In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Our theme for the school year at Cornerstone comes from a verse in Hebrews 12:15 that says “see to it that no one misses the Grace of God”. It’s our prayer that we extend the grace of God to everyone around us. During these holiday seasons there are many people around that has not experience the joy of God’s grace. We can change that Cornerstone!! One group of people we could give the grace of God to is “those without the Word of God in their lives”. Could you imagine not knowing the Jesus message, how he thinks about us, or how we are to live for God? We should be searching out those who do not have the “Word of God” in their life and give it to them.
This is why The Apostle John opens his gospel with a very bold statement about Jesus in today’s devotional Bible verse. John refers to Jesus as the word or the Greek word is logos.
The reason John nails this idea in these first few verses is because he knows that his readers are importing ideas about God that will skew what they read- whether they’ve been influenced by the Greek philosophy of their day or the teaching of the Jewish scribes. That is still true of us today whether we come from a church background or not. As we read the scriptures, as we try to figure out what it means to follow Jesus, as we become a part of this thing called church, we all bring with us preconceived notions of who God is and what He’s about. Maybe your view is based on what a pastor, Bible study teacher, or even parent told you about God. Maybe your view is rooted in some type of universalist spirituality. Maybe you interpret God through the experiences of the past both positive and negative- and it’s difficult for you not to view God through the emotional, mental, and spiritual baggage of your life journey.
The Bible bring clarity to all of these things, but most of all it brings grace to every situation we find ourselves in this holiday season.