John 1_1-10 - Come to the Light
John 1 The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent,nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
There are times when we know we have crossed a threshold, come to a new place in life.
Abraham Lincoln saw the Great Civil War as such a watershed in American History. The question of course was whether the nation would survive or dissipate into hundreds of warring factions as happened in much of the world.
Father Abraham was called to leave Ur of Chaldea to go to a strange land and establish a new, Godly nation. That was a watershed in history that affected the whole world. No Christian nation, no Western European nation, no American nation would be what it is were it not for the light that guided Moses through the wilderness and the Magi from the East to the Babe in Bethlehem. The revelation of God’s will for the world, the light that he shed on the reason for our existence is essential to our individual understanding of why we are here as well as the basis for our understanding of the culture into which we were born.
I believe that our Church and our Communion has just passed such a threshold. This is the time of our visitation, meaning literally this is the time for which we were brought together. Our purpose will be shortly be made clear.
To help us come to common understanding of what is happening and what is about to happen, today we read from the Gospel of John, chapter 1 verses 1-10.
This was the turning point of human history, for in it according to St. Paul, we can understand God’s intention for our race and our individual lives.
Col. 1:15-17: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones of dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
We can understand the world better when we know the Creator.
We often misunderstand the word “word” as it is used in this passage. John the apostle is not talking about a word that is written in ink on paper, nor is he talking about a vocal expression with meaning. He is talking about The Eternal Son, the Word spoken at Creation by God by which all things were called into existence.
In Greek culture, logos (Word), was that which gave meaning to all things. The philosopher Philo saw the logos as a bridge between a transcendent God and the material universe. John is using a term that everyone would be familiar with and yet he expands and transcends its meaning. Since a word is an audible or visible expression of a thought, Jesus perfectly revealed what was going on in the mind of God. He’s the bridge between God and us.
In the little catechism we call the Gospel of John, in the very first verse Jesus the Christ is God’s pictured as God’s first and last word to us.
John 1:1-2
He is the first word spoken by God, calling all that is into being.
This Word was with the Father from the beginning.
This Word became not pen and ink but took on flesh. This Word entered, invaded humanity. We were made in His image, we are somewhat like our maker, there is a family resemblance. Here we see the Giver, taking on the flesh at Christmas and becoming the Gift. This is Grace. What Child is this? He is God’s gift God’s grace, God’s self-giving to us all.
Remember that simple line as a definition of Grace. The Grace of God is that at Christmas, the Giver became the Gift. God so loved the world he gave his Son. . God so loved that He came to live with and in us. Grace is more than unmerited favor. Grace is God’s gift of himself.
This word is the source of enlightenment John 1:4-5 Why are we here? What is going wrong in the world? Why is our culture failing to preserve marriages, properly educate people, bring righteousness into human dealings, preserve us from terror and poverty? It is because we are not waliking in the light the Lord has provided for us.
In his first letter (I Jhn 1:5) The apostle affirms that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
He further affirms that if we walk in the light provided for us we will be stepping in the light and further, the blood of Jesus Christ His Son will cleanse us from all sin. John preaches the Gospel later on in his book, giving us the clear meaning of the Cross. John 3:14-16, at the very beginning of this little catechism, John tells us the meaning of the cross. The Son of Man must be lifted up, and those who look to that cross for salvation will not perish but have eternal life. Later in that paragraph, John says that the person who does the truth comes to the light God gives us in Jesus Christ, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are worked out, wrought not in the world the flesh and the devil, but in God.
The words are mystical, just as Paul’s on the same subject are mystical. That is they are hidden to the world, a mystery to those outside of Christ, but revealed to the one who believes and steps out in faith, in obedient faith and finds he has been given amazing grace. His work is no longer in the world, it is wrought, worked out in God. That is the miracle of the new birth completed. . . .we are born new in baptism, enter the Christ and now find we are grown up doing our works in that Christ our God.
So much words a person outside of Christ would say. Means nothing, just jumble of words.
Well consider this. After the little catechism he gives us at the beginning, telling us that we were created, called into existence by God’s word, and that Word is Jesus Christ manifest in the flesh, and that Word is the light of the world, showing us how to live. After that introduction, John goes to a practical examp;le for our time. Beginning his miracles, Christ shows up at not the Olympics, or the World Series, or the NBA playoffs, but at of all places, a wedding.
Lets think about that for a minute. The first wedding that God presided over was when he gave Eve to Adam. We know how that turned out, they did not walk in the light provided by God. Instead, they chose to work in the light of the Slanderer’s words. You won’t die! Take what you want, its o.k. The point of that story is that of other morality play according to Scipture is that we shouldn’t listen to what every old snake that questions God’s will for your life.
Spiritual darkness spilled into our world in Genesis 3 and can only be removed by the Lord who is life and light. As the light, Jesus shines into the darkness, and those who have not yet received Him are still in the dark and cannot understand Him. Many people today do not comprehend the real meaning of Christmas. It’s because the world in general has no place for Christ.
