Jeremiah 31: 7-14 Ephesians 1: 3-14 John 1 [1-9] 10-18

The reading in today’s gospel is one of the most important and most thought-provoking passages in the whole of the Bible. We are being given the most in depth description of God. If we go back to the first verse of the Bible in Genesis we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". The Word was not in the list of things created at the very start. The Word was there right at the beginning. The Word is eternal.

This is a difficult concept to grasp at times. Essentially what it means is that Jesus was always like God. The Word was with God before all of creation and a part of everything.

Here in the beginning of John’s gospel we are being treated to a lesson, a learning experience. In the days of the Old Testament our knowledge of God was based on life as it was then. We read of whole cities being wiped out, of the anger and jealousy of God. This is what life was like then, very tribal, a fight for existence and possessions. People knew no better. Jesus had not yet appeared to open our eyes.

Reading the Old Testament we are reading of the growth of people through time. In the beginning God’s nature was understood in terms of the development reached. It was when Jesus came among us that people began to see fully and completely what God has always been like.

Here in John we are being told how Jesus has always been with God. He has been so much at one with God. God has hidden nothing from him. Therefore, Jesus is the only person who can reveal to us what God is like. How God feels towards us.

When John said the Word was God he was not saying that Jesus was identical with God; he was saying that Jesus was so perfectly the same as God in mind, in heart, in being that in him we perfectly see what God is like.

John now takes us through creation. We believe that this is God’s world. Going back in time to the Creation, the Big Bang, or whatever you think may have happened, it was not created from matter. It is our belief that behind everything there is God, nothing else. All that exists is from God, and in it God is intimately involved.

In the Word there is life John claims. In Jesus we have security in life, and in the life to come. It is by accepting Jesus as our saviour, as by placing him as our king we learn how to live. If we do not accept Jesus then it can be argued that we do not live at all. Jesus is the one person who can make life fulfilling. Jesus is like a light shining in the world. He is a light which is enlightening us that we can see truly.

Having Jesus as a light in our life is a guide. If we do not have that light within us we are walking in darkness and we all know what happens if you walk along a country lane in the darkness. Each side of us a ditch waiting for us to fall in. Before us is a wall or hedge waiting for us to walk into. A light is needed to guide our steps along the true path. Jesus is that light. We invite him into our heart to be our guide, to keep us free from sin, free from straying off the safe path. A sinful person loves the darkness because light shows up too many things.

We have just witnessed to the birth of Jesus. Here we can see in him God. In him the world is lit up before us. We can see our way around. In the weeks and months to come we will learn for ourselves about God. Jesus will be our teacher. He will be our guide. He will direct our footsteps.

Collect for the Second Sunday of Christmas

Almighty God,

in the birth of your Son

you have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word,

and shown us the fullness of your love:

help us to walk in his light and dwell in his love

that we may know the fullness of his joy;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.