“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, . . . full of grace and truth.”                           (St. John  i. 14)

Today, we celebrate the life of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist.  You will notice we are not celebrating his martyrdom with red vestments.  We are celebrating with white vestments because we are celebrating the gift of his life to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  John was the younger brother of St. James the Apostle also known as James the Greater to distinguish him from James, the son of Alphaeus.  The Gospel according to St. John is attributed to him, hence the title Evangelist.  He is also credited with three epistles and the book of Revelation.  He is known as St. John the Divine and St. John the theologian by the Eastern church.  These derive from his approach to the Gospel and the book of Revelation.  St. John did not write a chronology of Jesus’ life as did the other three Evangelists.  John wrote a study of Jesus Christ and his relationship to God and to us.

On Christmas Eve, we read the first fourteen verses of the first chapter of the Gospel according to John.  This is also known as the “Last Gospel.”  In churches that celebrate a missal mass, it is recommended that it be read at the end of every communion service.  Its prominence is due to its clear statement of the Incarnation.  Our text for today is from the end of that statement.  It is worth a closer look.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  The Word, which was made flesh and dwelt among us, existed in the beginning.  Before creation, the Word was with God.  The Word either had to be God or it had to be created.  And John tells us explicitly, “the Word was God.”  John is telling us three characteristics of Christ.  His eternity is shown by his existence in the beginning.  His fellowship is shown by His being with God.  His divine nature is shown by His being God.  These three characteristics are repeated throughout his Gospel.

In the second verse, St. John reiterates, “The same was in the beginning with God.”  He is restating the conclusion of the first verse.  He continues with, “All things were made by him;  and without him was not anything made that was made.”  The Word, which was made flesh and dwelt among us, and was God:  participated in the process of creation.

The fourth and fifth verses talk of Christ.  “In him was life;  and the life was the light of men.”  In Christ was life and His life is the light of men to follow the created order and Will of God.  “And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.”  Christ’s life and light can shine in the darkened world, but the darkened world was not ready to understand.  Something was needed to prepare the world for the light of Christ.

Verses six, seven and eight refer to John the Baptist who came to prepare the world for the light of Christ by preaching repentance.  “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.”  John is clear that the Baptist was not the Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

In verse nine, John describes Christ as being “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”  John writes, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”  In this tenth verse, John reminds us what was stated in verse three.  Jesus was with God and was God from the beginning and participated in the process of creation.  And yet when Christ came into the world, the world did not recognize him.

In the eleventh verse, John talks about Jesus coming unto his own, the Jewish faithful.  “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”  The Jewish faithful refused to recognize him as their messiah.  We understand they were looking for a militant messiah who would deliver them from the rulers of this world.  They failed to recognize him as their spiritual messiah who would deliver them to the spiritual kingdom of everlasting life.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”  John shows that Christ came for more than the Jewish faithful.  To all that receive him, he gave the power to become the sons of God and especially to those who believed on His name.

The thirteenth verse describes those who have the power to become the sons of God and who believed on His name.  They are those, “which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  They are those who have been regenerated and born again of God.  The blood lines of the physical birth and the acts of the flesh and the intent of the parents are not as important as being born of God.  There are those who believe that Baptism is merely a symbolic act of initiation into the church.  St. John makes it clear that regeneration is the intent of that sacrament.

Finally we have the last verse.  “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”  This verse tells the story of the Incarnation.  This Word, Jesus Christ, who was from the beginning and was with God and was God, was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.  This was God, not a man endued with divine qualities.  This God was made flesh to exercise free will and to endure the temptations we face.  He did not live in a divine cocoon untouched by this world.  He dwelt among us;  only he did so full of grace and truth.  John says, “we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.”  John is giving an eye witness account of Jesus’ relationship with His Father and with us.  Later, John goes on to say, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

Now we see why the Last Gospel carries so much importance for all Christians.  Only God was capable of providing the proper penance for the sins of mankind.  But the penance had to be paid by mankind.  With the Incarnation, we see God, through human nature, providing that penance, freely and with love.  This “Last Gospel” explicitly lays out God’s intent to provide forgiveness for all mankind through the acts of the only man capable of making the necessary sacrifice.  With the Resurrection, we see this new addition to human nature being transformed into immortality.  That is why we worship a living God and not a dead hero.

In summary, St. John tells us that Jesus Christ was with God and was God from the beginning and during creation.  Jesus Christ made everything that was made.  Jesus Christ was the light that shineth in darkness although those in darkness could not recognize it.  God sent John the Baptist to prepare those in darkness for the light of the world.  Jesus Christ was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, but the world knew him not.  His own people, the Jewish faithful, would not receive him as the Messiah.  Yet, he gave power to become the sons of God to those who did receive him and believed on his name.  “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”  This Good News is contained throughout the New Testament.  John started his Gospel with this point.  He ended his Gospel with “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.  Amen.”

Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty;  for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine;  thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

(1 Chronicles  xxix. 11.)