Second Sunday of Christmastide - The Light | The Reverend Chad E. JarnaginJohn 1:1-9 (NRSV)1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.The gospel of John today has beautiful imagery. I’ve found it to be a centering passage for the beginning of a new year. John, the writer was said to have written this book around AD 85. That is quite a few decades after his time with Jesus as one of the Twelve disciples. It is worth noting how the apostle John makes sure that we know John the Baptist isn’t this light… much like other passages. Back then, some were saying that John the Baptist was the Christ… The apostle John obviously knew that, and made note of it often.If Jesus is the Word made flesh, God with us, this text frames a more thorough picture. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.While in the mountains years ago, me and some friends stayed in an amazing, yet creepy cabin. You couldn’t see our cars from the cabin… you had to take a bit of a walk. I had forgotten my toothbrush and contacts solution back in my car… this was before the iPhone. I didn’t have a light… so I stumbled my way to the car and back. There was no moon light or anything to guide me. I hit a broken tree and fell… I recall saying a choice word and thinking, why didn’t have bring a flashlight?Isn’t that an illustration for life? Unfortunately, I think we forget that we can be light, b/c we have the Light of Christ. John’s words testify to the world that Christ, the Word and the Light of God was coming… and that through Christ, all things were made. This is certainly a help for deepening our theology, our understanding process of God. We even begin to see a shape of the trinity. All connected. One being all… all being One. For Jesus to be referred to as light is no accident. Throughout history and many other religious beliefs, light has represented something otherly, good, holy, and divine. The battle of light and dark is even present is concepts and stories like Star Wars. In Matthew 5, with the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus the crowd, that they are the light of the world… a city on a hill cannot be hidden. In John 8:12, Jesus says “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”Another timely reminder, that we are not alone. God is with us. God is not that angry father who we walk on egg shells around… holding our breath hoping to not get out of line. We see a completely different picture with the person of Jesus. Open, loving, nuanced, even.Much like a wifi signal if you will… To be light, we have to be around the source of light… living with clear, intention signal.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.