This Christmas we are focusing on how Jesus is the light who shines in the darkness.
He is for us
He is with us
He is amongst us
He is for us
He is with us
He is amongst us
- Pause – As you begin, pause, open your hands and be aware that God is present with you.
- Read – Read the Bible passage slowly.
John 1:29-34
Jesus, the Lamb of God
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognise him as the Messiah, but I have been baptising with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptise with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”
Jesus, the Lamb of God
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognise him as the Messiah, but I have been baptising with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptise with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”
- Reflect – Notice what stands out. Why does it stand out? Read the reflection:
God is amongst us…
It might sound a little morbid to some, but not even having made it to the end of the first chapter and John informs us about the nature of Jesus’ death. Verse 29 clearly states that in some fashion Jesus would be like a lamb who takes away sins. God’s Son, he proposes, will deal with sin. Sin for many is an abstract term that carries very little personal import. So why is John wanting to make such a big deal about it? Well, if you read on, and I would encourage you to do so, you will find ‘sin’ turning up in all kinds of places. It is present in the anger of the Pharisees. It is observed in the jostling for power among the disciples. It is apparent in the refusal to embrace Jesus. And in the end, it is the very thing that will hang him on a cross. After all, that is exactly what sin does. It kills. It robs life in this life and seeks to rob you of life in the next. That’s why John describes what Jesus has come to do. Sin is dangerous. Jesus has come to rob it of its power.
It might sound a little morbid to some, but not even having made it to the end of the first chapter and John informs us about the nature of Jesus’ death. Verse 29 clearly states that in some fashion Jesus would be like a lamb who takes away sins. God’s Son, he proposes, will deal with sin. Sin for many is an abstract term that carries very little personal import. So why is John wanting to make such a big deal about it? Well, if you read on, and I would encourage you to do so, you will find ‘sin’ turning up in all kinds of places. It is present in the anger of the Pharisees. It is observed in the jostling for power among the disciples. It is apparent in the refusal to embrace Jesus. And in the end, it is the very thing that will hang him on a cross. After all, that is exactly what sin does. It kills. It robs life in this life and seeks to rob you of life in the next. That’s why John describes what Jesus has come to do. Sin is dangerous. Jesus has come to rob it of its power.
- Respond – Respond to God in prayer