Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 *DISPLAY THE SIGNATURE OF GOD*

John 1:1-14*
 

This text, known as the prologue of John's gospel is a beautiful poetical but philosophical description of the event of Christ's birth as a human. John makes use of the philosophical concept of logos for this purpose. In Greek philosophy, logos is the universal principle that could not be comprehended by the human mind. But, John tries to communicate that this principle has been made comprehensible to the human mind through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The God who is the creator, as well as the sustainer of its order, has been revealed through Jesus Christ. That's why the event of Christmas has got eternal relevance.

1. The entire creation manifests the authenticity of God. The phrase 'in the beginning' means before anything had come to existence. God was there even before everything. The logos was that God created everything. That logos have come into the historic time as Christ. The purpose of that incarnation was to redeem the whole creation including the humans from the bondage of sin that destroyed them. It is the eternal God who comes to every creation such that the coming of Christ cannot be treated merely as an event of the past. Christ is the eternal contemporary of all generations. Christ enlightens people of every generation. People holding such a conviction is the lighted. It is their responsibility to illuminate others. Christmas becomes meaningful when everyone recognizes this. It is not that Christ came once. He is continuously coming to the creation and is affixing his stamp on every creation. To acknowledge it is to commit to the divine order.

2. The light of the divine life is to illuminate every human. It is in God who is the Word that life dwells. Jesus is that life and light. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world". John the Baptist who came before Jesus as the herald bore witness to that light. John was lighted by that light and that is a possibility of every human. In the past, there were glimpses of light that could lighten only a few. But in Jesus, it can be experienced by everyone, not a few. No darkness can extinguish this light. Herod and the powers of darkness tried to kill this light by killing John. But the world experienced the enhanced light through Jesus Christ. John had preached the imminence of the kingdom of God but Jesus preached the reality of the same. When that light was shared, the authority of darkness was eradicated. Human beings can claim that they are liberated from the powers of darkness and are placed in the kingdom of the loving Son of God. Christmas is the celebration of that transition.

3. By living in this world filled with grace and truth, Jesus gave everyone the privilege of being the children of God. Being the children of God, everyone is expected to live in grace and truth. Mother Mary had received and appropriated this grace. Apostle Paul received this grace and wished the believers to abound in the grace. By grace, people are enabled to fulfill their given vocations. They are given the capacity to see beyond what others see and to develop their perspectives accordingly. To them, truth is not merely the visible things. Reality is beyond mere facts. When such truths are revealed, truthful people will stand for that truth even without caring for its consequences. Christ who is coming into our lives challenges us to be the seekers and supporters of this always.
 

Prayer
 Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, we pray that all darkness from us must be eradicated. We pray that grace must be given to us that a life of truthfulness will be lived by us. Amen 

Thought for the Day
Being the children of God, everyone is expected to live in grace and truth.

Rev. Biji M Raju
Kazhakkoottam Bethel M T C

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