2nd SUNDAY before LENT: JOHN 1:1-14

THE WORD BECAME FLESH

JOHN 1:1-14 (NRSV)

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.

There was a man sent from God,
whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.

He himself was not the light,
but he came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone,
was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
and the world came into being through him;
yet the world did not know him.

He came to what was his own,
and his own people did not accept him.

 But to all who received him,
who believed in his name,
he gave power to become children of God,
who were born,
not of blood
or of the will of the flesh
or of the will of man,
but of God.

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.

      the word…

                    …became flesh

I went to the beginning
And it was light.
And white.
No darkness anywhere.
I heard someone singing a message.

But I didn’t understand.

“Who are you?”, I asked.
“WORD”, was the reply.

I asked, “How long have you been here?”
“Always”, WORD said.

“Who is here with you?”
“Oh, God is here with me”, WORD smiled.

“What are you then?”
“I am God”, WORD replied.

I still didn’t understand.

So, I asked, “What are you here to do?”
“I AM”, WORD said.

“Huh?”, I furrowed my brow.
I felt dumb.

WORD smiled again.
“The Message I sing, tells everyone who I AM.
God’s Love Song cannot be silent!
Singing Love and bringing Life.
I am Creator – through me all things were sung into being.
Nothing came into being without me.
I am Logos – God’s Message to humankind.
I am The Light – no darkness can overcome me.

I thought…HARD!

 If WORD was there in the beginning, then WORD was never created!
If WORD was there in the beginning, then WORD was the one who created.
If WORD was there in the beginning of all things, then WORD created ME!

“Come with me”, WORD said, “I’ll show you.”

We found ourselves in an animal shelter.
Cows, sheep and…. a newborn baby with his mother and father.
Shepherds with simple hearts and shining eyes, kneeling in the dirty hay
Praising and worshipping God the WORD in human form.

I am starting to understand.

WORD said…
“My Creation have forgotten me,
so I am singing them my Logos;
my God Song.
Coming to my people in human form: WORD made flesh.

A life-changing WORD from God the Father.
Living among you.

Bringing the True Light.
And why?

 To remind you… I LOVE YOU!

 And if you believe in me, you are my child.

A “baby WORD” if you like.
A child of God.

Full of grace and truth.”

Now I understand… I AM LOVED.

I WONDER how the WORD can be with God and be God.

I WONDER what it is like in the beginning… and yes I mean ‘is’.

I WONDER all the time what it must be like to live outside time like God does.
Can your brain fathom it?

I WONDER how God’s heart must hurt when we forget God and think we know best.

WHAT words did you hear in this story that you’ve never heard before?

I always find it harder to learn a story like this one.
It is much easier to learn something that has a narrative.
A journey.
A beginning, middle and end.

But the same rules apply.
Spend time with the story, reading different versions and commentaries.
Find the common threads and words, the patterns, the links.
Then write it out the way you would say it.
And then begin.

A great starting place for Biblical Storytelling is to read this book:

STORY JOURNEY: An Invitation to the Gospel as Storytelling by Thomas E. Boomershine.

It was the first book I read on Biblical Storytelling and it changed the way I tell stories.
I’d love to hear how you get on with learning this story.
Get in touch on my CONTACT page.