A Light Has Come

6 A man named John was sent from God. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light. 8 He himself wasn’t the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light.

John 1:14–18 CEB

14 The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about him, crying out, “This is the one of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than me because he existed before me.’ ” 16 From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace; 17 as the Law was given through Moses, so grace and truth came into being through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made God known.

Hark! The Herald

Hope of the Nations

Kids Moment - Magi? - complete the nativity scene

Giving

Prayer - family news

Thank you! For all your prayers and messages and cards and treats - Gordon’s cardiac ablation procedure on Dec 16 - recovering well. We felt very supported and cared for.

Update on Brittney & Steve - baby Emma Grace

Pray for Bowdlers who have had to postpone travel due to positive Covid tests

Sermon: The Light Has Come

Today, we begin a series that will take us through the first nine chapters of the gospel of John. Then, during Lent, we’ll continue and work out way through chapters 10-20, finishing up on Easter Sunday. This means, that for the next 15 weeks, 16 including today, we’ll be working our way through the book of John. This is likely a part of the Bible you’ve encountered before, but maybe you’ve never read it all the way through. So, I really encourage you to read it. I’m working on a plan for us to read it together during Lent, as we did with the Gospel of Luke last year. But it would be wonderful if you would read it through on your own, sometime in the next few 8 weeks. Maybe read it in a translation you’re less familiar with - or read a familiar and unfamiliar translation side by side. There are many ways you COULD read the Gospel of John - don’t get stuck on all the possibilities. Just read!

As we begin our journey through a gospel, a few reminders about how we can properly approach this genre of text. This is different territory than the prophets who so dominated the last part of November and December, or the narrative texts from the Old Testament that we read earlier in the fall. We have to shift in our approach.

The first four books of what we call the New Testament are gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

A gospel is a text that bears witness to the life of Jesus. Each gospel has its own flavour - or vantage point. We hear the voice of the gospel writers in their accounts of the birth, life, death & resurrection of Jesus. (Though not all of them will include all of the same events or details, much as we all recount things a little differently!)

These were written decades after the events they describe - and were meant to function as origin stories for first-century Christian communities who were living in the shadow of Roman occupation. This is how things came to be. This is the kingdom that stands in bold opposition to the Empire. These texts re-oriented believers, encouraging them to carry on, and these texts called new people to faith as they encountered the Jesus to which these accounts give witness.

Now looking at the Gospel of John, in particular.

Judy Fentress-Williams writes:

"John is the last of the Gospels in both canonical order and date of authorship, probably written between 95-105 CE. The exquisitely elusive words of this Gospel are directed to a faith community struggling with their identity.

Externally, there are the ongoing pressures from the Roman Empire. (Scholars debate the intensity of that pressure.) Internally there are divisions over doctrine. The community to whom the Gospel is addressed is most likely diverse in ethnicity and religious backgrounds.

There are competing theologies and doctrines, primarily centered on the answer to the question of who Jesus is. In response to this confusion, the Gospel presents a metaphorical universe, one that stands in stark contrast to the audience’s fractured reality, crafted to introduce them to the Jesus they all thought they already knew.”

We will spend the next few months working our way through the Gospel of John. And even spending this kind of time, we will only scratch the surface. I will invite you to read this fourth book of the New Testament alongside on your own. And, we for Lent, we will once again read through the gospel as a community. But a reminder that we are much different from John’s original audience. And yet, we too are facing divisions over doctrine. We too experience external and internal pressures. And we too are in danger of thinking we already know who Jesus is… but John’s gospel will direct our attention to Jesus once again. And some things John will show us might be familiar, but others are likely to surprise us.

As we read John in the coming weeks, both together on Sundays and on our own, may we also encounter the Jesus to whom the gospel bears witness.

Prayer of illumination...

In the Call to Worship, we heard some of the opening verses from John 1 - The first 18 verses of the gospel are referred to as the “Prologue” or the Overture. And we read a section of them together as our text on the fourth Sunday of Advent. The two high points in the Prologue are v 14 and 18. Now, because we are potentially, OVER-familiar with these words, let’s read them in the First Nations Version I mentioned earlier.

John 1:14 FNV

14 Creator’s Word became a flesh-and-blood human being and pitched his sacred tent among us, living as one of us. We looked upon his great beauty and saw how honorable he was, the kind of honor held only by this one Son who fully represents his Father—full of his great kindness and truth.

John 1:18 FNV

18 No one has ever seen the Great Spirit, but the one Son, who is himself the Great Spirit and closest to the Father’s heart, has shown us what he is like.

In these verses, we see glimmers of the wonder that is the Incarnation. Jesus shows us who God is - what God is like. God made flesh. God, who cannot be seen, made visible.

But now we come to the second part of John chapter 1 and a note here, that John the beloved disciple and John the Baptist are two separate people. You’re hearing John, the gospel writer speaking about Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist. Got it? … starting in vs 19, and reading from the Common English Bible:

John 1:19–27 CEB

19 This is John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 John confessed (he didn’t deny but confessed), “I’m not the Christ.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” John said, “I’m not.” “Are you the prophet?” John answered, “No.” 22 They asked, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied, “I am a voice crying out in the wilderness, Make the Lord’s path straight, just as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 Those sent by the Pharisees 25 asked, “Why do you baptize if you aren’t the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26 John answered, “I baptize with water. Someone greater stands among you, whom you don’t recognize. 27 He comes after me, but I’m not worthy to untie his sandal straps.”

