something that already was. “To all who received him, who believed in his name he gave power to become children of God” who are “born of God”. Whether it be just genetics or our whole upbringing we are somehow shaped and defined by our parents. But now Jesus offers to redefine us in the image of a perfect parent, so that we are no longer defined by our previous identity, experiences, joys, pains, and brokenness that came along with our first birth. But now our fundamental identity can be as beloved, chosen, and redeemed children of God.
In just a few sentences, John has revealed to us how Jesus has changed everything. How can we begin to make sense of this earth-shaking revelation that begins at Christmas? It may help to begin with these questions:
Do our lives have Jesus at the centre? Because Creation does.
When we hear Jesus’ words, do we hang on every syllable? Because they carry the full weight of God.
When we look at ourselves, do we see people redefined as children of a loving Father? Because Jesus does.