Readings for the day: John 1:1-3, Psalm 8, Psalm 104
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I had read these words a hundred times but had never fully grasped their meaning. I still remember where I was sitting in Stuart Hall in the second row of my theology class with Dr. Bruce McCormack. He was lecturing on the Doctrine of Election and for the first time I felt like I really heard what the Apostle John was saying. (Reminded me of the scene from White Men Can’t Jump where Wesley Snipes tells Woody Harrelson, “No, no, no there’s a difference between hearing and listening...You see, white people, y’all can’t hear Jimi. Y’all listen.”) I felt like I had been listening to John for years but hadn’t really been hearing the depth of what he was trying to convey.
Before time. Before space. Before matter. Before the universe and all that is in it (including us) existed. God made a decision. He decided to be Jesus. To be God for us (though we didn’t yet exist). To be God with us (though none of us were around). To define Himself as Savior from eternity (though humanity had not yet sinned).
In the beginning...don’t think of it so much in terms of time but in terms of a time before time.
Was the Word...Jesus. Alpha and Omega. First and Last. Faithful and True. Comforter and Counselor. Friend of Sinners. Prince of Peace. Suffering Servant. Atoning Sacrifice. Savior and Lord. This is who Jesus is and always has been even from eternity.
And the Word was with God...Jesus has always been at His Father’s side. Creating. Shaping. Forming. Dreaming. Planning. Changing. Transforming. Perfecting. In perfect concert with the Father and the Spirit.
And the Word was God...Not only has Jesus always been with the Father, He and the Father are One. Just as He and the Spirit are One. All three Persons acting in one accord. All three Person existing as One God.
I am such a linear creature. As such, I too often fall into the trap of thinking there was a time when Jesus was not. Intellectually I know it’s not true, of course. I can recite the creeds from memory. But in my heart...well, that’s been a different story. I’ve had a hard time grasping the full implications of what it means that Jesus has loved me from before the foundations of the world. So when I first “heard” the Apostle John that day in class, it felt almost like a second conversion. I was overwhelmed at the thought that I’ve had an advocate before the Father, a faithful high priest in the heavenly kingdom, from eternity. There has never been a time in my life when God was not for me. When God was not with me. When God did not love me because there has never been a time when Jesus - the perfect revelation of God’s love and grace - was not! He has always been there and will always be there! And He remains the same yesterday, today, and forever!
This is why the Psalmist breaks out in praise! This is why God’s people from Abraham on forward have praised and worshipped God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength! When the enormity of this eternal truth comes crashing in on you, it is changes you. It humbles you. And it reorients your entire life! Your attitudes. Your emotions. Your thoughts. Your work. Your relationships. Your play. Everything changes when you realize there is no part of your life where Jesus - the very Word of God - is not at work to will according to His good pleasure!
What would it mean for you to live your life from the perspective of praise? To live into the truth that God is really, truly for you and not against you? How would it change your prayer life to know that when you pray, you are not “overcoming God’s reluctance but laying hold of God’s willingness” as Martin Luther learned? Friends, knowing you have access to the vast, immeasurable treasuries of grace through Christ can you give you strength TODAY to face any challenge, endure any trial, face any pain!