{"id":15384,"date":"2022-12-20T07:37:46","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T06:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theologie.whp.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/?p=15384"},"modified":"2022-12-20T07:37:46","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T06:37:46","slug":"john-11-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/john-11-14\/","title":{"rendered":"John 1:1-14"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas Day | December 25, 2022 | John 1:1-14 | Luther H. Thoresen |<\/h3>\n

1<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>In the beginning was\u00a0the Word, and\u00a0the Word was with God, and\u00a0the Word was God.<\/em>\u00a02\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>He was in the beginning with God.\u00a03\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.\u00a04\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>In him was life,\u00a0and\u00a0the life was the light of men.\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.<\/em><\/p>\n

6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>There was a man\u00a0sent from God, whose name was\u00a0John.<\/em>\u00a07\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>He came as a\u00a0witness, to bear witness about the light,\u00a0that all might believe through him.\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.<\/em><\/p>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.<\/em>\u00a010\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet\u00a0the world did not know him.\u00a011\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>He came to\u00a0his own,\u00a0and\u00a0his own people\u00a0did not receive him.\u00a012\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>But to all who did receive him,\u00a0who believed in his name,\u00a0he gave the right\u00a0to become\u00a0children of God,\u00a013\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>who\u00a0were born,\u00a0not of blood\u00a0nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.<\/em><\/p>\n

14\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>And\u00a0the Word\u00a0became flesh and\u00a0dwelt among us,\u00a0and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son<\/em>[<\/sup><\/em>d<\/sup><\/em><\/a>]<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0from the Father, full of\u00a0grace and\u00a0truth. (ESV)<\/em><\/p>\n

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen<\/em><\/p>\n

Hodie Christus natus es<\/em>t. An ancient liturgy for Christmas day includes \u201cHodie Christus natus es<\/em>t\u201d \u2013 Christ is born today. I knew it was a Latin phrase when I sang it as part of a college choir anthem many years ago, and our director translated it for us. It became part of a college choir Christmas concert. But what I didn\u2019t know at the time was its origin in that Christmas liturgy that affirmed \u201cChrist is born today!\u201d<\/p>\n

Last evening we heard the story in Luke\u2019s gospel of the story of Jesus\u2019 birth in Bethlehem, you probably remember the story of the babe wrapped in bands of cloth and laid in a manger. What today\u2019s gospel affirms is that somehow that child was God in flesh. This is a wonder. This is a mystery. This takes a lifetime for this to soak in\u2026to soak into us and transform us. Transform us\u2026like a frog?<\/p>\n

Some of you might have read Henry David Thoreau\u2019s On Walden Pond.<\/em> In that book from the middle of the 1800\u2019s by that American naturalist he wrote of a time when he spent a whole day up to his neck in water just to see and experience the world like a frog. Ha, but he did not become a frog.<\/p>\n

There is a folk tale called The Frog Prince. <\/em>Have you ever heard of it? There are forms of the tale from cultures all around the world. If I recall correctly, the storyline is something like this: the frog helps a princess\u2026follows her\u2026she kisses the frog, and the frog becomes a prince. In the Muppets \u201cversion\u201d the princess kisses the frog\u2026and she becomes a frog! We may laugh. It seems funny. But maybe it is a good picture for this gospel. Sometimes the mystery of God in flesh is like a princess kissing a frog.* (Pause)<\/p>\n

With our Christmas Eve gospel in Luke 2, we heard of the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and the birth of the Child; we heard of shepherds and angels and more. It is a wonderful story. However, with today\u2019s gospel from John 1, it is full of poetry about the Word \u2013 in the beginning\u2026the Word was light\u2026and life.<\/em> There is mystery \u2013 light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it\u2026the Word became flesh.<\/em><\/p>\n

In this text two sets of seemingly contradictory statements are held together (this is often called a paradox)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One is this: the Word was God\u2026and the Word became flesh.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The other is this: the Word was with God\u2026and the Word dwelt among us.<\/em><\/p>\n

Holding these two together, is to sit in the presence of mystery. Today, John\u2019s poetry may help move us to wonder and awe in the presence of this mystery. (By the way, this mystery is not a puzzle to solve, like a mystery novel of \u201cwho done it?\u201d But this mystery is a wonder-ful event in which we may sit in wonder, and soak it in.<\/p>\n

There is a highly evocative poem by the Welsh poet and Anglican priest, RS Thomas (1913-2000) called The Coming.<\/em> I won\u2019t quote the whole poem, but I will note how it begins,<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd God held in his hand<\/em><\/p>\n

A small globe. Look he said,<\/em><\/p>\n

The son looked. Far off,<\/em><\/p>\n

As through water, he saw<\/em><\/p>\n

A scorched land of fierce<\/em><\/p>\n

Colour…\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

(Then at the very end there is this phrase)<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/em>\u2026Let me go there, he said.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, we might say that God knew this world was a place of darkness and death. Yet, since the Word was light and life, \u201cLet me go there,\u201d said the Word. \u201cLet me go there,\u201d said the Word. To put it another way, the Word saw our need and came among us. The Light saw our darkness and came among us. The Life saw our death and came among us. In seeing our need, our darkness, our death, the Word which is light and life did not wait for us to be \u201cready.\u201d As Paul puts in in the letter to the Romans, \u201cbut God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.\u201d <\/em>(5:8 ESV)<\/p>\n

This moves us to a second poem, \u201cThe First Coming\u201d by Madeline L\u2019Engle. Again, I will not quote the whole poem, but some selected lines.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did not wait till the world was ready,<\/em><\/p>\n

till men and nations were at peace.<\/em><\/p>\n

He came when the Heavens were unsteady,<\/em><\/p>\n

and prisoners cried out\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

He did not wait for the perfect time,<\/em><\/p>\n

He came when the need was deep\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

He did not wait<\/em><\/p>\n

till hearts were pure. In joy he came<\/em><\/p>\n

to a tarnished world of sin\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

In the mystery of the Word made Flesh<\/em><\/p>\n

the Maker of the stars was born.<\/em><\/p>\n

We cannot wait till the world is sane<\/em><\/p>\n

to raise our songs with joyful voice,<\/em><\/p>\n

for to share our grief, to touch our pain,<\/em><\/p>\n

He came with Love..,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

God did not wait, says Madeline, and we cannot wait until the world is sane. Today, in hearing this scripture, we share in the mystery of the Word in flesh; and Today we share with others, in our actions, the same word \u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today is important. Remember that ancient antiphon, Hodie Chistus natus est?<\/em> Do you sense that Today is not just a day 2,000 years ago when Christ was born in history and the Word became flesh in history? Do you sense that Today is this day<\/em>, not just an \u201canniversary\u201d of a great event, but somehow within God\u2019s wonderful power the event is Now. Today the mystery is present! Today we are in the presence of Divine mystery.<\/p>\n

An ancient poet put it this way.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cToday true peace has come to us from heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Today the heavens drip honey upon the entire world\u201d <\/em>(Repeat these two phrases)<\/p>\n

Yes, the Word dwelt among us, and we may also say \u201cThe Word dwells among us Today.\u201d<\/p>\n