Chapter One

In the Beginning Was the Word

John opens his Gospel with words that have resonated through the centuries: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." In these lines we find something astonishing: before time existed, before there was light or darkness, heavens or earth, the Word already existed — the Logos — and that Word was God himself.

What does this mean for us? It means the universe is not an accident. It did not arise from nothing without purpose. It was created by a living Word, by a loving intelligence that chose to express itself. When Genesis says "And God said, Let there be light," we see the Word in action — creating through his word, bringing order from chaos, life from the lifeless.

And then comes the most extraordinary thing of all: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The same creative power that formed the galaxies, that established the laws of the universe, that sustains all existence — that Word became a man. He walked among fishermen and tax collectors. He ate with sinners. He wept beside a tomb. The Creator entered his creation.

Jesus was not simply a good teacher or just another prophet. He was — and is — the incarnate Logos, God with us, Emmanuel. That is why his words carry eternal weight. That is why his life is the perfect model. That is why his sacrifice has power to transform. We are not following the ideas of a wise man; we are following the Author of life itself.

Paul understood this when he wrote to the Colossians: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created... all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." The entire universe exists in Christ, through Christ, for Christ. There is no corner of existence where he is not Lord.

This changes everything. If Christ sustains all things, then every moment of your life occurs within his care. Every circumstance, every encounter, every joy and every trial — all happens in the context of his lordship. You are not abandoned in an indifferent cosmos. You are being held by the one who loved you before you were born.

The psalmist sensed this when he wrote that the heavens declare the glory of God. All creation is a silent testimony to the Creator. But in Jesus, that testimony ceased to be silent. In him, God spoke with perfect clarity. "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father," Jesus told Philip. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. His compassion is God's compassion. His love is God's love. His sacrifice reveals the very heart of the Father.

This is the invitation extended to us: to know the Word who became flesh. Not just to know about him, but to know him — to enter into relationship with the one who knew us first, who loved us first, who gave everything for us first. The journey of faith begins here, in wonder at the mystery of the incarnation: God with us, forever.