The Word of Light and Life
1: John 1:1-3 and Genesis 1:1-6-26-31
What is today? Christmas Eve
So why are we reading about creation? What do you think the creation story has to do with Jesus being born?
Well, Jesus being born into this world is like a new creation. It is like God recreating this world to be good as it was always meant to be. At Christmas, we don’t just get a wonderful story of a baby being born into this world, we get the story of God being born a baby so that he might recreate this world into the good it was always meant to be.
A week ago, we talked about the power of God’s word in creation, how he speaks, and how it becomes true, it creates. God said, let there be light, and . . . what happened? There was light.
Today, we hear that this same word that worked to create everything has come into this world and is Jesus himself. Take a moment to think about that. God’s word that was before everything and created everything became human and dwelt with us. What do you think that means? Adults too?
Well, it means that when we meet and know Jesus we have the fullness of God and all of that creative potential before us, with us.
The hope and joy we know in meeting baby Jesus in that dusty manger full of animals is the hope and joy that anything is possible and with Jesus in our lives, nothing good is kept from us.
2: 1 John 1:4-5, Psalm 139:1-14
Intro - In this next portion of John, we hear that Jesus, the word of God, is himself life itself and the light to all mankind. To give us a better sense of how Jesus is our life and light let's read Psalm 139 together.
We already talked about how Jesus is the source of all creation as the Word and how he brings life by creating order, but now we have a better vision of that.
Did anyone hear in the psalm how God is the source of our life? Adults too?
You knit me together in my mother’s womb - can you imagine that?
You created my inmost being - God knows and loves what is inside of you
What do you think this means? Adults
It means that God through Jesus is not just the source of our life, but they were intentional about it. They had a purpose behind both your physical being and your mind.
Do you have something you love about yourself? God made that
Do you have anything you don’t like about yourself? Do you ever wish you were better at something? Well, God made you the way you are for a reason and there is something wonderful, good, and purposeful about even the parts of us we don’t like.
Now that Jesus, the source of our life has come to us, we might come to get to know his purpose for us, we might see why he created us the way we are and we might be able to live in the good he knit us into.
When God is talking here about light and darkness, he isn’t talking about colour, he is talking about the light that allows us to see and gives life to the world. In the darkness, he is talking about that which blinds us, hides things, and creates danger and fear. This kind of darkness can be quite scary. Who here has ever been afraid of the dark? We need the light to show us the way, and keep us safe and alive.
Did you hear how God is our light? Adults too?
He is everywhere - high or deep, or on the horizon
Guiding
Holding us
I cannot hide
Darkness is never darkness to him
Night is like the day
Darkness is like the light
Extra points - His word is knowledge, his light is revealing
He knows us so completely, he knows our thoughts and actions
He knows everything we do, even before we do it
Everything we say even before even before we say it
He surrounds us with his warmth and presence
So, what do you think it means that the light of mankind has come into the world?
It means that he has come to reveal what was hidden, to help us know and understand what is true and good
He has come to show us possible dangers, so that he can show us what is good
He has come to cast out darkness - in and outside of ourselves
He has come to bring us comfort and a life we couldn’t see or know without him
He has come to show us who we truly are - we can’t hide from his light
It means that we now have a light that is stronger than any darkness whether that darkness and evil is in the world or in us. All darkness can be overcome through Jesus
3: 1 John 1:6-14
A choice has been laid before us - what do you think the choice is?
The choice to believe - to witness
To try to replace the light
The choice to put up obstacles in the way of Jesus
The choice to not receive him or recognize who is in our midst
The choice to become children of God - born not of this world but of God - we become something different
To see his grace and truth - To see God in our midst
Do you think the choice is a good thing? - If you are allergic to milk or sesame, or mushrooms, should God get rid of that choice or is it better to trust him and others in helping us avoid what might hurt us?
This choice might feel like a test, but the truth is that it is an opportunity. God came into this world in this little baby Jesus so that we might have the opportunity to choose what is right and good and so become it. We need to choose what is good, or else we could never purposefully and individually become it.
