In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
– John 1:1
That is a loaded verse. The Word here that John is talking about is capital W. It’s a reference to Jesus. In the beginning was Jesus and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God.
John 1:1 reveals Jesus’ divine identity.
Just think about how mind-boggling this is and breathtaking. Especially as we think about Christmas. Because if we’re not careful, we can miss this not just in all the stuff that Christmas involves, but even the story of Christmas with Mary and Joseph and Wiseman and shepherds and a stable and an inn. And all the details surrounding Jesus’ birth. But as important as those things are, the wonder of Christmas revolves around the identity of this baby in a manger. This is what’s shocking. That God has come to us in the form of a crying, screaming, bedwetting baby… Who was unable to do more than light out and stare and wiggle and make noises. A baby who needed to be fed, changed, and taught like every one of us has needed at one time.
This is astounding and is the truth that in a sense, almost more than any other defines Christianity and drives the wedge between Christianity and Judaism and Christianity and Islam, and all sorts of cults have arisen that deny this truth that Jesus was and is God in human form. And you just think about it, once you grant that Jesus is God, then all the other stories about Jesus make sense.
John 1:1 teaches us that Jesus is God.
Like Jesus walking on water is not that surprising. If he’s the God who made the water. Feeding over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish is not that shocking if he’s the one who made every person eating that meal, his healing people of disease and casting out demons and even rising from the dead. If Jesus is God in the flesh, what’s astounding is not that he rose from the dead, it’s that he even died in the first place.
Like everything in Christianity revolves around this reality that Jesus is God. And if that’s true, well then we definitely need to make sure not to drown that truth out with sleigh bells and stockings. This truth is worthy of awe and wonder and worship and proclamation. There’s so much more we could talk about here, but I just want to lead us to pray in light of this reality that Jesus, the Word was with God and was God from the beginning. Oh God, we praise you for your triune nature.
This verse reminds us Jesus is worthy of all our praise.
We praise you. There is no one like you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in one, oh God, our Father. We praise you as God. Jesus, we praise you as God, Holy Spirit. We confess you are God. There is no one like you, and we worship you today. We worship you right now as the holy, holy, holy God in three persons, and we praise you, Jesus, for coming to us to pay the price for our sins, oh God, for making the way for us to be reconciled to yourself through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.
This is indeed the greatest news in the world that you love us so much, you have sent your son Jesus God in the flesh to pay the price for our sin against you. Oh God, in fresh wonder today. We praise you as our Savior, and God we pray. Please don’t let us keep this good news to ourselves, especially in the Christmas season when we have so many opportunities to share this good news with family members, with friends, that we are spending time with coworkers and classmates who we can easily invite to church or have conversations with about the meaning of Christmas.
Prayer for the Gujar People
Oh God, we pray for your Holy Spirit’s anointing in our lives for the spread of this good news through our lives right around us, and God around the world. We pray today for the Gujar people of India, over 8 million Hindu men, women, and children who worship all kinds of different gods.
They don’t know that you Jesus, alone are God. So we pray, oh, God caused the Gujar people to be reached with the good news of Jesus. Please, oh God, send laborers. Please bless your church in India and from outside India working together to get the good news of the love of Jesus, God in the flesh to the Gujar people of India. We pray all of this with awe and wonder before you, oh God, in the name of Jesus, your Son, who in the beginning was the Word and was with God. And was God and who reigns as God right now. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
