John 1:19-28

John 1:19-28
English Standard Version (ESV)

  What would it take for you to believe that Jesus had come back to earth?  Plenty of people have claimed to be Jesus in the past two thousand years.  Wikipedia breaks it out by century.  The New Zealand Herald also has a helpful list if you're curious. 
  John didn't claim to be Jesus.  But he did claim that Jesus was coming soon.  His job, in summary, was to point to Jesus, to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus. 
  His job isn't so different than yours. 
  We don't know exactly when Jesus is returning, but we know that He will return.  We don't know how others will react, but that's not our responsibility -- we are called to preach what we know to be true, to live with faithfulness according to the calling, to have integrity between what we believe and how we live. 
  There are plenty of false signals, of people claiming to be who they are not.  We know that Jesus came with signs and wonders -- he performed miracles, and ultimately, he not only predicted his death but also his resurrection.  When someone else does that, I'll take their claims seriously.  Until then, I'll try and imitate John, focusing on what I can say or do that points to Jesus Christ, Lord of all.

John 1:14-18

John 1:14-18
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I have always love the way Eugene Peterson translates verse 14 in The Message translation: 14 The Word became flesh and 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. 
  What God did was amazing -- God translated himself into a language we could understand.  Our senses had become so blocked by our sin that we couldn't see well enough to understand how God was at work reaching out to us.  The prophets were crying out, but we'd tuned our ears to hear other voices that we found to be more alluring.  So God broke through, showing us the fullness of God's glory, full of grace and truth.
  And of that grace, we have all received, grace upon grace.  That's what this life is, grace upon grace.  Breathing in, breathing out, grace upon grace.  Every day a gift, grace upon grace.  The way a small child grips your hand in trust, the way a good meal tastes, the feeling we get when a friend reaches out to say hello, grace upon grace. 
  God came into the world to show us the fullness of God's glory.  Jesus has made this known to us, revealed in his life, death and resurrection.  We receive this glory freely, as a gift, thanks be to God!

John 1:9-13

John 1:9-13 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of D-Day.  D-Day was one of the most remarkable days of the 20th Century, in my opinion, because the forces of those in favor of freedom threw themselves and all of their might against those who were decimating Europe out of hatred.  To read the descriptions of the battle-scarred beaches is harrowing and grim.  I have stood on those beaches, and the legendary courage of men who faced the enemy and pressed forward astounds me.  To stand at the top of Pointe du Hoc and contemplate the bravery required to climb up a cliff in the face of overwhelming enemy opposition is to be awed at the forces fighting for liberty.
  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
  Jesus came to us as a Savior, and humanity rejected him.  Upon his very birth, Herod sought to have him killed.  The religious leaders of Jesus' day opposed him, hated him, sought to discredit and destroy him.  And yet still, Jesus loved us.  Still, Jesus came to us.  Though the forces of sin opposed him and death reached for him to claim him, Jesus came to us, arms open wide, ready to love, ready to conquer.  Jesus is the conquering hero who has defeated death and yet still has the graciousness to knock on the door of your heart and ask if he can enter to dine with you. 
  We worship a Savior who comes as a hero in the face of human sin, the opposition, and withstands our hatred, our cries to crucify him.  The love of Jesus conquers, and we are liberated, freed, and loved.

John 1:1-8

John 1:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I've made some thing in my life.  I've made some paintings and some sculptures, none of which identify any artistic talent within me.  I've made some furniture as well, a few pieces of which have even turned out well.  But I don't know that I would say that I love any of it.  I'm pleased with some of it, even the flawed pieces, but I don't think I'd sacrifice to keep any of it, especially if it turned on me and started attacking me.
  Yet another reminder of how different God is than we are.  God is completely other, and yet God has become one of us.  We are creations of God, spoken into being, and we are known by God intimately.  That brings both joy and shame, as we revel in the relationship and also wish we could hide our weaknesses. 
  God fell in love with us, and God then entered into creation, writing himself into the story, not only so that we would know God completely, but also so that we could be saved by God.  God became the perfect sacrifice so that the Creator could saved the created, and the world has never been the same. 
  God made you, God loves you, and God sacrificed God's own Son to save you.  Never forget that those three things are true about you.