Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 106, John 1:4-14
I love reading Psalm 106 alongside the prologue of John’s Gospel. It’s a great reminder of God’s faithfulness and steadfast love. No matter how far we wander and stray, God never abandons us. He pursues us. He delivers us. He saves us. This has been His plan from eternity and the fulfillment of that plan is Jesus Christ. The Word made flesh. The Light who overcomes the darkness of our world. The Creator who entered fallen creation. The Father who came for His wayward children. Yes, the world did not recognize Him. Yes, His own people did not receive Him. Yes, He would eventually be despised and rejected by those He came to save. But nothing would stop Him, not even death itself, from bringing life and light to all humankind.
The opening of John’s Gospel leaves me breathless every single time. It has to be one of the most beautiful passages ever written by a human being. The poetry and prose is amazing. Divinely inspired. Read the words again. Read them slowly. Read them thoughtfully. Read them aloud to yourself. Let the implications of the words overwhelm you. Let the truth of these words sink deep into your soul. Let these words define and shape your perspective about yourself, those around you, and the world. These are life-changing words. These are world-shaping words. These are eternal words for they are the Word of God.
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
“The light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.”
“He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him.”
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
I love the focus on light. It reminds me of a passage out of “Waiting on God” by Andrew Murray where he likens God to the light of the sun. The sun is always shining even when we cannot see it. The sun always chases away the darkness when it rises. The trees and flowers and grass of the earth do nothing to earn the light of the sun nor can they even escape it. They naturally turn towards it. They bask in it. They drink it in. Murray goes on to say, “God the Father is light. God the Son is the eternal and incomprehensible light. God the Holy Spirit is the concentrated, embodied, and manifested light.” And this light is our life. It is the source of all life. It is the sustainer of all life. Humanity was designed by God to be bearers of this light. We are vessels in whom God has deposited this light. The glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth, actually comes to dwell within us. Shining out from our hearts to those around us still walking in darkness. This is how the light of Christ will spread. In and through us. Through His people. Through those who walk in the light as He is in the light. Let God’s light shine through you today!
Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 1, Luke 1:1-2:38