Through the Incarnate Word, we are conceived in love and born anew as God's dear children.
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series V, Cycle A
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 31:7--14 (C, E)
God proclaims through his prophet a message of hope, comfort, and national revival. The time of the Babylonian captivity would come to an end and the people would come back to Zion rejoicing. God lavishes comfort on this people, whom he allowed to be punished.
Lesson 1: Sirach 2:4--12 (RC)
Wisdom, which God created in the beginning, has found a home with the People of God.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 61:10-62:3 (L)
Refer to First Sunday After Christmas (E)
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:3--14 (C, RC); Ephesians 1:3--6, 15--19a (E); Ephesians 1:3--6, 15--18 (L)
Paul extols the lavishness of God's gifts of grace in choosing us, before the world was created, to be his own dear children. This gift is ours through the redemption which is in Christ. In him, God has revealed the mystery of his will. It is our destiny, as God's chosen ones, to inherit the riches of eternal life. God has blessed us with his Spirit, that we might live a life of praise and thanksgiving for the riches of divine grace.
Gospel: John 1:(1--9) 10--18 (C); John 1:1--18 (RC, L)
See Gospel for the First Sunday After Christmas (E)
Gospel: Matthew 2:13--15, 19--23 (E)
See Gospel for the First Sunday After Christmas (C, RC, L)
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 147:12--20 (C, L) - It is good to praise the Lord for all his blessings.
Psalm 84 (E) - It is good to go to the House of Worship and praise the name of the Lord.
Prayer Of The Day
Oh, God of grace, we, your people, bless you and praise your holy name for the gifts of life and salvation. You are Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, and so we ask that you would inhabit all our beginnings and endings. In Jesus' name. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 31:7--14
The Joy of Gathering. Jeremiah foresees a time when God will gather together the scattered people of Israel. This was to be a time of comfort, joy and celebration for the weak and downtrodden; this would be a glorious occasion to praise the goodness of their God. Christmas and the holiday season is traditionally a time of gathering for families and friends. One of the most depressing prospects possible is to be alone at Christmas. The images of Christmas that warm our hearts feature happy faces gathered around a blazing fireplace, faces aglow, or families assembled around the Christmas tree packed with gifts, a table laden with holiday fare, or worshippers massed together in church pews singing ''Silent Night.'' At Christmas there is a homing instinct, but what is it that we desire to come home to? It is not particularly a house or merely a place but a community of love that draws us. In our waywardness, God scatters us or allows our sin to separate us one from the other but God's salvation brings us back together, back home. Holiday reunions, a foretaste of that which awaits us beyond the value of eternity, are sublime times of rejoicing that transcends the season.
Transforming Sadness Into Gladness (vv. 13--14). Jeremiah experienced all the sorrow and pain of his people; he was so smitten that, at times, he wished that he'd never been born. Yet God made known to him that he was not a macabre Deity but the Lord of the dance and the God of all consolation. The Lord would transform their sadness into gladness, their sighing into singing. In a similar vein, in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter. The scriptures reveal a God who stands with us in good times and bad, leading us through the ''valley of the shadow of death.'' The gospel makes manifest the shocking reality of a God who not only consoles us in suffering but actually takes our suffering and sin upon himself and nails it to the cross. As Christians, we experience the fact that we dwell in a strange and foreign land but we rejoice because our captivity will soon be at an end.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 61:10-62:3
See theological reflections for the First Sunday After Christmas (E).
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:3--19a
Manifest Destiny. In the nineteenth century, the doctrine of manifest destiny was invoked to justify the westward expansion of our country and to make North America our sphere of influence. It was cited as a rationale for the Spanish--American War in 1898. Unfortunately, this motto had imperialistic overtones and, for better or worse, has led to the United States becoming a world power. In our text, we have a much different kind of manifest destiny lifted up for us. ''In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons (children) through Jesus Christ ...'' (vv. 4--5). It is our divine destiny to live eternally as God's dear children but this destiny cannot be realized by imperialistic expansion or an impassioned appeal to blood and race; our destiny is a gift of grace that can only be possessed through love and trust. That destiny is extended personally through baptism but can only be received by faith in Jesus, the Christ. It is only this realization of manifest destiny that can save us. Violence has been perpetrated by those possessed by a misguided concept of manifest destiny, but greater and increasing violence is being waged by those who can see no further than the present moment and view the world as a jungle where every creature is merely struggling for survival. In love we were conceived by God for love; that is our destiny which can only be realized in the Beloved.
