The Story of Christmas, Day 1: Saturday, November 26 – John 1:1-14 God Spoke Loudly at Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, my Bible said to me...God spoke loudly and clearly to us through Jesus Christ - revealing himself, saving us, and overcoming the darkness all around. 

Today's Reading: John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Devotional Thoughts

We rail and moan about the secularists taking Christ out of Christmas, but is it not a bigger problem that we who claim to love him often do that precise thing? We get so wrapped up in the scramble and the frantic pace that thoughts of Jesus get pushed to the side.

In our 30 days of devotionals leading up to Christmas, we begin at one of the high points, John 1:1-14. Matthew and Luke begin with the stories of Jesus' birth from an earthly perspective - a maiden and shepherds and Magi and such. But this passage gets to the heart of the work of God - light invading darkness, God speaking through Jesus to a sinful world. It shows us the divine genealogy of Jesus, who he really is. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Permit me to point out a few of the wondrous beauties on this mountaintop of Scripture.

First, God spoke to us. He did not turn his back on sinful humanity, but he spoke to us, and that loudly and clearly. His word was a man, Jesus Christ. He spoke to creation by sending the Co-Creator to live among us, as verse 14 tells us.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus took up residence among us to reveal who God was and to demonstrate his love for us. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! To those who have ears to hear, the message of God spoken through Christ is plain.

God sent a man, but he was not sn ordinary man. He was a God-man. This passage, as clearly as any in Scripture, affirms the deity of Christ. "The Word WAS God." He was not "a god", nor was he some kind of emanation from God, a secondary deity or a deified human. He was the God of glory come to dwell in a human body. He was uncreated and pre-existent. Before the world was, he was - with God, creating all things.

And he is not just the creator of life, but also the giver of life. When our sin brought death into his perfect world, it was through this Word that God brought life.

In him was life and the life was the light of men. 

We who were dead in sin have life through him. John later tells us, in his first epistle, that "he who has the Son has life and he who does not have the Son does not have life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Jesus Christ became the point of division for all of humanity. Eternity is not about following a religion or doing enough good works or any other human activity. It's about Jesus. Do you "have him"? Then you have life. If you do not have Jesus you do not have life no matter how good you think you are, how busy you are at church or how many good things you try to do.

And Jesus is the light. Christmas is a time of lights because we recall the light that came into this darkened world to show us the way to God. "I am the way, the truth and the life," Jesus would later say. Jesus IS life and he GIVES light.

There are many things I love about Christmas. I'm excited next week to get our tree and decorate it, to put up all the decorations around the house that we didn't do last year because we were traveling at Christmas. I can't wait to watch Ralphie try to get his Red Ryder rifle, George Bailey save Bedford Falls, and George C. Scott meet the ghosts of of Christmas past, present and future. It's all fun and fine. But we must not forget what matters most.

God has spoken.
That Word is Jesus.
He reveals all we need to know of God and shines the light of God's glory.
It is through him, and him alone, that we sinners can have life!

And remember one more thing this Christmas season, my friends. The darkness all around us - the darkness that stresses us and makes us quiver, that we complain about and shake our fists at - it can never overcome Jesus. That baby that we celebrate is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

O, come let us adore him!

Father, thank you for the Word who told us who you were, who demonstrated your love for us, who gave us life by sacrificing his own and who shines the light of truth and righteousness on our sinful lives. Praise his holy name!

Think and Pray

We begin our Christmas readings with one of the mountaintop portions of the NT. Meditate on John 1 and write down as many of the characteristics and qualities of Jesus Christ as you can identify in those 14 verses. I have reflected on many. There are many more.

Who is this Jesus Christ we worship?

Carol of the Day

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;Jesus, to thee be glory given!Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!O come, let us adore Him, (3×)Christ the Lord.