Deeper Reflection
THIS WEEK, WE WILL JOURNEY TOGETHER WITH A Devotional Journal series leading up to Sunday’s sermon entitled “the Christmas that changed the world”. Let’s begin with this question: has Christmas changed your world? If Christmas is just an annual event to you, the answer is probably “no”. We feel good when Christmas comes every year, enjoy the parties and presents…and then it goes by and life goes on. We turn our attention to the worries of the year ahead.But if Christmas is not just an event, but a celebration of Christ, then your answer changes drastically! Who is this Christ? Not merely the cute baby in the manger, but the awesome Cosmic Creator – the Word at the beginning! To the Jewish reader, verse 1 immediately brings to mind the first words in Genesis.³ The Jews referred to the books of the Bible by their opening words, and “in the beginning” was the Jewish name for Genesis.The baby in the manger was not made – but rather the Maker of all things (v.3). That Christ is described as the Word points to how God powerfully created the world and everything in it – just by speaking it all into being (see Gen 1:3)! This Advent season, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas and point others to Christ, let us begin by worshipping the glorious Creator who continually sustains all that He has made. Pause and give thanks today, for everything good, delightful and needful in our lives comes from Him.

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³ Beasley-Murray, G. R. (1999). John (Vol. 36, p. 7). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.