At Christmas, love came down in the person of Jesus Christ
‘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 all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
‘There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
‘The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’
(John 1: 1-14)
This familiar Bible passage from John’s Gospel is one we often hear at Christmas time. Unlike the Christmas story narratives found in Matthew and Luke – of Mary and Joseph, shepherds, angels, wise men and stars – these verses, though familiar and whilst beautifully written, can seem quite confusing. What is this ‘Word’? What is this ‘light’? In the simplest terms, the ‘Word’, representing the only truth from the beginning of time, is God himself who sends his son Jesus, the light, into the world as a baby. As The Message paraphrase puts it:
‘The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood.’
(John 1:14 The Message)
The baby Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas time, is the gift to us from God the Father, making light, love and hope visible in our world. This love is not just an idea, a concept, but a tangible gift, offered freely to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ.
We don’t deserve this gift. We can’t earn it. It’s freely given to us. It’s a gift of grace. And if we choose to accept this gift, then we are told we become children of God – we are welcomed into God’s family. Wow! What a gift! And what an opportunity to display God’s likeness, a family likeness – to be light, love and hope to others we meet, and invite them to join the family too.
Jesus was born into a world that was challenging. Poverty, injustice and oppression were the daily experiences of many of the people he encountered. Generations since have encountered similar experiences, and even in our relatively peaceful Western lives, and even if finances are not a struggle, we know we are more anxious and fearful than previous generations. It’s into this world, our worlds, that Jesus wants us to encounter him.
This Christmas let’s reflect on our God incarnate, our God made flesh. Will we accept the gift of Jesus and join his mission of sharing love, light and hope in the dark places of our world, just where we are?
PRAYER
Holy Jesus,
by being born one of us,
and lying humbly in a manger,
you show how much God loves the world.
Let the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
until we reach our home in Heaven,
and see you on your throne of glory.
Amen.
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