Pastor’s Column 12/7/2025

PASTOR’S COLUMN

1 “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²  He existed in the beginning with God. ³ God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. ⁴  The Word gave life to everyone that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. ⁵  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.  ¹⁴ So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:1-5;14, NLT

“2^nd Sunday in Advent - Life!”

In my younger Christian life, I wondered why John’s Gospel refers to Jesus, the Messiah as the Word. Like many others, my immediate familiarity with the Birth of Jesus was contained to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Mark is silent on the Birth of Jesus and offers no compelling narrative like Matthew and Luke. John, of course, without understanding the deeper meaning of the Word is nebulous; that is, until we learn the meaning and importance of the term. John’s Gospel appearedlate in the 1^st Century, perhaps some 60  years after the Resurrection of Jesus.  In describing Jesus, John wants his readers to know the Messiah preexisted in eternity, before the world and human life was formed. The Word term in the Greek of that day, Logos, let’s us know that our Messiah preceded human Creation; yetHe “became” human and lived among us. Jesus lived before us, and He lives in us. Christ is both immanent (within us) and transcendent (above us). The immediacy of the Messiah’s presence is as close and precious as a newborn baby; and He is exalted high above us as the King of kings. None of the Gospels exclude Him; each declares Him our Savior and Lord! It often takes the power of language to help us find our way to the Lord. However long a person searches - the Word, Jesus the Christ, has always been in eternity and He is within us. We, like the angels,celebrate Christ with exceeding great joy!