John 1:1-3, A Day of Beginnings

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Many Christians may not know this, but the Christian liturgical calendar marks the first day of Advent as our New Year’s Day! This is when our church year starts – with the waiting for the coming of Jesus.

To start his gospel account, John communicates to at least two kinds of people with two different languages: the Jews, whose sacred writings were in Hebrew, and the Gentiles, whose common language was Greek. To reach both, John echoes back to the Hebrew book of Genesis—“In the beginning”—while using the phrase “the Word,” which in Greek is “logos,” meaning an idea of thought of profound significance. John is bridging two cultures, two peoples, two religious divides of monotheism and polytheism with simplicity and brilliance.

Like the beginning notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, John writes with drama, boldness, and clarity. Its central message: Jesus is God. John calls him “the Word,” who never had a beginning. He has always been with God. He predates the world—the world he made. In Genesis God created the world by his spoken word: “Let there be,” and it came into existence—sun, moon, vegetation, animals, and man. God’s Word is powerful and active in creation. Now that Jesus has appeared, John sees him as this Word. Not only is he God’s agent in creation, he is God himself. This changes our very understanding of God. John will bear witness to us of what this means as he writes this gospel, this good news of God revealed in the person of Jesus.

Take a moment to thank God that he is speaking to you even now through his Word.