John 1:
1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing made had being.
4 In him was life,
and the life was the light of mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not suppressed it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was Yochanan. 7 He came to be a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light; so that through him, everyone might put his trust in God and be faithful to him. 8 He himself was not that light; no, he came to bear witness concerning the light.
9 This was the true light,
which gives light to everyone entering the world.
10 He was in the world — the world came to be through him —
yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own homeland,
yet his own people did not receive him.
12 But to as many as did receive him, to those who put their trust in his person and power, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 not because of bloodline, physical impulse or human intention, but because of God.
14 The Word became a human being and lived with us,
and we saw his Sh’khinah,
the Sh’khinah of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
15 Yochanan witnessed concerning him when he cried out, “This is the man I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me has come to rank ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”
16 We have all received from his fullness,
yes, grace upon grace.
17 For the Torah was given through Moshe;
grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah.
18 No one has ever seen God; but the only and unique Son, who is identical with God and is at the Father’s side — he has made him known.
[Complete Jewish Bible]---------------------
"From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." What does John mean by that? On one level he means that you cannot exhaust God's grace. Receive it today, use it right now and there's still more for tomorrow. Looked at from another perspective it is also true that grace builds upon grace.
That was the central plot line of the movie "Pay it Forward," in which a middle school teacher gives his incoming class of seventh graders the assignment to design an experiment that will change the world. Surprisingly, one student accepted the challenge, designed his experiment, implemented it in real life and did indeed change the world. A kindness received results in a kindness shared. When those acts of goodness are experienced between strangers, they truly become parables of grace. That is what grace does. It changes our world.
As the pastor in a church, I constantly witness people who enact their own parables of grace. An act of kindness, one sacrificing time or money to do something on behalf of another--such graceful gifts make an impact. And often we see lives are changed. It is truly difficult to receive grace and not be moved to gratitude. Often the only form of thanks that seems appropriate is to pay it forward to someone new. You are a recipient of this grace right now. To whom will you pay it forward? Is there any way you might build a New Year's resolution around the very idea of receiving and sharing grace? Go ahead, give it a try, there is grace in abundance!
(I challenge you to name three blessings, large or small, that you have received this Christmas season.) Lord, all gifts are ultimately from you, but I give you thanks for those who have touched my life with help, with encouragement, with love and with grace. Make me sensitive to the people I will meet in the coming days, so that I might see those opportunities you present through which I might share with others the love and grace with which I have been gifted. Amen.
Sherman Bishop
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Westlake, Ohio
Master of Divinity, 1980
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.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 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.
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.' ")
16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.[New Revised Standard Version]
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