The Word, for Us

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made; In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
(John 1:1-5)

Long before the star appeared in the sky above Bethlehem, God was sending God’s people signs to tell them of Jesus’ birth. Since the beginning, when God created Adam and Eve, God had been speaking to his people, reminding them of who and whose they were. Even when things were bleak and the future seemed dim, God spoke to God’s people again and again, reminding them of the Savior who was to come:

 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
 out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel, 
 whose origins are from old,
    from ancient times."
                                           (Micah 5:2)

 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress...
    The people walking in darkness
        have seen a great light;
    on those living in the land of deep darkness
        a light has dawned.
                                           (Isaiah 9:1-2)

 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
    because the LORD has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners.
                                           (Isaiah 61:1)

 Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin
 will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him 
 Immanuel.
                                           (Isaiah 7:14)

Though the Old Testament stories of laws, wars, tragedy, and bondage often seem far from our own reality, God’s words to his people long ago are meant for us today as well: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Just as the light of the star pierced the night sky and led the wise men to Jesus, so the light of Jesus has been guiding us toward truth since the creation of the earth. The specifics of Jesus’ birth were planned long before the day Mary felt the first pangs of labor. In the beginning, God’s plan was written on the stars and trembled through every breath of creation. It became the song of nature, the breath of all life. It shouted through the words of the ancient prophets, planting hope in the hearts of all who longed for and believed in God. God was coming, and God wanted everyone to know.

Jesus, the Word, became flesh and lived among us, walking beside us and reassuring us that there is a good plan in place, that we are not alone, that the author of heaven and earth claims us as God’s own and walks with us every moment of our lives. Immanuel, God with us.

Prayer Focus:
John’s Gospel says, “(Jesus) came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him…he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11-12). You are a child of God. Tell God how you feel knowing the great lengths God went to in order to claim you as God’s child.