Signed, sealed and delivered. ''Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit ...'' (v. 13). The Spirit is the guarantee that we are the Lord's and is a down payment on our eternal inheritance. As followers of Christ, we have truly been signed, sealed and delivered. We have been formed by the sign of the cross. In our baptism, the sign of the cross was imprinted on our forehead as a sign of our adoption as God's dear children. God has signed our name to his. Then, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit in us
bears witness that we are children of God. Finally, we are delivered, like a letter from God. The Lord sends us out into the world as a love letter written in the precious blood of his Son, Jesus, the Christ. Do others see the gospel in us or are we like a love letter from God left unopened?
Gospel: John 1:1--18
Lord of Life. John states that the divine Logos, the divine Word, was already there at the beginning of all creation, the instrument through which God created all things. This tells us not only that God created but that the creation reflects a pattern of divine wisdom. The universe didn't just happen; it is the product of divine design. John takes pains to point out that God created everything that has being. This was to counter those who maintained that the material universe was evil, the work of an evil god. No, creation is good, Spirit ordered and animated, maintains the Evangelist. To yield up this truth would prove disastrous, resulting in a split between the material and the spiritual. God would no longer be the Lord of all life. There are many who would rejoice to exile God to the heavens. Then they could rape and pillage the world, free of conscience; then they could order the world according to their own design. Indeed, many live a practical atheism, holding to the concept of God but denying God any place in their lives or the created order.
''In the beginning was the Word.'' Much meaning is packed into this short phrase. Word implies message and meaning, which informs us that our God wills to reveal himself to us, to communicate. There can be no relationship without communication and the more deeply and truthfully we communicate, the more intimate the relationship. Words are powerful means of conveying knowledge and truth but the most powerful and immediate means of communicating is through our bodies, our being. A caress, a pat, a hand on the shoulder or a facial expression, can reveal more than words can ever say. John proclaims that the Word became flesh in the person of Jesus. What God did for us in Jesus reveals more than all of his teachings put together. Obviously, God and his ways are still mysterious, but in Christ we have personally seen, felt and experienced the heart of God. The incarnation is God's supreme means of self--communication. Notice that I use the verb ''is'' and not ''was.'' The God incarnate in Jesus is also incarnate in those who know Jesus. We too are the living word of God through whom God seeks to disclose his love and grace.
Life and light. From the dawn of time, humans have worshipped the light, realizing intuitively what we now understand scientifically, that there is no life without light. Genesis proclaims this truth also; light is the first order of creation. The prologue of John implies that the light was present in the Logos from the beginning, but the fullness of the light dawned when the Word became flesh. ''In him was life and the life was the light of all people.'' This light has not yet overcome the darkness (''the light shines in the darkness ...'') but the darkness has not dispelled the light. The light of Christ is different than created light, in that it must be received. Those who receive the light become the children of God, who is light. In his epistles, John says that we must not only receive the light but walk in the light. To love our brothers and sisters means to walk in the light (1 John 1:7; 2:8). The Christopher movement, within the Roman Catholic Church employed as its motto the saying: ''If everyone would light just one little candle, what a bright world this would be.'' How true. Each act of love, however small, is a candle which helps dispel the darkness of ignorance and sin.
Gifts Galore. ''From his fullness have we all received grace upon grace'' (v. 16). Our God is rich and generous. God has lavished his bounty upon us. Yet if we dwell in the darkness of selfishness and sin, we do not see these blessings, let alone appreciate them. At Christmas time, we exchange gifts as a symbol of God's gift of eternal life through his Son, but we seem to lose sight of the gifts of God, especially his supreme gift, in all of our frantic festivity. The Christmas season is similar to Thanksgiving Day; it is a time to meditate on all the gifts of God's grace, including those many items we take for granted.
