John 1 (NRSVue)
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.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
God’s glory is revealed through the embodiment of unmerited favor.
Here are some questions for discussion:
1. If Jesus can be fully present and still unrecognized (v.10), and if the glory of God can hide in ordinary humanity (v.14), then divine presence might already fill the places we overlook because we expect God to look dramatic, emotional, or EXTRAordinary. Where might God be showing up in your life or community that you’ve missed simply because it seemed too mundane to feel holy?
2. If Jesus reveals God by living among us rather than above us, what shared practices or rearranged rhythms could help us become a people who are interruptible, reachable, and present enough with our neighbors that they can actually come to know the Logos because they know us?
3. When we look at a light bulb we can’t see the light clearly but when we look at where the light shines we can see clearly the world around us. In what ways does knowing Jesus as the Light help us to understand the world better even when we can’t tell precisely what the Light itself looks like?
If you’d like to dig a little deeper, consider the following:
1. If we begin with the assumption that God is already present (not absent) in every human being (“gives light to everyone” v.9), then our conversations start with dignity, not deficiency. How would starting with “God is here” instead of “God is missing” change the way you speak about faith, disagreement, justice, or spiritual growth?
2. Light is what we see reflected back when we look at something or someone. How can we properly reflect the Light so others may see us, and in us the image of our Creator?
3. Has there been a time in your journey where you were unsure of the rules but trusted in others enough to play the game?
4. Which of the numerous parables are like confusing rules to you, that you just trust you will understand later (hopefully)?
5. When we think of Jesus as the light, how might our journey be something like playing chess in the dark?
For further contemplation, consider this prompt:
If God-with-us is the starting place (John 1:14), God-with-us-forever is the ending (Revelation 21:3), and the kingdom is at hand right now (Mark 1:15), how might living in the “already and not yet” call us to act like citizens of God’s kingdom now—before it’s finished, before it’s obvious, and before it feels easy? What comforts, entitlements, or feelings of hopelessness might we need to abandon so our lives look like we actually believe a different world is already underway?