Our Daily Bread 19 December 2018 Devotional
Topic: A Christmas Letter
Read: John 1:1–14
Bible in a Year: Jonah 1–4; Revelation 10
Scripture: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father. John 1:14
Message: Every Christmas, a friend of mine writes a long letter to his wife, reviewing the events of the year and dreaming about the future. He always tells her how much he loves her, and why. He also writes a letter to each of his daughters. His words of love make an unforgettable Christmas present.
We could say that the original Christmas love letter was Jesus, the Word made flesh. John highlights this truth in his gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). In ancient philosophy, the Greek for Word, logos, suggested a divine mind or order that unites reality, but John expands the definition to reveal the Word as a person: Jesus, the Son of God who was “with God in the beginning” (v. 2). This Word, the Father’s “one and only Son,” “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (v. 14). Through Jesus the Word, God reveals Himself perfectly.
Our Daily Bread 19 December 2018 Devotional – A Christmas Letter
Theologians have grappled with this beautiful mystery for centuries. However much we may not understand, we can be certain that Jesus as the Word gives light to our dark world (v. 9). If we believe in Him, we can experience the gift of being God’s beloved children (v. 12).
Jesus, God’s love letter to us, has come and made His home among us. Now that’s an amazing Christmas gift!
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Word of God, and You bring light into my life. May I shine forth Your goodness and grace and bring You honor.
Thought for the Day: How can you share the amazing gift of Jesus with others today?
INSIGHT
In this account of Jesus’s life, John the disciple notes the supreme irony: the Creator visits His creation, and His creation does not recognize Him (John 1:10). More than that, God’s chosen people reject their Messiah: “He came to that which was his own [Israel], but his own did not receive him” (v. 11). It would seem, then, that Jesus’s visit to our planet was not a success. But many did believe, and John emphasizes, “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (vv. 12–13).
Tim Gustafson
Our Daily Bread 19 December 2018 Devotional was written by Amy Boucher Pye