Gospel: Matthew 2:13--15, 19--23
(See Gospel for the First Sunday After Christmas)
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 31:7--14
Sermon Title: Homecoming
Sermon Angle: Jeremiah warned his people that if they persisted in their sinful ways, they would be wrenched away from their homeland. After this came to pass, he foresaw a time when the exiles would return home with dancing and singing. Those who were scattered would be gathered together in their homeland, their holy city and their temple. At Christmas, God made his home with us that we might come home to God and God's family, with shouts of praise and thanksgiving.
Outline:
1. God gathered the Jews and brought them home
2. They returned with rejoicing and praise
3. God sent his Son to gather all the families on earth to the kingdom
4. Let us return home to God with praise and thanksgiving
Sermon Title: Transforming Sadness Into Gladness
Sermon Angle: The Jewish exiles lived an existence fraught with pain and sorrow. God promised to transform their tears of sorrow to tears of joy, as he carried them home. We too live in a world where pain and sorrow are strangers to nobody. We have a God who, in Christ, transforms our sorrows by sharing them with us, all the while leading us to our heavenly home.
Outline:
1. Cite examples of pain and suffering
2. Even God's own people suffer
3. We cannot comprehend the reason for suffering
4. We can trust in a God who shares our suffering and transforms it
5. Let us praise our God who transforms sadness into gladness
The meaning of Christmas can be found in the most unlikely places, such as the comic pages in the newspaper. In the Wizard of Id strip for Christmas day I found this story.
Hearing a cutting sound from within the cell, the Spook in the dungeon was asked by his jailer what he was up to. ''Trimming the tree,'' was the reply. ''Very funny,'' intoned the jailer. Then the jailer looked inside the cell. The Spook had indeed trimmed the Christmas tree. Nothing was left but two sticks - one vertical and the other horizontal. It was a cross. The jailer scolded, ''Nice going ... You've ruined the symbol of Christmas.'' Isn't that what many people think? That Christmas has nothing to do with the cross? No relationship to sin, suffering or death. The trimmings and trappings of Christmas often obscure the real message. The abundant beauty, joy and love symbolized in the Christmas tree is built around a cross. One day, we too will go home to be with the Father of Lights and the Family of Faith. By grace through faith we have been grafted into the Tree of Life, because God's Son died for our sin on the naked tree that stood on Golgotha.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:3--19a
Sermon Title: Manifest Destiny
Sermon Angle: The doctrine of manifest destiny was a guiding principle for our country's westward expansion. It was interpreted to mean that it was our destiny to possess and control the land. In Christ, we are given an eternal destiny, to be God's dear children.
Outline:
1. Explain manifest destiny
2. God has made manifest our destiny to be his children
a. Personal redemption (v. 5)
b. To unite all things in heaven and earth (vv. 9--10)
3. Follow your destiny
a. Some look to the stars (astrology)
b. We follow the Holy Spirit (vv. 13--14)
c. That we might inherit the kingdom
Gospel: John 1:1--18
Sermon Title: Word 1
Sermon Angle: If you are familiar with Microsoft Works word processing software, you have seen the suggested sermon title before. When you open up Works, your document is given a default handle: Word 1. Eventually, you will need to give it your own name, but ''Word 1'' will get you going. Before any of us wrote on the slate of existence, there was a preexisting word created by God called the Logos. In our computer literate age, we might think of it as Word 1. The main difference is that the divine Logos is not blank, like the opening word processing screen. Before we were born, the divine word was written large, underlined with the blood of Christ: God created you and all the world, in him is life and light.
Outline:
1. Skeptics say that the world is wordless - without transcendent meaning
2. The gospel tells us that there is a preexistent word - Word 1
- it is a creative word
- a redemptive word
- a word in human form
3. To all who receive the Word, God gives the power to become his children (vv. 12--13)
Some computer games, packed with action and adventure, are so lifelike that they are dubbed virtual reality. But is electronic communication really virtual reality? Hardly! Virtual reality is when you have to communicate with people in the flesh, people who are annoying, stubborn and uninteresting. Virtual reality is walking the floor half the night with a crying baby, frustrated at not understanding what she's trying to tell you. Virtual reality is the commitment to live with and love a person who speaks of a different emotional language. Virtual reality is the language spoken by the God of the Bible who took on human flesh in Jesus Christ. The grace and truth which he manifests is the first word and the last.