John the Baptist knows who he is and what his role is

not the Messiah

not Elijah

not the Prophet,

but the voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord

John 1:28–34 CEB

28 This encounter took place across the Jordan in Bethany where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is really greater than me because he existed before me.’ 31 Even I didn’t recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be made known to Israel.” 32 John testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him. 33 Even I didn’t recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and testified that this one is God’s Son.”

John points to Jesus

v 29 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the [cosmic brokenness] of the world!”

John 1:29 CEB

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29 FNV

29 The next day Gift of Goodwill John saw Creator Sets Free Jesus walking toward him from a distance. “Behold!” he said to the ones gathered with him. “There is Creator’s Lamb, the one who carries away and heals the bad hearts and broken ways of the world!”

John not only knows who he is (and isn’t) and what his role is, but he also recognizes the true identity of Jesus - and His role. Jesus is the Messiah, the Lamb of God, and He will take away the sin of the world. Not your mistake over here, and that issue over there, and my error in judgment or blatant disobedience, but the EVERYTHING BROKEN, EVERY systemic evil, every personal failure.

Do you remember how in Luke, Jesus' identity was this big reveal… it took several chapters, and there were a few points before Peter finally blurts our “You are the Christ!” that Jesus even shushes demons who recognize him… saying “it’s too soon. Shh!”

But here in John, Jesus identity has been on display throughout the Prologue, and then here it is again. Jesus’ identity will be on display from the very beginning in this account. This is the Messiah. This is the Lamb of God. This is the one who will take away the cosmic brokenness.

In the final section, we see people begin to follow Jesus

John 1:35–51 CEB

35 The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus walking along he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, “What are you looking for?” They said, “Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?” 39 He replied, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Christ42 He led him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). 43 The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?” Philip said, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are God’s Son. You are the king of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these! 51 I assure you that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up to heaven and down to earth on the Human One.”

from Robert Williamson (Bible Worm) three entry points to becoming a disciple:

Your teacher says “there’s the lamb of God”

Your friends says, “hey! We found this guy...”

Jesus says, “Follow Me” directly to you.

How then do you answer the questions?

Who are you?

Who do you say Jesus is?

Are you a disciple of Jesus? Has your teacher pointed to Him? (And if they haven’t, why are they your teacher?) Have your friends told you and pointed to Jesus? Has Jesus Himself said, “Follow Me”? All three are valid origin stories. As you begin 2022 - are you a Jesus follower?

It’s okay to answer no to that question, by the way. Honesty is way better than pretense.

But in 2022 - and in these next few weeks, I dare you - whether you think you know who Jesus is or not - to read along, to investigate, whether for the first or the thousandth time, this account of Jesus’ life that we call the gospel of John. Who is the Jesus it describes? And what would it look like for you to follow Him?

Table

GOSPEL WORDS

John 1:1 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:29 NIV

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

INVITATION TO THE TABLE Come to this table, not because you must but because you may, not because you are strong, but because you are weak. Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come, but because you need mercy and help. Come, because you love the Lord a little and would like to love him more. Come, because he loved you and gave himself for you. Come and meet the risen Christ, for we are his Body.

PRAYER Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. Fellowship news may now be shared, prayers for the church family offered and new members received.

INSTITUTION The minister may lift, or point to, the bread and the wine when they are mentioned in the words of institution. The apostle Paul tells us of the institution of the Lord’s Supper: For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11.23–26

THANKSGIVING An extempore prayer of thanksgiving should be offered or a prayer such as Loving God, we praise and thank you for your love shown to us in Jesus Christ. We thank you for his life and ministry, announcing the good news of your kingdom and demonstrating its power in the lifting of the downtrodden, and the healing of the sick, and the loving of the loveless. We thank you for his sacrificial death upon the cross for the redemption of the world, and for your raising him to life again, as a foretaste of the glory we shall share. The Lord’s Supper 15

We give you thanks for this bread and wine, symbols of our world and signs of your transforming love. Send your Holy Spirit, we pray, that we may be renewed into the likeness of Jesus Christ and formed into his Body. This we pray in his name and for his sake. Amen.

THE BREAKING OF BREAD The bread may now be lifted and broken with the words Jesus said, ‘This is my body which is for you; do this in memory of me’.

SHARING THE BREAD When the minister has broken the bread and placed a portion on each plate, the bread shall be distributed with words such as Take this in remembrance that Christ died for you and feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.

THE LIFTING OF THE CUP The cup may now be raised in full view of the congregation with such words as In the same way, he took the cup after supper, and said: ‘This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in memory of me.’

SHARING THE WINE The wine is distributed. If individual glasses are used and the wine is retained to be drunk together, then the minister may say Drink this and remember that Christ’s blood was shed for you and be thankful.

WORDS OF ACCLAMATION AND PRAYER We give you thanks and praise, that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home.

Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory.

May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world.

Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us, so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SONG: Glory (Let There Be Peace)

Benediction:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.

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