Pastor Tim Patoka
Christmas Day: December 25, 2020 See the Enfleshed Word’s Glorious Light John 1:1-14 1) Jesus Himself is the Word Enfleshed 2) God’s Children See his Glorious Light of Life
There are some things that we quickly recognize after only hearing a few key words. If I say, “We the people of the United States of America” you probably think of our nation’s Constitution which begins with these words. If I say, “Four score and seven years ago” you think of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address where he renewed America’s commitment to liberty and a representative government during the Civil War. If I say, “I have a dream” you think back to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial where he summarized a good chunk of the Civil Rights Movement. And it’s not just with works of national significance we do this with. If I say, “Oh, come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord” you probably think of the famous Christmas hymn we sang at the beginning of our service – Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful. But there’s one more phrase I want to throw at you. If I say, “In the beginning” what comes to mind? It is how Genesis chapter 1 begins by telling us how God created all things in 6, 24-hour days? Or did you think about our verses for this morning from the Apostle John which began with these words? While it may seem strange to harken back to creation when we speak of Jesus’ birth on Christmas, that is exactly what John is trying to do as he teaches us who this babe is that was born to us on Christmas Eve. He is the Word himself, encased in human flesh, who shines the light of life in this sin-darkened world. While many in this world do not recognize Jesus for who he is, God’s children certainly do. For when they look at Jesus, they see his glorious light and rejoice all the more. And as we consider these opening verses to John’s Gospel on this Christmas Day, we again ground ourselves in the timeless joy of Christmas by seeing the enfleshed Word’s glorious light. 1) Jesus Himself is the Word Enfleshed The Apostle John uses a rather unique title when describing Jesus as “the Word.” We hear John call him this three times in our opening verse, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) This title meant many different things to the people of 1st century Israel. For the 1st century believer, “the Word” was shorthand for the Old Testament Scriptures where God had revealed himself in great clarity and fullness to his people. As a result, many of the 1st century believers treated God’s Word with the utmost respect and honor as if it were God himself. For John to call Jesus “the Word” in this way, he is drawing the connection that Jesus is the place we look to see who God is in great clarity and fullness with the expectation that we treat him with honor and respect as well. According to the Gentile thinkers, “the Word” was a philosophical idea much like our abstract concepts of “truth” and “logic.” While they are beyond our ability to fully comprehend them, we still try to wrap our minds around them. For the better we understand them, the better handle we have on life’s foundational components. For John to call Jesus “the Word” in this way, he is drawing the 1