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 31:7--14 (C, E)
God proclaims through his prophet a message of hope, comfort, and national revival. The time of the Babylonian captivity would come to an end and the people would come back to Zion rejoicing. God lavishes comfort on this people, whom he allowed to be punished.
Lesson 1: Sirach 2:4--12 (RC)
Wisdom, which God created in the beginning, has found a home with the People of God.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 61:10-62:3 (L)
Refer to First Sunday After Christmas (E)
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:3--14 (C, RC); Ephesians 1:3--6, 15--19a (E); Ephesians 1:3--6, 15--18 (L)
Paul extols the lavishness of God's gifts of grace in choosing us, before the world was created, to be his own dear children. This gift is ours through the redemption which is in Christ. In him, God has revealed the mystery of his will. It is our destiny, as God's chosen ones, to inherit the riches of eternal life. God has blessed us with his Spirit, that we might live a life of praise and thanksgiving for the riches of divine grace.
Gospel: John 1:(1--9) 10--18 (C); John 1:1--18 (RC, L)
See Gospel for the First Sunday After Christmas (E)
Gospel: Matthew 2:13--15, 19--23 (E)
See Gospel for the First Sunday After Christmas (C, RC, L)
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 147:12--20 (C, L) - It is good to praise the Lord for all his blessings.
Psalm 84 (E) - It is good to go to the House of Worship and praise the name of the Lord.
Prayer Of The Day
Oh, God of grace, we, your people, bless you and praise your holy name for the gifts of life and salvation. You are Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, and so we ask that you would inhabit all our beginnings and endings. In Jesus' name. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 31:7--14
The Joy of Gathering. Jeremiah foresees a time when God will gather together the scattered people of Israel. This was to be a time of comfort, joy and celebration for the weak and downtrodden; this would be a glorious occasion to praise the goodness of their God. Christmas and the holiday season is traditionally a time of gathering for families and friends. One of the most depressing prospects possible is to be alone at Christmas. The images of Christmas that warm our hearts feature happy faces gathered around a blazing fireplace, faces aglow, or families assembled around the Christmas tree packed with gifts, a table laden with holiday fare, or worshippers massed together in church pews singing ''Silent Night.'' At Christmas there is a homing instinct, but what is it that we desire to come home to? It is not particularly a house or merely a place but a community of love that draws us. In our waywardness, God scatters us or allows our sin to separate us one from the other but God's salvation brings us back together, back home. Holiday reunions, a foretaste of that which awaits us beyond the value of eternity, are sublime times of rejoicing that transcends the season.
Transforming Sadness Into Gladness (vv. 13--14). Jeremiah experienced all the sorrow and pain of his people; he was so smitten that, at times, he wished that he'd never been born. Yet God made known to him that he was not a macabre Deity but the Lord of the dance and the God of all consolation. The Lord would transform their sadness into gladness, their sighing into singing. In a similar vein, in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter. The scriptures reveal a God who stands with us in good times and bad, leading us through the ''valley of the shadow of death.'' The gospel makes manifest the shocking reality of a God who not only consoles us in suffering but actually takes our suffering and sin upon himself and nails it to the cross. As Christians, we experience the fact that we dwell in a strange and foreign land but we rejoice because our captivity will soon be at an end.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 61:10-62:3
See theological reflections for the First Sunday After Christmas (E).
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:3--19a
Manifest Destiny. In the nineteenth century, the doctrine of manifest destiny was invoked to justify the westward expansion of our country and to make North America our sphere of influence. It was cited as a rationale for the Spanish--American War in 1898. Unfortunately, this motto had imperialistic overtones and, for better or worse, has led to the United States becoming a world power. In our text, we have a much different kind of manifest destiny lifted up for us. ''In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons (children) through Jesus Christ ...'' (vv. 4--5). It is our divine destiny to live eternally as God's dear children but this destiny cannot be realized by imperialistic expansion or an impassioned appeal to blood and race; our destiny is a gift of grace that can only be possessed through love and trust. That destiny is extended personally through baptism but can only be received by faith in Jesus, the Christ. It is only this realization of manifest destiny that can save us. Violence has been perpetrated by those possessed by a misguided concept of manifest destiny, but greater and increasing violence is being waged by those who can see no further than the present moment and view the world as a jungle where every creature is merely struggling for survival. In love we were conceived by God for love; that is our destiny which can only be realized in the Beloved.
