John chapter 1 v 1-5, 9-14:

Christmas Day – Friday December 25th.   Read John chapter 1 v 1-5, 9-14:

Here is the Christmas event set in its eternal context. The full wonder of Who was born so humbly as a human child is declared. He is ” The Word” ” – the living Word of God, the One Who is truly the Voice of the divine Being. When He declares God’s Word it is not as the inspired prophets and writers of Scripture did, but as God Himself. He has been with the Father from all eternity, but not only with God, He Himself is God, in the mystery of God’s being – ever One God, ever Three persons. He was active in Creation, is the true source of all life, but now brings into a fallen World the “true life” which is “the light of men.” We recall His own words in John 8 v12. With His coming into the World he has made, Light came into a world steeped in the darkness of sin – but that darkness has not and can not overcome or put out the light!

Yet when He came into the World He had made, it did not want to know Him – even His own people Israel, to whom He was long promised in their Scriptures, did not receive Him. ( Here in a sense is a summary of the whole Gospel record – they rejected Him all the way to the Cross, of course.) YET all who did ( and still do ) receive Him, trust Him as Saviour and Lord, are made God’s own children, not by any human act but by God’s free and Sovereign grace. Then that tremendous verse ” The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”, and those Who came to trust Him saw in Him the glory which is His own, as “the only Son of the Father.”

Here is the full wonder of what took place that first Christmas – the Eternal Word became the babe of Bethlehem, entered in to human life in such humble circumstances, began the life of rejection which would end in the ultimate rejection of the Cross. Yet in God’s amazing grace, the Salvation He brought was won on and through that Cross of shame. May God’s grace fill our hearts with joy and praise today!