Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 1 January 2015 - Scripture: John 1:1-13

Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Thursday, 1 January 2015 - Scripture: John 1: The Life-Light
1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
    God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
    in readiness for God from day one.
3-5 Everything was created through him;
    nothing—not one thing!—
    came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
    and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
    the darkness couldn’t put it out.
6-8 There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.
9-13 The Life-Light was the real thing:
    Every person entering Life
    he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
    the world was there through him,
    and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
    but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
    who believed he was who he claimed
    and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
    their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
    not blood-begotten,
    not flesh-begotten,
    not sex-begotten.[The Message]
The Greek word used for the word "world" here is "cosmos." It reminds us that the entire universe—that is, everything—was made possible because of the Word. And that Word became flesh and lived among us. 
My son has decided to double major in physics and astronomy. This has drawn me to explore in more depth what it is that he wants to be, an astrophysicist. The astrophysicist's world is overwhelming. Our little blue dot (in the universe calling earth even a dot is an exaggeration) is relatively insignificant in this vast galaxy. So how is a person of faith to even begin to comprehend or understand what it means that the one who created it all also chose to be one of us? Yet we dare to confess: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Holy Lord, Creator of the universe, what am I to be a subject of your love? You call to me in the noise that is around me to do the same—to love someone else who is not me. I am not worthy of your love, but I am able to share it. Thank you Lord for trusting me with this awesome gift and responsibility. Amen.
Tor Kristian Berg
Pastor, First Lutheran Church
Bothell, Wash. 
Master of Divinity , 1994
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being
4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.[The Revised Standard Version]
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