Signed, sealed and delivered. ''Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit ...'' (v. 13). The Spirit is the guarantee that we are the Lord's and is a down payment on our eternal inheritance. As followers of Christ, we have truly been signed, sealed and delivered. We have been formed by the sign of the cross. In our baptism, the sign of the cross was imprinted on our forehead as a sign of our adoption as God's dear children. God has signed our name to his. Then, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit in us
bears witness that we are children of God. Finally, we are delivered, like a letter from God. The Lord sends us out into the world as a love letter written in the precious blood of his Son, Jesus, the Christ. Do others see the gospel in us or are we like a love letter from God left unopened?
Gospel: John 1:1--18
Lord of Life. John states that the divine Logos, the divine Word, was already there at the beginning of all creation, the instrument through which God created all things. This tells us not only that God created but that the creation reflects a pattern of divine wisdom. The universe didn't just happen; it is the product of divine design. John takes pains to point out that God created everything that has being. This was to counter those who maintained that the material universe was evil, the work of an evil god. No, creation is good, Spirit ordered and animated, maintains the Evangelist. To yield up this truth would prove disastrous, resulting in a split between the material and the spiritual. God would no longer be the Lord of all life. There are many who would rejoice to exile God to the heavens. Then they could rape and pillage the world, free of conscience; then they could order the world according to their own design. Indeed, many live a practical atheism, holding to the concept of God but denying God any place in their lives or the created order.
''In the beginning was the Word.'' Much meaning is packed into this short phrase. Word implies message and meaning, which informs us that our God wills to reveal himself to us, to communicate. There can be no relationship without communication and the more deeply and truthfully we communicate, the more intimate the relationship. Words are powerful means of conveying knowledge and truth but the most powerful and immediate means of communicating is through our bodies, our being. A caress, a pat, a hand on the shoulder or a facial expression, can reveal more than words can ever say. John proclaims that the Word became flesh in the person of Jesus. What God did for us in Jesus reveals more than all of his teachings put together. Obviously, God and his ways are still mysterious, but in Christ we have personally seen, felt and experienced the heart of God. The incarnation is God's supreme means of self--communication. Notice that I use the verb ''is'' and not ''was.'' The God incarnate in Jesus is also incarnate in those who know Jesus. We too are the living word of God through whom God seeks to disclose his love and grace.
Life and light. From the dawn of time, humans have worshipped the light, realizing intuitively what we now understand scientifically, that there is no life without light. Genesis proclaims this truth also; light is the first order of creation. The prologue of John implies that the light was present in the Logos from the beginning, but the fullness of the light dawned when the Word became flesh. ''In him was life and the life was the light of all people.'' This light has not yet overcome the darkness (''the light shines in the darkness ...'') but the darkness has not dispelled the light. The light of Christ is different than created light, in that it must be received. Those who receive the light become the children of God, who is light. In his epistles, John says that we must not only receive the light but walk in the light. To love our brothers and sisters means to walk in the light (1 John 1:7; 2:8). The Christopher movement, within the Roman Catholic Church employed as its motto the saying: ''If everyone would light just one little candle, what a bright world this would be.'' How true. Each act of love, however small, is a candle which helps dispel the darkness of ignorance and sin.
Gifts Galore. ''From his fullness have we all received grace upon grace'' (v. 16). Our God is rich and generous. God has lavished his bounty upon us. Yet if we dwell in the darkness of selfishness and sin, we do not see these blessings, let alone appreciate them. At Christmas time, we exchange gifts as a symbol of God's gift of eternal life through his Son, but we seem to lose sight of the gifts of God, especially his supreme gift, in all of our frantic festivity. The Christmas season is similar to Thanksgiving Day; it is a time to meditate on all the gifts of God's grace, including those many items we take for granted.
