Birth Stories

Please welcome Andrea Taphorn to our Daily Bible Blast team of devotion writers

John 1:1-18

Birth stories are the kind of stories that are retold our whole lives. The same goes for the story of beginning of the world. God’s act of birthing the world is beautifully written about in Genesis. And here in the gospel of John, the author takes us back to the beginning to see Jesus, as the Word, participating in the creation of the world, “without him nothing was made that has been made.” Humans are created and live in harmony with each other and with God.

Lots has happened since this beautiful beginning. Humans fell into sin and disbelieved God. Human suffering followed.  The Bible doesn’t mince words about this suffering with story after story of heartache, rebellion and sin. It says the earth groans in anticipation of rescue and rebirth. John tells us that Jesus has come to earth to recreate it. This act of recreation is not outsourced to another.  This work is done on earth.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  God enters the mess of human life and makes a home.  Our homes name us.  We named Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus, in his homemaking, sets in motion acts of recreation that both name us and change us.  Jesus says, “Sinner, I forgive you.”  This word of forgiveness recreates humans into people of faith and in so doing, re-humanizes us.  We are set free to no longer strive to be something that we are not, but to be humans who live in faith. That faith set us free to be nothing more, and certainly nothing less than human. 

What a word of promise to cling to, a new birth story, where we are given a new name and a new home. As we are named sinners, Christ then turns around with a promise of forgiveness and sets us free, not by our own efforts, but in the recreating work of Jesus. Hear Jesus’ words of recreation today, “I am making all things new, including you. Sinner be reborn in me today. I have come to make a home with you.  I forgive you. Child of God, you are mine.”

The Word Became Flesh

December 19                                                                               

Scripture Reading
Read John 1:14-17 and reflect on the passage.

I don't want to be overly personal, but honestly, these verses made me think of a modern Christmas morning.  This passage is like that one Christmas from your childhood that you'll always remember.  The one where you got both the starter pack and boxes and boxes of refills.  Wrapping paper was thrown everywhere.  You didn’t even know where to start, what gift to take out of the box first.  Your little mind was completely blown. You couldn’t stop repeating, “Thank you! Thank you!”

Of course, as we Christians know, that awesome gift is Jesus. We say it every year though, and so the freshness of the idea can be lost on us.  But to anyone who has really, really messed up lately, and received that wonderful gift of grace anew, that is grace upon grace upon grace. We become like the woman in Luke 7, weeping at His feet, thanking Him over and over again.  The gift is an embarrassment of riches.  Our little minds (and hearts) are blown.   Jesus, so perfect, so lovely, given for you and me.

Questions

1    What is a time you were most thankful for God's grace?

How can we extend that grace to others? 

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for being our Gift.  You are more than we ever could have asked for.  In Your precious name, Amen.

                                                                                                                                    Ashley Hyatt

Trading Places

In the 1983 movie Trading Places, the owners of the Duke and Duke Brokerage Company, to settle a wager, connive to get Louis Winthrope and Billy Ray Valentine to change lives. Winthrope, a very successful commodities broker, is fired and thrown out of his house. Meanwhile, Valentine, a street hustler, is hired to replace Winthrope.

The wager, whether genetics or the environment makes the man, is settled. Valentine by sure luck, learns of the plot. He realizes his good fortune is not of his own doing.

He finds Winthrope in the street and the two of them take their revenge on the brokerage firm. Valentine and Winthrope simultaneously bankrupt the Duke brothers and become very rich. The movie ends with Valentine and Winthrope on a beautiful tropical beach.

Today’s reading is John 1:9-17.

These verses announce the incarnation of our Lord. The word became flesh.

Jesus was living in Heaven with his father. He must have had an awesome life. No worries, no troubles. Angels, cherubs and seraphs tending to his every need.

Yet, because his father told him to, Jesus came to earth.

He had no attendants. Jesus had to work for his food. He had to tolerate physical and emotional pain. He had to deal with friends who turned their backs on him. He had to deal with enemies that wanted him dead. And he even had to deal with a “mole” who infiltrated his close social network.

In short, Jesus had to "slum it".

In a sense, Jesus was a lot like Winthrope, except that Jesus willingly traded places!

We are a lot like Valentine. We live in a sin-stained world and our spiritual lives are poor indeed.

Because of Jesus’ sojourn, where he placed our sin on him, we will eventually be like Jesus. We will be resurrected and glorified; We will live forever.

Trading Places ended with Winthrope and Valentine on a tropical beach. Our eternity will be even better than that.

We will spend it in Heaven together with Jesus. Like Valentine our (future) fortune is not of our own doing.

 All because Jesus traded places with us.