In the prologue to his gospel, the Apostle John says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). John 1:1-18 is essentially his Christmas narrative, as his gospel, along with Mark’s, lacks the traditional material regarding the birth of Jesus and the circumstances surrounding it. Excluding Mary, Joseph and the rest of the nativity cast, John instead pans out to a more cosmic, philosophical and theological account of the coming of Christ that he believed would more readily connect with the Hellenistic audience he had in mind. By referring to Jesus as the Logos, the Word, who was with God and was God and through whom all things were made, John taps into popular discussions of the day about the nature of the universe, the source of wisdom and the path to true knowledge and a good life.
In addition to identifying Jesus as the Word of God, John further asserts that Jesus is the life and light of the world. Light warms and illuminates, and in our modern Christmas observances, lighting our homes and trees gives us a sense of comfort and security and even nostalgia for simpler, more peaceful days, and hope for better days to come. However, light also exposes and burns. A light bulb or flashlight is a wonderful tool of convenience that helps us navigate dark rooms or pathways. But a bright security light may expose criminal or salacious behavior, and a strong laser can cut through flesh and bone.
While we appreciate the benefits of light, there are moments we prefer darkness. John addresses this reality later in his gospel when, speaking of Jesus, he declares, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil” (Jn. 3:19). We see an example of this at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel. When it comes to light that Mary is pregnant before she and Joseph have consummated their marriage. Joseph makes plans to divorce Mary quietly to minimize the exposure to what, at the time, Joseph could only conclude was Mary’s infidelity.
For most of us, Christmas is a time of light, joy, comfort and community as we gather with family and friends, exchange gifts and share wonderful meals together. However, for many others, this time of year can be dark and depressing, reminding them of what or whom they have lost, confronting them with their failures, or entrenching them in unbelief, as they see Christmas, with all its religious and consumerist trappings, as nothing but nonsense and greed.
For those who do believe in the Christ of Christmas, we certainly should not downplay the hope and joy of the season. We should sing the carols with gusto and conviction, give generously as we are able and be alert to include the lonely and hurting in our community gatherings. But the prophet Isaiah, foretelling the coming of Jesus, proclaims, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Is. 9:2). And the angel who appeared to Joseph declares that Mary has not been unfaithful, but rather is the bearer of the one who will save the people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). It is because the world and humanity are mired in darkness and sin that Jesus came into the world to begin with. If we don’t acknowledge the darkness that precipitates and permeates the biblical account of the conception, birth and initial years of Jesus life (think Herod killing all the boys two years and younger), then the light of Christmas will remain sentimental and nostalgic, rather than illuminating, transformative and genuinely hopeful.
As mentioned above, John says Jesus came full of grace and truth. This is not a fifty-fifty proposition. Rather, John asserts that, in his life and teaching, Jesus is completely gracious and completely truthful. He is the light of the world, fully illuminating God's character and the path to life in him, while also fully exposing our sin and brokenness. Individually, and in our religious and political positions and inclinations, we invariably lean to one side or the other of the grace/truth spectrum.
At the risk of oversimplification, generally, people and institutions with a more liberal bent emphasize the grace of God sometimes to the point where it seems like anything goes as long as we’re nice to each other, while those of a more conservative persuasion tend to focus on telling the truth, sometimes to the point of cruelty. And self-righteousness abounds on either end of the continuum.
As we head into the Christmas season, if for just a moment, we can direct our attention away from the cute creches, the seasonal sales and the uber-happy Hallmark movies, or lift our gaze from our private pains, failures and faithlessness, just maybe we can engage the Christmas story with renewed clarity and conviction. Maybe this year, as we encounter the story again, we will see in the Christ-child presented in the accounts of Matthew and Luke the one whom John declares to be the true light of the world and open our hearts to his grace and truth in a deeper, more authentic way. Then we will discover that the truth about ourselves and the world is worse than we thought or wanted to admit, but then joyfully realize, maybe in a way we never have before, that God’s grace in Christ is deeper, wider and higher than we could possibly imagine. And just maybe, as we accept the hard truth about ourselves and humbly receive God’s grace in Christ for us in a deeper way, without collapsing into sentimentality or cruelty, we can then learn to speak the truth in love when necessary and extend God’s grace more expansively, as together we continue to worship and work in the name and way of Jesus for the Glory of God and the Good of Our Neighbors near and far.
—Pastor Scott