Gospel: Matthew 2:13--15, 19--23
(See Gospel for the First Sunday After Christmas)
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 31:7--14
Sermon Title: Homecoming
Sermon Angle: Jeremiah warned his people that if they persisted in their sinful ways, they would be wrenched away from their homeland. After this came to pass, he foresaw a time when the exiles would return home with dancing and singing. Those who were scattered would be gathered together in their homeland, their holy city and their temple. At Christmas, God made his home with us that we might come home to God and God's family, with shouts of praise and thanksgiving.
Outline:
1. God gathered the Jews and brought them home
2. They returned with rejoicing and praise
3. God sent his Son to gather all the families on earth to the kingdom
4. Let us return home to God with praise and thanksgiving
Sermon Title: Transforming Sadness Into Gladness
Sermon Angle: The Jewish exiles lived an existence fraught with pain and sorrow. God promised to transform their tears of sorrow to tears of joy, as he carried them home. We too live in a world where pain and sorrow are strangers to nobody. We have a God who, in Christ, transforms our sorrows by sharing them with us, all the while leading us to our heavenly home.
Outline:
1. Cite examples of pain and suffering
2. Even God's own people suffer
3. We cannot comprehend the reason for suffering
4. We can trust in a God who shares our suffering and transforms it
5. Let us praise our God who transforms sadness into gladness
The meaning of Christmas can be found in the most unlikely places, such as the comic pages in the newspaper. In the Wizard of Id strip for Christmas day I found this story.
Hearing a cutting sound from within the cell, the Spook in the dungeon was asked by his jailer what he was up to. ''Trimming the tree,'' was the reply. ''Very funny,'' intoned the jailer. Then the jailer looked inside the cell. The Spook had indeed trimmed the Christmas tree. Nothing was left but two sticks - one vertical and the other horizontal. It was a cross. The jailer scolded, ''Nice going ... You've ruined the symbol of Christmas.'' Isn't that what many people think? That Christmas has nothing to do with the cross? No relationship to sin, suffering or death. The trimmings and trappings of Christmas often obscure the real message. The abundant beauty, joy and love symbolized in the Christmas tree is built around a cross. One day, we too will go home to be with the Father of Lights and the Family of Faith. By grace through faith we have been grafted into the Tree of Life, because God's Son died for our sin on the naked tree that stood on Golgotha.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:3--19a
Sermon Title: Manifest Destiny
Sermon Angle: The doctrine of manifest destiny was a guiding principle for our country's westward expansion. It was interpreted to mean that it was our destiny to possess and control the land. In Christ, we are given an eternal destiny, to be God's dear children.
Outline:
1. Explain manifest destiny
2. God has made manifest our destiny to be his children
a. Personal redemption (v. 5)
b. To unite all things in heaven and earth (vv. 9--10)
3. Follow your destiny
a. Some look to the stars (astrology)
b. We follow the Holy Spirit (vv. 13--14)
c. That we might inherit the kingdom
Gospel: John 1:1--18
Sermon Title: Word 1
Sermon Angle: If you are familiar with Microsoft Works word processing software, you have seen the suggested sermon title before. When you open up Works, your document is given a default handle: Word 1. Eventually, you will need to give it your own name, but ''Word 1'' will get you going. Before any of us wrote on the slate of existence, there was a preexisting word created by God called the Logos. In our computer literate age, we might think of it as Word 1. The main difference is that the divine Logos is not blank, like the opening word processing screen. Before we were born, the divine word was written large, underlined with the blood of Christ: God created you and all the world, in him is life and light.
Outline:
1. Skeptics say that the world is wordless - without transcendent meaning
2. The gospel tells us that there is a preexistent word - Word 1
- it is a creative word
- a redemptive word
- a word in human form
3. To all who receive the Word, God gives the power to become his children (vv. 12--13)
Some computer games, packed with action and adventure, are so lifelike that they are dubbed virtual reality. But is electronic communication really virtual reality? Hardly! Virtual reality is when you have to communicate with people in the flesh, people who are annoying, stubborn and uninteresting. Virtual reality is walking the floor half the night with a crying baby, frustrated at not understanding what she's trying to tell you. Virtual reality is the commitment to live with and love a person who speaks of a different emotional language. Virtual reality is the language spoken by the God of the Bible who took on human flesh in Jesus Christ. The grace and truth which he manifests is the first word and the last.
