Deeper Reflection
PICTURE YOURSELF AT A CHRISTMAS FEAST WITH YOUR family, saying grace before the meal. This thanksgiving prayer is called “grace” because it acknowledges that “all that we need and cherish, comes from the Lord in token of His love”⁷. Every blessing – the gifts of family, fellowship, food and fun – is a gift of grace!In meritocratic Singapore, many people find it hard to accept grace. We have a deep cultural belief that everything that we have is earned solely through our own merit and effort. Often, we are blind to how much in our lives is truly a result of grace. Verse 16 gives us a reality check, for it reminds us that “from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace”.Jesus Himself is the ultimate gift of grace, because the unseen Father has been made known to us (exēgēsato) by Jesus (v.18)! From the Greek verb exēgēsato we derive the English word “exegesis”: we could say that Jesus exegetes God to us. ⁸ To put it simply, Jesus tells us what the Father is really like.God’s gracious gift of Jesus the Son makes that first Christmas world-changing.This Christmas, you can be part of God’s work to change someone else’s world. Will you tell someone, through your words and deeds, what God the Father is really like?

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⁷ These lovely words are from the lyrics of the choral anthem “Look at the World” by John Rutter ⁸ Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 135). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdma