1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadThe Christmas crazy season is upon us. At least, that’s how I feel. Once you hit December, the rush has begun: there are presents to buy, the diary is filling up, the shops are crazy, everyone is stressed, there’s not enough time. I get anxious just thinking about it.That’s why I love that we are starting the prologue of John’s Gospel today. This is so necessary for keeping things in perspective, isn’t it? “In the beginning was the Word”: the Word of God, who is himself fully God and was with God, the perfect self-expression of God; the Son of God, eternally begotten from the Father, in a perfect relationship of love and joy with the Father, in the Spirit, from all eternity. Outside of our crazy and stressful world, outside of time and creation itself, there was, is, and will be the light, life and love of God.The light, life and love of God are eternal constants, never changing, unaffected by our crazy seasons, sustaining all things – and with a plan to rescue us from all craziness, a plan that we can rely on with absolute confidence.Because the Word has not remained silent. The Light has shone into our darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (v 5). That light, life and love shone at the beginning of time, when God created everything through his Word. And that light, life and love of God blazed into our darkness when the Lord Jesus Christ was born – when the Son of God took on a human nature and was born as a man.In a couple of days, we will read about how the Word of God entered the hustle and bustle and stress and mess of the world we live in. That first Christmas season was the craziest – when the Word became flesh? (v 14) That’s really crazy, in the best possible way.But for today, allow the unchanging reality of the light, life and love of God bring you peace and reassurance as you face the Christmas season. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). If he has shone God’s light into the darkness of your life – if you have put your trust in Jesus for your salvation – then know that the darkness can never overcome that light. You can rely on him.





























ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.

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