The Gospel of John: Chapter 1

Baccoli, Italy, July 2011: photograph by Tammy C. Smith

"The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." I find such peace in these words that begin John's gospel 1:5. The darkness does "not" overcome the Light! It always, always, always overcomes the darkness! No matter what the situation, no matter how dark, bleak, dismal, or devastating it may seem, the Light will overcome it!

It is a challenge for me and so many of us to wait for the darkness to clear.  We are impatient, we want peace  and comfort immediately, not understanding that the Light is fighting a battle with darkness that needs to be fought. During these times we just have to put on our seat belts and ride it out, often re-tightening them to the point of  restraint. There comes a point when we realize there is nothing we can do; all faith must be placed in the Light.

John the Baptist is revealed as the first messenger of the "True Light" in the first chapter of The Gospel of John. Little Information is given in this passage about John before his mission began, but we know that he was sent by God to bear witness to the Light. People didn't seem to understand what John was all about. The Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was and John simply said, "I am the voice of the one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord" (John 1:23).

When John first saw Jesus coming toward him near a town called Bethany beyond the Jordan River where he was baptizing, he knew right away who Jesus was, the Messiah (Christ). John saw what he was foretold, a spirit in the form of a dove descended from Heaven and remained with Jesus. John began spreading the message right away that the "Lamb of God" was indeed Jesus. John lead many followers to Jesus in those first few days: Andrew, Peter, Phillip, and Nathanial are but a few. Nathanial, however, questioned Phillip about Jesus. He snidely remarked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).

Jesus, who was not innocent to sarcasm, baffled Nathanial upon their meeting with his greeting, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" (John 1:47). Nathanial was astonished that Jesus knew his name and immediately conceded that Jesus must indeed be the Son of God, the King of Israel. However, as Jesus revealed himself to the group of followers, he promised them greater things to be seen. John's gospel ends with a prophetic verse that may even have frightened Nathanial and the others, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51). Jesus foreshadowed his own resurrection and ascension into Heaven.

The darkness is a part of our world, it is always present. It is outside of us, around us, in our physical world, but it also lies within us, lurking. Jesus does not want us to fear this darkness. He wants us to have complete faith that He, the Light, will always overcome it. What we must do is make the right choices in our lives, choices that keep us on the path of Light, living each day in the Light, following the Light. Think of the Light as a beacon in the journey of life. He ever shines leading us out of the darkness to the safety of our heavenly home.

Christmas Eve 2013

"Our Silent Night"

Christmas quiet
Dark and dreamy
Flickering memories
Of past family and friends
Come and gone
Names on a tablecloth
Written in joy and love
On the eve of His birth
The Savior of hope
The reason we gather
Year after year
To light sacred candles
In penance and prayer
Our family, one voice
Singing "Silent Night"
One simple, solemn voice
Dispelling the darkness
Shining, lowly as we are
On the holiest of nights
Emmanuel, God is with us!

by Tammy Smith
12/25/13

Day 30 Psalms 146 to 150

The flurry of the Thanksgiving holiday is over. My son Tim and his dog Cashew have returned to Detroit, Tim's girlfriend Rachel went home to Latrobe, my fun-loving nieces Leslie and Kristen and Leslie's character of a husband Chris are traveling back to Charleston, S.C., and my husband drove off early this morning to Rimersburg for the first day of deer season. Although the busy scuttle of one holiday season has ended, another has formally begun. Today is the second day of Advent and there seems to be little time for rest as Christmas is imminent. As much as our culture would like us to think that Advent is a season of preparing in ways that trap us into the material aspects of the coming of Christmas, our God implores us to step back away from the ado and place our emphasis on "waiting" during the holy days ahead.

If we truly focus on waiting, we will find we are confronted with our thoughts, often thoughts that have been dismissed and ignored, and ones that may be too stressful to face. So what do many of us choose to do? We busy our lives to the brink of exhaustion just so we may never need to stand up to our failings, our broken relationships, our weaknesses and inner flaws. In Psalms' 146 to 147, we see David praising God, knowing full well the brevity of his shortcomings but also praising God despite them. As God knows us better than we know ourselves, He wants us to acknowledge we may fall short of the ideal He has for us, but He also wants us to know that within each of us the ideal version of us always exists. That is who He sees, our ideal version! What an awesome God! We crucify ourselves; He does not.

In Psalm 146:3, David points out that we place too much trust in man when we are in need and forget to look to the source of everlasting strength. Advent clearly calls us to bring our petitions to Him, to let God help us to gain the perspective in our lives that we may have lost, by slowing down and focusing on what is important, family, parents, grandparents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, but, indeed, and most importantly God himself. The hopeful message of Psalm 147:3-4 is one to remember, "He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds." God knows our needs more than we know them for, "He determines the number of the stars, He gives to all of them their names."

How much God loves us is clearly beyond reason, and the Advent season calls us to focus on that love in a deeper way. In Psalm 147:11, David reminds us, "The Lord takes pleasure in us, in those who hope in His steadfast love." To allow our hearts to be lifted and open to God's love, David's praises in Psalm 148 to 150,  29 jubilant verses, are perfect for starting each day, especially during Advent. The continual shouting of praise from Psalm 148,  "Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all His host! Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars! Praise Him, you highest heavens!" to Psalm 150 "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! are "heart openers." Opening our heart makes us vulnerable to experiences we have shut ourselves and protected ourselves from for years maybe a lifetime, but it is an act of healing.  Filling our hearts with praise, praise for the creator who loves us more than our humanness can comprehend is an infallible practice for opening our souls to receive the abundant miracles the Lord has stored within us!

Now as the silence fills my house for a brief time before the next rush of another holiday's preparations begin, I wait in quiet time with the Lord. I remember David's Psalms and unite myself with him as he waited, with all those departed who also waited, and those living who continue to wait. As we wait, we learn about ourselves and the beautiful vision of ourselves that God sees,  the reflection of himself in each of us.