Advent 2020 Reflection – Day Twenty-Two

Day 22 – John 1 1 – 2

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning.

Reflection

In the few remaining days before Christmas we will be reading the first few verses of John’s gospel. This is one of my favourite pieces of scripture. Not only is it wonderful, imaginative poetry but it also reminds us that though we are thinking of Jesus as a tiny new born baby, as we look into the manger we see God. There are many passages of scripture which speak to us in the most fantastic poetic ways but in my view none compare to these intial verses of John’s gospel.

In these first few verses John wants us to be sure that we know that the person whose life story he will be telling is God. For John there is no gradual building of mystery drawing us to the revelation that this man who he followed as one of his disciples was infact God. No, John does not want to hold us in suspense he rather wants us to read the rest of his gospel knowing that at the centre of the story is God. He wants us to have firmly fixed in our minds the eternal majesty and deity of Jesus present from the very beginning and responsible for creation alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit. That the one who laid down his life for us also created the whole of creation.

Why does John call Jesus “the Word”? During Jesus’ minstry John has come to see the words and person of Jesus as the truth of God. So that in Jesus’ coming, his teaching, and his dying and rising — he sees the final and decisive message of God to his creation – The Word.

John does not see the need to describe the events of the birth of Jesus. It is enough for us to know that he is God and came into the world he created. That this is God, come into the world to save us. Whether that was 2,000 years ago in a village called Bethlehem or in our own homes and hearts this very day.

Silence

In our time of silence we sit in awe of the fact that God has come into the world. Remembering times when we have known without any doubt that Jesus is our Saviour.

Carol

A few years ago I wrote some additional words to now tell us gentle Mary. The final verse went as follows:

Now tell us gentle Mary,
can we hold the Son of Man?
Can we lift the gift God offers
and hold him in our hands?
You may hold my precious baby,
in your hearts and in your hands.
For God has come among us,
to fulfil his promised plans.

My intention was to show the coming of Jesus makes God so accessible that we can hold him in our hearts and souls and in drawing him into our lives God’s saving grace is revealed to us. However, we have not recorded the carol this year and I don’t have any copyright permission to add the words.

So I have chosen as the carol for today – Sing we the King who is coming to reign which is number 185 in Singing the Faith.

It echoes the songs of the heavenly hosts at the birth of Jesus which we repeat as we come into a personal relationship with Jesus. As we once again travel through Advent singing loud and clear for Jesus to come into our lives.

Kingdom of Christ for your coming we pray
hasten O Father the dawn of the day
when this new song your creation shall sing
Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King.

Postscript – I have been unable to find the recording of Sing we the King and in going back to my original list of carols I had chosen Into the darkness of this world as today’s carol. Not sure what happened there? So a bonus carol to think about today.

Come in your glory, take your place,
Jesus, the name above all names.

Prayer

Loving God, as we read these verses of scripture we worship and praise you for your wonderful plan of salvation. We thank you that you came into the world fully human, fully divine, the Word, Who was with the Father and Holy Spirit before the world began.

We bow down in humble worship as we recognise that you came to save even me. To draw me back into your loving embrace.

As we look into the stable and then into the manger may we see our Saviour and worship him. Amen