Last Sunday morning we looked at the first section of John’s Gospel. It’s what might be called an origin story of how the Anointed One came to be – where he really came from. In contrast to the other Gospels, John gives us a bigger picture of the logos through whom the universe was created, who then came into his own creation.
What’s your picture of the apostle Paul? In your mind is he the razor sharp theologian, or the radical firebrand? Paul’s letter to Philemon demonstrates Paul’s underlying love expressed in this grace filled plea for restoration of Philemon’s runway slave…
I do like the old blues standards, and I love some of the modern takes on them – the music’s just my style. One song that’s been covered well recently is Son House’s Preachin’ Blues. It struck me for two reasons, firstly, the modern take was very well done, simple, but striking; but, secondly, it talks about joining a Baptist church and preaching, both of which I have done 🙂
Of course, as with so many songs written by those who know nothing of true religion the lyrics are suspect in many ways. I found myself wanting to tweak in a more uplifting direction. Anyway, without further ado, my admittedly naive replacement lyrics, moving from Preachin’ Blues, to Preachin’ Good News.
Well, I got me some religion
Gone and joined a Baptist church
Well, I got me some religion
Gone and joined a Baptist church
Now I’m one of their preachers
Down at Cuckfield Baptist Church
Now I know I have a heaven
A heaven where I belong
Now I know I have a heaven
A heaven where I belong
There I’ll worship Jesus
In my eternal happy home
Well I’m gonna preach Good News
Tell it like the Bible says
Well I’m gonna preach Good News
Tell it like the Bible says
‘Cause that’s the Gospel, people,
Gonna preach it all of my days
Now I know I have a heaven
A heaven where I belong
Now I know I have a heaven
A heaven where I belong
There I’ll worship Jesus
In my eternal happy home
So if you’ve got those blues
Don’t know how to make it right
So if you’ve got those blues
Don’t know how to make it right
Just turn your eyes to Jesus
He is our Gospel Light
And you’ll know you’ve got a heaven
A heaven where you belong
And you’ll know you’ve got a heaven
A heaven where you belong
There you’ll worship Jesus
In our eternal happy home.
Here’s my sermon on love from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. It’s a wonderful picture of how we should behave, based on God’s love for us, sandwiched between Paul addressing the many issues that the church faced.
In John’s Gospel we get a very different take on the Christmas story. Gone are the historical hooks: the census, the trip to Bethlehem, the wise men and the shepherds. Gone is the picture of Joseph and Mary in the stable. Instead, we are given a broader perspective on proceedings.
First of all, we are told that the subject of this whole episode is, and was, the Word – that which was with God in the absolute beginning. In fact, through this Word the entire universe that we inhabit came into existence.
The coming of this Word into his own creation is remarkable.
We know that Jesus would later announce that he is the light of the world, and that following his light would bring life, but there’s another element that we tend to skip over without recognising it for what it is. The light itself is not what brings life, but it is the life behind it – that self-same Word.
John 1:4 tells us: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
The light that we receive, that we follow, derives from that very life of God himself, through the Word. The I AM is the life behind the light. So, the one through whom everything that was made has been made is the same life that lights that first Christmas, and every Christmas since then. It is the power of that life that ensures to us that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t been able to overcome it. Encapsulated in that fragile package who Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and wise men adored was all the power of the Creator of the universe!
And yet, remarkably, in becoming human, Jesus, the Word, became one of us, and ‘came to his own’. How sad then, that so many of us refuse him, not just at Christmas, but throughout our lives. The fantastic news is that this same Word is returning to his creation, but this time in all the power that we read of here. It’s one thing to reject a poor innocent and fragile baby. It’s another thing entirely to reject the One who is life itself and the source of all that was, all that is, and all that will be.
There’s only one thing we can honestly do: bow our knee to the Creator of the universe, made man for our sake, and worship him as the life who brings us light.
