Sunday, December 24

A Triune God

Narrative Lectionary Daily Devotions written by Kace Leetch from Clergy Stuff.

“In the beginning…”

“…when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep,”

“…was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

“…while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.”

“All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.”

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”

“What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.”

“God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

John 1:1-5

Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning was God’s Word, and God’s first word was “light.” The wind (Hebrew: ruah, breath, spirit – the Holy Spirit, perhaps?) swept over the waters (chaos, formless, void, emptiness). God spoke and there was light, which has the power to illuminate the darkness, to make sense of chaos, and to create order out of disorder.

So, it seems from before the beginning, God (a triune God) brought light to a dark nothingness. Thus, the creation of everything.

At the time of John, the people were living in a dark world. They were occupied by Rome and their living conditions were difficult. John’s words offered the hope that there would be light in the midst of their darkness. If light marked the beginning of creation, then the light of Christ marked the beginning of a new creation – one in which humanity could truly know the triune God.

A fun way to celebrate the birth of Christ!!! You're welcome.

Narrative Lectionary Text: John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.