Becoming the children of God

John 1:6-13   

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.

This is the closest we get in the gospel of John to something that looks like the Christmas story we are used to. The John of vs. 6 is John the Baptist – not to be confused with John the disciple of Jesus who wrote the gospel of John.

John the Baptist was sent by God to point people to Jesus, testifying to the light that was coming – the true light – the light that is Jesus. That all sounds like the Christmas story we know. And then John takes a deep dive into who Jesus is.

In vs. 10, Jesus came to the world that he had made; to the creation that he had made; and Jesus was not, is not, recognized as the creator, not even accepted by the people that he made/created. (I think we need to read the rejection of Jesus by “his own people” (vs. 11) as being all of humanity have rejected Jesus. For all people have been created by God, sadly many persons those created by Jesus have rejected Jesus and God.)

This bleak picture of humanity rejecting their creator has a “but” in it. That is, there is a turn, an unexpected twist. Some people have received Jesus, part of humanity has welcomed Jesus.  Those who have welcomed Jesus, they have become the children of God – born of God’s action in their lives. The Holy Spirit has come to their lives and made them the children of God. They have had a second birth, a birth into the family of God. An action just as wonderful and mystical as the birth of Jesus in human form in Bethlehem. Every time a person makes the choice to welcome Jesus and believe in him, it is another Christmas birth.

PRAYER:

God our Creator and our Saviour, we weep for those who have rejected you, may they this Christmas discover the joy of having your life born in them. That they may with us celebrate the joy of Christ in us, the hope of glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.