December 26, 2019
John 1:5-7
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 
New International Version (NIV)
A young friend whom I see on Christmas Eve came to tell me he is in a better place this year.  Last year when I met him, he was convinced I was wrong about the whole incarnation thing.  We planned to get together and talk, but it never happened.  He told me this year that the lighting of the candles moved him to tears.  Something about light moves us!

John likely wrote his gospel and his letters from a community of believers.  Raymond Brown captures a picture of the community in his book the Community of the Beloved Disciple.  In the first part of this first letter we hear echoes of the prologue in John’s gospel (John 1:1-18).  Here, too, we see Jesus as audible, visible, tangible and knowable.  He gives life in fellowship with himself and the Father.  This fellowship creates Christian community.

God is light with no admixture of darkness.  He is not just mostly holy or occasionally good.  Our God is entirely holy and good all the time.  For John this shapes the way believers live.  We cannot have fellowship with God and live a lie.  Believers are not just right on a few key issues of life and just like everybody else on every other issue. 

Christians live lives of continual confession.  We are always asking for forgiveness.  As we walk in the light, God never forgives our sins so that we can repeat them.  He purifies us from all unrighteousness.  No Christian on this earth is sinless, but Christians, apprentices of Jesus sin less and less.  So John says if we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

See how liberating this is!  We do not spend our time trying to say the sins of others and ourselves are really not that bad.  Because we never rationalize our sin, we do not spend our time trying to defend ourselves and others.  Instead, we confess that we are all sinners in need of grace and we proclaim the good news:  Jesus came to forgive and to purify us from all sin.  Here is the gospel:  We are worse off than we thought and more loved than we ever dreamed.  When we believe this we live in loving fellowship with God and community with each other.  
Pray with me Trevor Hudson’s prayer::       
Lord, thank you that your Light has entered our world and nothing can put it out; shine your Light into those dark places of our hearts and minds that we may no longer walk in darkness.  For Jesus’ sake we pray.  Amen.
This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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