Advent 09 - reading nine

It's Christmas in just over a week and we have arrived at our last advent reading:

John 1:1-14

If Christmas day is the detail, this passage is the big picture. The birth of Jesus was the beginning of God's rescue plan for humanity, kept in his heart from the beginning, spoken about through the prophets and realised through his Son, who was God, is God from the beginning and through all time.

But how is this great event, how is Jesus, who is God, perceived? In two ways, according to the dictionary:

Jesus (Christ) noun

(the title given to) the man who his religious followers believe is the son of God and on whose teachings and life Christianity is based

AND

Jesus (Christ) exclamation

an expression of surprise, shock or anger.

So for some Jesus is the Light of the World and for others he is merely a word used to express anger.

I would like to suggest that we are not only called to celebrate his birth, but proclaim it too, so that others may experience the light and love of God.

How do we do this? There are many ways, forgiving someone, giving time and money to a good cause, speak directly about Jesus to someone are to name but a few.

Perhaps this Christmas we might take some time to ask God how and what he wants us to do this Christmas and in the year to come, to enable his love to flourish in our part of his world.

An extra: fancy thinking about the Christmas story in a different way? Try this: Nativity Icon