Marriage is not a sacrament, throw it out of the law, throw it out of our culture, throw it out of the Church says the World. Why? Because the evil world is opposed to Christ and his light.
Worldlings say the sacraments, the liturgy are form without content, form without substance.
There is no sacrament, no grace no sign of God’s presence in marriage says the world and the churches invaded by the world. Really? If so, why the big fight against marriage? Must be some substance there blessed by God else the world would not oppose it so much.
No grace in the eucharist say some, no grace in baptism, no grace in holy orders, no grace in forgivenss of sin, no grace no gift of God in the Scriptures, no grace in prayers for the sick or anointing says the world. It isn’t reasonable says the world, there is no light there. The apostles warned that even in the church there would arise those who would call light darkness and who would oppose the Christ.
The forms we have inherited from the early Church are taught in Scripture and are there to protect the substance to allow the substance of God’s redeeming love to shine into our dark hearts.
Even within some churches leaders have been affected by the dark world around us to the extent that they have attempted to redefine marriage in spite of the clear teachings of Jesus. Jesus defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Jesus said, “for this reason a man shall leave mother and father and the man and his wife will be one flesh.” He indicates it was that way from the beginning, designed so as the Father as a means of grace, a sign of self sacrificing, self giving love.
St. Paul in his writings and St. John in Revelation and also at the wedding feast at Cana present the close relationship between man and a woman as a heavenly thing. It is like the relationship between Father and Son and holy Ghost. In Christ there is no darkness at all. A marriage that is in Christ is a sacred thing, blessed by Christ and a means of mutual encouragement. A marriage that is in Christ is evident to the world of what? Evidence of what? Witness to what? It is evidence of the sacrificial love of Christ for his church. . .it is a sign of Christ’s continuing presence in this world, a testimony that God is alive!
That is a Grace. – Love, we are told is a cardinal virtue and a gift straight from the heart of God.
Walk in the Light.
Look at the Son, He is shining. In him is life.The person who believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that believeth not the ‘Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him.
I John 2:8 John says “a new commandment I write to you which is true in Him (meaning in Christ) and in you, because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth. Quote John 2:5-17.
Paul says it a little differently, he said, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.”
God was in Christ – that is Gift, that is Grace.
God loved enough to take on flesh, he was in Christ.
At the creed, some of us bow when we say the words “And was made man.” We genuflect or bow, not to the Virgin Mary, but to the Incarnation, the God that was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.
This my friends is the Gospel message that we are going to share with those around us in Indianapolis.
The light is Shining. Don’t pull down the blinds and shut it out, let it shine.
Jesus it was who said in the Sermon on the Mount, “You are the light of the world.”
Now wait a minute, I thought that Jesus is the world’s true light. When God said let there be light, I thought he was talking about His Eternally begotten Son.
How can I, How can you be the light of the world?
You are to be light and salt! That is grace, God’s grace or gift to the world around.
You are Christ’s reflected glory. There are many days when my light is dim, but such as it is, such little love and kindness I can show, that is of God and a grace a true gift.
Listen over the next few weeks, over and over you will hear the Master calling you to be the light of the World. That is the reason why you were born, to let the image of a loving God shine into the world. You don’t have to be eloquent or learned to be kind.
To believe means to engage our total being so that we put our trust completely in Christ by committing our lives to Him. It involves more than just intellectual assent or an emotional response. Biblical belief always involves receiving, or responding to what God in Christ has done for us. Right. This word means “honor” or “privilege.” The moment you receive Christ into your life, God gives you the honor of becoming a member of His family. We are given permission to become a child of God when we believe and receive.
Believe, Receive, and Become. We must first believe that Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God the Father. Then we must actually receive what He has done by personally appropriating the gift of salvation. Then, we become children of God. Then, when we have received the gift of Christ from the Giver, we are ready and able to give.
Please come to meetings where it will be explained how you can host, or be a joint host of a meeting where we will invite people to see a video and give them opportunity to ask questions about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. This is not a course on how to be a church goer, it is a course that deals with the basic question of who Jesus is and who we are.
Once that light has come on, people will get the rest later.
As you come to the Altar of God today, offer there, as we say in the liturgy, your selves your souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice to the Father. We don’t really have much, onlyh our selves to give, but that is enough. God can shine through that gift. If you will really give yourself back to the father you will receive back the gift of love and be a light to the world around you. Please don’t just say the words, make the offering today.
Then, you will be asked to open your homes and invite people in. This is not hard. There are people out there you walk past everyday who are confused, feel lost, are purposeless, depressed and are looking for a clue as to the meaning of their existence.
By following the pattern that will be laid out at our special meetings, you will draw closer to the light and be able to reflect it better.
Please dedicate yourself to this task along with the rest of us this morning. You have received the Gift of God. You have received grace. It is not your possession to be hoarded, this love of God. You are gifted to pass it on. You participate with the Giver in sharing the Gift. You are gifted in order that you can be graceful, gracious warming others with the love of God that has been given you..
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
