Sunday September 11, 2011: John 1.1-18

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.



5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14And 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.


15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Thoughts:  In the beginning.... I think John wants us to immediately think about the Genesis account of creation.  This is after all how the Bible begins, "In the beginning."  But John has a surprise for us, in the beginning was the "Word" which is God's ability to create and give order to life.  This "Word" was not only with God in the beginning, but now according to John this divine "Word" has come to us in the flesh.  God enfleshed--or as we better know the "Word"--Jesus. 

In a sense John is offering us insight into a new creation that is happening in Jesus Christ.  Indeed we in the church often talk about such things as conversion, basically the recreation of a persons heart, priorities and desires.   In Christ, God is once again exercising the creativity of God to claim and renew the world that God so loves.

Where have you seen the light of Christ shining in the world?   What part of your life could use a bit of 're-creation?'   What is John saying about God in the first few verses?   Can you understand why some folks have trouble understanding Jesus as God?

What do you think about this first reading?   Go ahead and post!  BTW the picture is a fragment of the Gospel of John dating from around 100 AD that was found in Egypt!