John 1 for Families
The current season of life my family finds itself in is one of seemingly endless exhaustion. Whether it be the weighty responsibilities of ministry, the chaotic rhythms of home life with two young kids (and Dan the dog), or the drudgery of yet another series of Hebrew grammar rules to memorize, that longing to do nothing more than survive the day emerges as a rather gloomy constant. In my conversations with fellow parents, I’m learning that my experience is hardly unique.
Last week, I challenged our junior high and high school students to not miss Christmas; that is, to have an awareness of and joy in the promise of Immanuel. His presence is our present! In fact, the prologue in John’s gospel highlights for us the extent of the blessing that is God with us. John mentions two sets of harmonized ideals:
Life and Light - The Word is responsible for all created life. In His sovereignty, He chose for you and I to exist – to bear His image (Genesis 1:27), to be His children (John 1:12). The gift of Immanuel encompasses both the physical and spiritual facets of life. The Word is also simultaneously the light and the giver of light, which too is dually significant. John uses the dichotomy of light and dark here and elsewhere to represent the distinction between righteousness and evil, as well as substance and emptiness. Through these words we are reminded that: 1) It is only in Christ that can we be declared righteous, and 2) Only in Christ can our significance be found and our purpose actualized. Those who receive the light are given the fullness of life by God’s design. What a gift!
Grace and Truth - New Testament professor Merrill C. Tenney described the incarnation as “the full manifestation of grace and truth… the greatest possible expression of God’s compassion for people and the most perfect way of conveying the truth to their understanding.”* On one hand, that truth is devastating for the sinner who gains understanding – our greatest efforts to be reconciled to God are futile; our separation from Him is what we’ve earned (Romans 6:23a). On the other hand, the finished work of the Truth Himself provides a means for you and I to enjoy a wonderfully right and eternal relationship with the living God! Christmas stands as a reminder that His offering to us is not only grace, but the blessing of grace in an endless supply!
To those who regularly exist in what seems like a perpetual state of exhaustion and chaos and mere survival: Don’t miss Christmas! My prayer for you is that in this season of celebrating Immanuel, you would have many chances to intentionally reflect on and rejoice in the reality of the life, light, grace, and truth we can only experience in Christ. Each of these He has offered to us in Himself. Day after chaotic day, I'm thankful!
*Tenney, Merrill C., "The Gospel of John." In The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Volume 9. Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 33.