Lutheran Hour Ministries Advent Devotions 2013 Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us by Reverend Wayne Palmer - Monday, 2 December 2013 “In the Beginning”

Lutheran Hour Ministries Advent Devotions 2013 Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us by Reverend Wayne Palmer - Monday, 2 December 2013 “In the Beginning”

In the beginning was the Word (see John 1:1)

Before we jump into the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas of 2013, it is important to journey back in time to that first Christmas. John does just that in his Gospel. But he doesn't stop at the manger in Bethlehem. He goes back beyond the moment Joseph discovers his betrothed wife Mary is pregnant. He doesn't even stop when the angel first appears to the Virgin Mary. John keeps going backward in time, carrying us back all the way to the start of the Old Testament.

John starts his account of the first Christmas with "In the beginning"-the precise moment God creates the heavens and the earth. The earth lies before us formless and void, covered with seas and wrapped in darkness. John writes "In the beginning was the Word ...."

Notice John did not write, "In the beginning is the Word." At the beginning of the creation of the heaven and earth, the Word already was. Mary's Son, the Word that would become flesh that first Christmas morn, existed long before. He existed before the world was created.

Before we dive into all our Christmas preparations, before we start wondering if it's worth all the time and work, let's remember we are not merely celebrating the birth of one more famous human baby. We are preparing to celebrate the human birth of the timeless and eternal Word of God, who was there at His Father's side before God created the heavens and the earth.

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