The Word became Flesh

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2025
2025
Well, we’ve made it into 2025. I wonder what you hope to be different in 2025 compared to 2024.
Maybe it’s something that you want to change in yourself - it could of course be the New Year resolution.
Or perhaps changes to your circumstances, like, getting a new job, getting out of debt, or perhaps getting past certain medical issues.
Maybe the scope of your hope is even bigger. Perhaps you have your hopes on a certain political party at the next election. Or that some international conflicts move in certain directions.
Some things we can change. Some, are completely out of our control.
But even when they are out of our control, we still like to map out a path for how it might be achieved.
Let’s take your favourite political party. I’ll keep it generic because… well, the party you desire to get in might differ among you.
But we reason, people will soon start to see that the platform that my preferred party is building their campaign around is actually the best for the nation - after all, it should be plainly obvious that this is the case once people understand it properly. So they just need to keep pushing this line, not make any gaffs, and my party will win this next election.
The problem is, the world is a lot more complicated than that and we know it. Arguments will occur. People don’t listen. And even if they do, their worldviews are so different.
As much as most people want to unite everyone, as a society we are actually growing further and further apart.
Do you remember at the start of Covid when they tried to make the song - ‘We’re all in this together’ - as some sort of rallying cry for unity, but the reality was that the pandemic just drew a massive dividing line down the middle of society.
We want to have hope for 2025, but the reality is, it feels a lot more like we are stumbling in the dark, trying to make some order of things, but we’ve got no idea what’s what.
This idea of being in the dark is really apt.
I remember as a young child playing games in the dark. You turn all the lights off and then you have to find certain objects.
Now, if you have some familiarity with the room, you might have a bit of an advantage. But even with this advantage, everything is different. You need to feel everything. You get very little perspective on anything. It’s very hard going.
We need to light to make sense of things. Relying on touch alone is very limiting.
Sometimes, as a society we think we are very enlightened. We think that we know a lot and can navigate our way around this world. But in reality, it’s more like we’ve been around for long enough to have felt many things, but we’re still in the dark. We’re not enlightened, we just know the feel.
While ever we stay in the dark, we’re going to continue crashing into things, running into each other, and just basically making a big mess of everything.
We need light.
You can have hopes for 2025, but without light, we’ll be stumbling in the dark.
So the question for this morning - where’s the light switch?
The light that overpowers darkness
The light that overpowers darkness
Well, let’s turn to our passage, because John’s got an answer for us.
Now, you’ll likely know that there are four gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The first three are quite similar. That is to say, have a similar sort of style, tell many of the same stories and so on. John’s gospel however, is quite different.
It still tells the story of Jesus, but it’s written such that it tells more than the things Jesus did, but gets into the difference that Jesus makes in the world.
Now, I’ve heard it said, Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus about to commence his ministry. Matthew’s gospel goes further back, with the narrative starting at the birth of Jesus. Luke’s gospel goes further back again, starting with the birth of John the Baptist. However, John’s gospel beats them all in that he starts at creation.
You see, the opening line is designed to make us remember the opening line of Genesis 1. Genesis starts with the words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. How did he create? Well, starting at verse 3, we get a series of statements starting “And God said...”
It was at the word of God that creation happened.
John’s Gospel starts: “In the beginning was the Word.”
As John goes on, this ‘Word’ was both with God, and also was God.
There is this personification of this Word. It is far more than just an utterance spoken. It has an identity of it’s own. It stands separate from God, but also it stands with God.
In the second verse, we find out that this ‘Word’ uses the pronouns he / him.
Actually, I suspect you’re pretty clued in at this point, we’re talking about Jesus, but it’s interesting how John does this somewhat cryptic intro. This one who identifies as the Word, is fundamentally involved in creation.
So, let’s go back to the creation account. Who remembers, on the very first day of creation, what is it that God creates?
On that first day God says: “Let there be light”.
Well, this is where I love the way John’s Gospel starts. Because it picks up on this idea of light, but it does so with the assumed knowledge that humanity has been in a dark place for a long time.
The creation of the planet might have happened a long long time ago, but there is still a need for the creator of this planet to re-insert some light.
These first few verses of John 1 are a clear declaration, this light has now come.
All of the dark places will be made light. And there is power in this light, because darkness cannot overcome it.
I love this idea, because it is actually a fact of physics.
I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it, but darkness is actually just an absence of light. It’s not really a thing in and of itself,
Darkness can be protected in the sense that the source of any light can be blocked but darkness cannot stop light.
If you think about the metaphorical darkness of this world, it actually has no power in and of itself. It’s power only extends as far as the light is blocked from it.
This actually has profound implications.
Now, remember at this point in these first few verses of John 1, it hasn’t yet been clear that this light is Jesus. That will be made clear very soon, but for the moment, just think… what would it be like to have that light in your life? To have something that actually holds the real power.
The witness to the light
The witness to the light
This prologue to the book of John, then moves in an interesting direction. Rather than identifying Jesus, it instead identifies the one who was the witness to this light.
His name is John.
Now, we’re not talking about the John in which the book is named after… we’re talking about the one we usually refer to as John the Baptist.
Now, he’s an interesting character, but I’m not going to focus on his character today, rather think about the function he provided with regards to Jesus as the light.
