Loving God, we continue to search for light and life in the midst of the darkness of this world.  Help us to be aware of your presence in us and among us this day, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

            Christmas Day always feels at least a little bit like the morning after the night before.  Maybe we ate or drank too much.  Maybe we didn’t get enough sleep.  Maybe we’re feeling a little bit down.  Or, maybe we are just worn out after everything that’s been happening lately. Whatever it is that’s going on, the manger scene and all of the Christmas decorations always look different in the light of day.

         Into this day where at least some might be asking, “What now?”, the gospel of John speaks a very different word from the story of the shepherds and the angels.  This is John’s version of the Christmas story, but some might have difficulty entering into it or understanding it.  This is more like poetry than a story – a prologue to the rest of the gospel of John that charts the direction of all that will follow.  And it all begins with the pre-existent Word.

         John’s story begins, not with the birth of Jesus, but with creation.  Those who are alert will remember that the very first act of creation was God speaking the light into being.  In the midst of the formless void, God says, ‘“Let there be light”; and there was light’ (Gen. 1:3).  In the very beginning, we see the power of God’s word.  Now, in the gospel of John, we are introduced to God’s living Word, who was also present at creation, bringing both light and life into being.

         After a rather abrupt introduction to John the baptizer – the witness who “came to testify to the light” – we are confronted with the irony that the one through whom the world came into being is neither recognized or accepted by those who claimed to know God.  However, those who do receive him and believe in him are given the power to become children of God.  It is then that we come to the part that might just be an “aha!” moment for some people.

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).  Those who didn’t catch on at the beginning of John’s gospel have been known to say, “Oh.  He means Jesus.”  God’s living Word, the one through whom all things were created, becomes flesh and pitches a tent among us.  How incredibly daring!

Childbirth is risky.  Living among humans is risky.  Putting on a body that can be fragile, hurt, or broken is risky.  Yet, God had tried many previous means of communication – Moses, and all of the prophets; miracles of salvation.  Still, people were not quite understanding who God is and how to live in community with one another.  As Frederick Buechner puts it, God had tried word after word, and finally tries flesh and blood in Jesus, the incarnate Word.  In Jesus, “God finally manages to say what God is and what human is” (sundaysandseasons.com).

Still, more than any other human being, Jesus is full of grace and truth – unlike Santa – or so we are told.  If you’ve ever heard the song “Santa Claus is coming to town,” you will know that Santa labels each person naughty or nice, bad or good, and is watching all the time.  God, on the other hand, is far more gracious, and does not label people or withhold gifts.  Jesus comes, not to give people what they deserve, but grace and salvation.

Jesus also comes, not only full of truth, but as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  In spite of the fact that some of our Christmas carols imply that Jesus never cried as a baby, Mary and Joseph woke up to the reality of caring for a newborn.  It is entirely possible that they also asked the question, “What now?”

As we go forth today carrying the Word made flesh within us, may we also experience Jesus as the light in the darkness, the one who is full of grace and truth, and the author of a new creation.  For we, too, have been made children of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, and heirs of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Christmas Day                                  John 1:1-14

December 25, 2022                        Hebrews 1:1-4

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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