January 4, 2026

Sermon Title:  “In the Beginning Was the Word”

Scripture:  John 1:1-18

(Other lectionary suggestions include Jeremiah 3:7-14, Psalm 147:12-20 and Ephesians 1:3-14.)

John 1:1-18

The Word Became Flesh

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14And 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. 15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ “) 16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

          Perhaps it is a good thing that our first sermon in the New Year is from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. The author wants us to identify with Genesis, which also begins, “In the beginning.” According to Lutheran pastor Paul Simmons, who lives in Ashland, Wisconsin, God is saying to all creation, “You know, Jesus is my only Son. Alive in the flesh, speaking, eating, doing signs, the whole enchilada. He’s been with me since the beginning. I am he and he is I.” And, says the Rev. Mr. Simmons, there’s more. God is saying, “You can be my children. I would love to claim you as my children, every last one of you and all children. Generation after generation after generation until I come back again. You can live your life in me, as it were. We could glorify each other. We could become each other’s best work.”

          It’s 2026 now. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? I don’t usually. How about you? Says the Rev. Paul Simmons, we have been called “to a life lived fully and richly, with adventure, struggle, discovery, fulfillment, purpose, tears, peace, frustration, dancing, and maybe the occasional 90-degree turn. And death. And resurrection. This is a nativity sermon,” he says, “And the nativity is now you. And me. We are the word become flesh, living in the midst of God’s creation. We are the ones who are now the body of Christ in the world. We are the ones who, claiming to have exercised our God-given power to be called children of God, are making New Year’s resolutions in his name.”

          You know, WE are the ones for whom the word became flesh in the first place. Says the Rev. Mr. Simmons, “we are the ones for whom Jesus came.” We have been called “To be real and human, to be crucified and buried, to be raised from the dead to eternal life.” Boy, this guy is a Lutheran, isn’t he?! He quotes verse 14 again:  “We have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” Not drudgery and boredom or toil and heartache. What pair of words describes your life now? Death and taxes? Eat and sleep? Hand to mouth? Or could you, living as a child of God, choose service and blessing? Sharing and rejoicing? Prayer and action? Blessed and fulfilled? Teaching and healing? Forgiven and free?

          He says, “It is still Christmas. It is a new year. Unwrap your gift. Be a child of God. Change your life. Change the world.” Amen. The Gospel of John is different from the others. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are similar to each other, but not John. John is something really different. What do you think?

Pastor Skip