The Word became Flesh and Lived among Us

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. . . 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. (John 1:1-18)

“In the beginning. . .the Word was God!” What a great Message for Christmas, God in Jesus present for the creation, a part of all that was, is and is to come. Also a wonderful message for the beginning of a new year, that God became one of us and lives among us, that God moved into our neighborhood and is with us always, even to the “end of the age.”

Our world and our lives are filled with light and darkness, and in times of darkness it is easy to forget that there once was light. Jesus Christ brings that light into the world and reminds us that even in the darkest hours, that light can never be extinguished, that it is always with us.

Times of endings and beginnings allow, perhaps even force, us to reflect on the past, to learn from our experiences both positive and negative; to remember those we have loved and lost and to give thanks for them and their lives as gifts of God to us. These times allow and encourage us to look forward, to realize that “graduation” is also “commencement,” a new beginning, a time to nurture old relationships and to build new ones, a time to discard those things that way us down, and to open ourselves to the possibilities that the Light of Christ brings to us as we begin our next journey around the sun, including living abundantly and fully in the present moment.

In the year just ended, I retired (for the second time), nursed my wife back to health after major Thoracic surgery, was blessed to spend time with my 96 year old mother, including being with her when she died and passed on into the nearer presence of our Lord. I had good times with family and friends and hiked and paddled a lot, enjoying the beauty of God’s Creation. I ended the year with a long hike and the 100^th birthday party for one of my mother’s friends from the nursing home. Throughout the year, through good times and tough times, I lived in the light of Christ which has overcome the darkness.

As we begin a New Year, I invite you all to join me in remembering and celebrating the past year, grateful for God’s presence and Grace, and in looking forward to a New Year, open to God’s Spirit and surrounded by God’s Grace and Truth.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth. (John 1:18)