Dear Friends

The writer of John’s Gospel is very clear in his purpose for writing – it is so that his readers may come to believe in Jesus as God who became a human being – to live amongst us.

At the start of John’s Gospel, he begins by making sure his readers know exactly who this Jesus is. He asserts that the life of Jesus did not begin at birth. Unlike Matthew and Luke, John begins his Gospel in eternity, before the creation of the universe. The phrase “In the beginning…” reminds us of Genesis 1:1, and John’s Gospel reveals the Word to be intimately involved in the creation of the universe.

Then, in John 1: 14, the Word becomes flesh. This is the point of the incarnation for John – that the One who was before all things, who is one with God, has become human and lived among us as the human being, Jesus. It is this incarnation, this amazing truth of God coming into human reality and experience that we celebrate.

What are the implications of that for us? Gustavo Gutierrez asserts that “Since God has become human, humanity, every human being, history is the temple of God.”^[1] Richard Rohr so fittingly says, “Because of the incarnation, we can say, “God is with us!” In fact, God is in us, and in everything else that God created. We all have the divine DNA; everything bears the divine fingerprint, if the mystery of embodiment is true.”^[2] “Therefore,” Rohr says, “Each manifestation of the incarnate Christ is revealing a different part of the eternal mystery of God and therefore inherently deserves respect and reverence.”[3] This takes both work and surrender, and the primary work is detachment from our selves—from our conditioning, our preferences, our prejudices, our knee-jerk neurological reactions. How can you treat others with reverence ad respect this Advent and Christmas?

The rest of the John 1 passage is a summary of what will come in the Gospel. John the Baptiser bears witness to Jesus – as the disciples, and ultimately all believers will be called to do. Jesus brings God’s light into the world, but the darkness seeks to oppose the light (unsuccessfully). And finally, there is the confession that “we” – the community which shares in the message of the Gospel – have seen the glory of this Jesus.

The account that follows is not hearsay – it is the testimony of eyewitnesses. The questions for us are: How have you experienced the Word of God, the Light of Life, coming to you this Advent and Christmas? How can you bear witness to it?

There is really only one appropriate response to the awesome message of the incarnation – praise. And as we praise God’s grace and glory, we bear witness to the life of Christ that has touched and healed us. Will you let your celebrations be filled to overflowing with praise? And may you be encouraged to share your faith story with those you come into contact with.

Wishing you a blessed Advent and Christmas.

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[1] Gustavo Gutierrez; A Theology of Liberation, SCM Press Ltd, 1973, p 194

[2] https://cac.org/god-is-not-out-there-2016-01-10/

[3] https://cac.org/reflecting-god-2016-01-14/