In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5, NRSV)
As we focus on the baby Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem more than 2000 years ago, it is easy to think that that’s when Christianity began. But John reminds us that Christianity is the story of the God who created the Universe, according to the scientists, some 11,000 million years ago.
The story of Jesus begins before Time itself, when there was no-thing. Then God spoke a Word, and the Universe exploded into existence.
A Russian child recently asked, “In the beginning was the Word - which Word?” Since no human was present we can only know the answer by revelation from God. The Old & New Testaments together reveal that the Word is Jesus.
Last Sunday we were thinking about Christ the King. This week, on Advent Sunday, we begin to think about Jesus the Baby. It’s a mystery, that God, who is greater than any human King, should choose to join his life to that of a woman called Mary and become human.
Of course God didn’t stop being God, for as we know Jesus continued to talk to God his Father, while Jesus lived life as a human.
But Jesus didn’t stop being God, even although he lived only as a Man. Jesus lived as a man with the character of God and when he ascended and returned to the Father he took with him all those experiences of living life as a human.
What a risk God took, committing his life into the womb and then the arms of Mary. But Mary was up to the job and she performed her task well.
