Copyright by WH Marchl Page 1 of 2

Abstract: John’s first verses comprise a poem or a hymn to God in Christ. John writes his hymn, his poem which serves as the introduction to his gospel, about the Word, Jesus, that is God; about creation and the world; about what it means for us that Jesus came into the world--as God and man--and dwelt among us. “From his fullness have we received, grace upon grace,” John writes. ‘Come thou long expected Jesus.’ Jesus is the light--the true light that enlightens every man. We are the children of God. We are born of God. Hope and Love and Grace and Faith are miracles, the gift from God to his children--the one and eternal Christmas present. One theologian writes about the book of John being a record of glory breaking into the world through the flesh. The glory of God, the glory of his church comes into the world. Physical light comes to a darkened space, where we all stand as God's children. Glory shines through in this world in God's presence among his people. Pray for healing and God’s grace.

Darkness Cannot Quench It

In the past seven days we have witnessed two acts of God, one major and one minor. First, we continue to pray for the untold lives lost in the Far East. We pray that light perpetual will shine upon the dead, and that disease will spare the living. The minor event was last week’s storm that kept from preaching about one of my favorite texts in the Gospels, the prolegomena—or introduction—to the gospel according to John. Not to be too beholden to the lectionary, therefore, we will use that gospel this morning.

John’s first verses comprise a poem or a hymn to God in Christ. To employ a musical analogy about this hymn, John sets in 18 verses, the key signature for one of the most difficult and moving and recognized passages in the New Testament. John writes his hymn, his poem which serves as the introduction to his gospel, about the Word, Jesus, that is God; about creation and the world; about what it means for us that Jesus came into the world--as God and man--and dwelt among us. “From his fullness have we received, grace upon grace,” John writes.

In the church year, we have come to that wonderful season of Christmas. All of our presents are opened; hopefully you have all had a good long nap or two. Now we reflect upon and ponder the wonderful event of Christmas--the coming of the Christ-child. Come thou long expected Jesus. All throughout Advent we prepared ourselves for the greatness that was coming. Now we sit back to allow the full implications of the coming of the Christ wash over us. That is why we are brought to this place in John for Christmas season.

In these words of John we have a kind of poetic "explanation" or poem of praise to capture the wonder of the Christmas season. John engages our hearts and minds prayerfully in the knowledge and love of God in order to root us in the hay of that manger. Listen to John: The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world…He came to his home...To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God." This Messiah has come. God took human form to live and die as one of us. Eighteen verses prepare us; help us to pray upon the central point in the history of civilization.

Many comfortable phrases are used here. Jesus is the light--the true light that enlightens every man. John gives us analogies so that we might understand how we fit in to this miraculous event called the Incarnation, the Word becoming flesh. We are the children of God. We are born of God, John writes, neither of blood nor of the will neither of the flesh nor of the will of man. We are born of God.

No wonder the lectionary gives a few days to rest up after the holidays! This is pretty heavy and wonderful stuff. Imagine: Jesus came into the world, a light to enlighten the nations that we might believe in Him and find salvation. "From his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace."

A miraculous thing happened in Bethlehem these 2000 years ago. Hope and love and grace and Faith are miracles, the gift from God to his children--the one and eternal Christmas present.

One theologian writes about the book of John being a record of glory breaking into the world through the flesh. The glory of God, the glory of his church comes into the world. Physical light comes to a darkened space, where we all stand as God's children. Spiritual light comes to a darkened, starving, disaster-ridden world in the form of Jesus Christ, that we all might believe. We know that we live and move and have our being in Him.

Glory breaks into the world through the flesh, through the birth of the baby Jesus. This is the one and eternal present of Christmas-- the gift that keeps on giving. Glory shines through in this world in God's presence among his people. Receive that gift and believe. Receive the sign of glory in communion: Christ came into the world for you.

Pray for those who cannot come to an altar this day, wherever they may be. Pray for healing and God’s grace. Feed on him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

--WHM+.