ation story told in Genesis. Close your eyes, and you can see that light cutting through velvet blackness. With no persp
Waterford Congregational
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Scripture Readings December 24, 2017 The Fourth Sunday of Advent About the text
T
he commands of kings,
the warnings and words of comfort from prophets. All the ways in which God spoke to and through people to draw them just a bit closer to the love intended for them. All of it points to a single statement: The Word was first. Before there were thrones or Jeremiads or great triumphs or crushing defeats, God’s Word came first. John’s Gospel begins with a light shining in darkness—echoing the Creation story told in Genesis. Close your eyes, and you can see that light cutting through velvet blackness. With no perspective and no context, darkness confuses and perplexes. That beam of light causes a sharp intake of breath. What now?
New Revised Standard
The Message
John 1:1-18 1 In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 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. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because
1 The Word was first, · the
Word present to God, God present to the Word. · The Word was God, 2 in readiness for God from day one. 3 Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. · 4 What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. · 5 The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out. 6 There once was a man, his name John, sent by God 7 to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. 8 John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light. 9 The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. · 10 He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn’t even notice. · 11 He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him. · 12 But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, · He made to be their true selves, their childof-God selves. · 13 These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten. 14 The Word became flesh and
New Revised Standard
The Message
he was before me.’”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 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.
blood, and moved into the neighborhood. · We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, · Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. 15 John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.” 16 We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. · 17 We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, · This endless knowing and understanding—all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. · 18 No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. · This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.
Psalm 130:5-8 5 I wait for the LORD, my
soul waits, and in his word I hope; · 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. · 8 It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
5 I pray to GOD—my life a
prayer— and wait for what he’ll say and do. 6 My life’s on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning. 7 O Israel, wait and watch for GOD— with GOD’S arrival comes love, with GOD’S arrival comes generous redemption. 8 No doubt about it—he’ll redeem Israel, buy back Israel from captivity to sin.
The Narrative Lectionary presents the story of God’s work in humanity through a single Gospel each year. This is Year 4: The Year of John.
