... And the Word Was God
Scripture Reading — John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
—John 1:1-2
Many people know that the first three words of the Bible are “In the beginning” (Genesis 1:1). So after hearing the first three words of the book of John, many listeners would be reminded of Genesis and think they knew the rest of the sentence: “… God created the heavens and the earth.” But John had spent time with Jesus, the Son of God, and he knew Jesus was one with God and was with God there at the beginning. So he wanted his readers to know Jesus that way too. Before telling what Jesus said and did, even before writing about creation, John wanted his readers first of all to reflect deeply on Jesus himself.
To understand the stunning and breathtaking extent of God’s love for the world, we must understand who Jesus is.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you have already recognized that he is God. Write down what that means to you. Then worship him who forever “was with God” and is God. It’s a mystery we can’t fully understand, but we know it’s true!
If you are not yet a follower of Jesus, know that you are about to meet and be challenged by someone out of this world, and yet part of it.
Dear Jesus, impress on us the truth that you have always been God, enjoying full life with the Father and the Holy Spirit. You didn’t have to take on our humanity and be criticized and rejected and killed. But you did that because you love us. May your love amaze and humble us today. Amen.
About the author — Harvey Stob
Rev. Harvey Stob and his wife, Audrey, served as missionaries in Argentina for eleven years. They then served churches in Cincinnati, Ohio; Ridgewood, New Jersey; and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Harvey retired from full-time pastoral work in 2009. He and Audrey have three children and seven grandchildren.
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