Remember, darkness can not overcome light. But light can be blocked.
In a metaphorical sense, you could say that John was there clearing a path so that the light can shine unimpeded.
John the Baptist was there to announce to the world, the light is here, and if you want, you can accept it.
Accepting the light
Accepting the light
You see, here’s the thing, the light is here, it’s your choice whether you accept it or not.
I spoke about being in a dark room to play a game earlier. Sometimes however, you end up in a dark room for other reasons.
Now, as many of you know, I have an office under the two-storey building next to the building we’re in now. My office has a direct door way into the hall area, however, the only light switch to the room is right next to the main door entry. There have been occasions where I’m in my office after it has got dark, and I’ve had reason to go into the hall area.
Now, I recognise that the smart thing to do would be to go outside, and come into the hall via the main entrance - but, sometimes I’m not a very smart person. So I go into the room, and here is where I make my second mistake. I usually think I know this room very well. And so of course, I don’t bother with any kind of torch or anything. This is despite the fact that I have a mobile phone in my pocket which has a torch function on it. But the thing about this room, is that there are always some random object. Inevitably, before I get to the other side, I’ve usually kicked my shin on some low lying object, stubbed my toe, and completely missed where the light switch actually is.
Light was available to me, but I chose not to do use it. Why, because I thought I could do it my own way.
Look at verse 10. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” Verse 11 continues in a similar vein… “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him”.
The light became available. There was even someone to tell people what it was. But yet they rejected the light.
Why? Well, there were probably various reasons, but I’m going to suggest it boils down to them thinking they know the way themselves.
For the Jewish people (and that is what verse 11 is referring to), they thought they knew the way. It almost like they’ve become so accustomed to the darkness of their situation, their eyes have adjusted to the low light, and they didn’t even realise they needed light.
The sad reality is that we often reject the light because we don’t realise our need for it.
Even for those of us who are Christians, who have actually accepted the light, we allow our own stubborness to get in front of the light. Great shadows fall over us.
What does it mean to accept it?
What does it mean to accept it?
So, what does it mean to accept this light?
Well, look at verse 12: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.
In one sense, to receive the light of Jesus is actually very simple - you just believe in his name.
Now, it is interesting because we have this comment at this point in the prologue - and remember, to this point, it’s still been a little on the cryptic side as to who this ‘Word’ is. This whole idea of believing in his name is something that is going to be developed in much greater detail if you were to continue to read through John’s Gospel.
You see, we’ll find that it means more then just believing that there was a person called Jesus who walked this earth. It means accepting the identity of this person. Accepting that he is the saviour.
It is accepting that this is the one who will shine the light on this world that is so desperately needed.
It’s accepting that we don’t have to settle for this dimmed world that we are in, we can flick that switch and see so much better.
Now, the problem is, to accept this light, we need to recognise we can’t do it on our own. As I said before, even for the believer this can be difficult, because pride so easily gets in the way.
This is why a practice of ongoing repentance is so important. Repentance helps us to put behind us the things that block the true light.
You know when you’re having a rather heated argument with someone… at some point you realise you’re wrong, but your pride says: I can’t let them win! It’s this sort of thing that is blocking the light.
It is when we allow this light to fully take hold, that’s when we will fully take hold of our position of children of God. That’s when we will experience this amazing grace that is on offer for us.
Sharing it with others
Sharing it with others
Now, I want to suggest, that in addition to us experiencing this light, this passage also reminds us that we can share the light that we have received.
This light is not just for us and the other people who like to go to church on a Sunday.
This light is for the whole world, and as I started, this world so desperately needs this light at the moment.
In one regard, we can share this light when we live out the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.
But it is even more than that. Because the Word became flesh. The Word is Jesus. Jesus is the Word.
Sometimes it is true that we need to be quiet a bit more and let our actions do the talking, however, we should never neglect to actually tell people about Jesus.
Because, even with lots of gentleness and kindness and even love, if Jesus is not at the centre of it, the light will blocked.
Jesus has the power to change because the darkness can not overcome him.
There is real power in his name.
The future
The future
So, what hope is there for the future?
The truth is, while the light has been poured out into this world, and while the light cannot be overcome by darkness, not everyone receives the light.
Consequently, even as believers who have received the light, we can be left with little hope. Sure we have our ultimate hope, that is to say, the certain hope of Jesus returning when all things will be made right, but what about the mean time?
I want to suggest that there is hope even in the short term. Not a hope that all will be made right, but a hope that the true light will continue to shine and lives will be changed as a result.
A lot is going to happen in 2025. I don’t know what that will be. I can guarantee there will be some horrific things happen throughout the world and throughout Australia.
And yet, as believers all around shine the light of Jesus, the Word that became flesh, little pockets of brightness begin to shine.
Women facing domestic violence leave for a safer place.
People facing addictions break free.
Family members in bitter conflict resolve their differences.
The homeless find homes
Those weighed down with guilt are freed form their burden.
These bright lights give hope. These bright lights are because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I really don’t know what is going to happen in 2025. What I do know, is that there is light available, but the more we focus on ourselves, the more we’ll block this light.
Let’s allow this light to shine. Because as we do, we’ll start to see a path forward.
Things will continue to be imperfect, but as the light shines, lives will be changed.
Let me pray...