Christmas at John’s
December 22, 2024
John 1:1-5, 14
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
The Word was with God in the beginning.
Everything came into being through the Word,
and without the Word
nothing came into being.
What came into being
through the Word was life,
and the life was the light for all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light…John 1:1-5
_______________
Of the four gospel writers, John appears to be the poet and artist of the group. Christmas at his house is no doubt filled with the most creative décor and an elaborate feast. Technically, like Mark, John doesn’t tell the story of Jesus’ birth at all. Unlike Mark, however, the beginning of the good news for John is not in Jesus’ active ministry, or in his birth like Luke, or even in his ancestral line like Matthew. No, the beginning of the good news for John is the beginning of all creation.
The Word was with God and the Word was God and everything that came into being came through the Word… and now John tells us that this very word through which all things were made, has put on flesh and dwells among us.
In 2010, I tried to wrap my head around what this cosmic truth must have felt like for Mary, and what it means for us as we gaze at the baby in the manger. Below is the first verse and chorus of the song that came to me:
Here I am, face to face with a faceless God
Gazing deep into the eyes of the all-seeing one
How can i hold you when I'm wrapped in your arms?
How can i feed the bread of life?
How can this baby have known me in the womb?
How can the angel's words be true?
All of my life, I've tried so hard to believe
In a God so high above, I wondered could you hear me
But now you're here, wrapped in my flesh and bone
And I'm still tryin' O Lord, so hard to believe
For John, it’s not enough that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah or even the Savior of the World. Jesus is the fullness of the Word that spoke light into the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. Jesus embodies the Word of Life that spoke all of creation into existence. John takes seriously the words of the Psalmist who writes, “The heavens declare the majesty of God and the skies proclaim the work of God’s hands” (Psalm 19:1).
Poetry and art exist to express something deeper than what ordinary words can say. It is the language of the soul. John portrays Jesus as the language of God’s heart and soul. The words of the prophets and the angels were not enough for the people to stay in love with God. Now it’s time for God to speak directly. But God doesn’t speak in the language of laws or declarations or doctrinal standards.
No, God speaks the language of love wrapped in flesh… the pinnacle of God’s creation, humanity itself, now showing us what God’s love really means… a love beyond words, a love beyond actions, a love that gives God’s whole self fully for the sake of the world.