At Christmas we often picture Jesus simply as the baby in the manger, lying quietly among shepherds and animals, but John’s Gospel draws our eyes far beyond that familiar scene and invites us to see a reality that stretches back before Bethlehem, before creation, and even before the existence of time itself. John tells us that “in the beginning was the Word,” meaning that Jesus did not come into existence at His birth; He already was—eternal, divine, and present with the Father long before the universe began.
He was not an idea, not a mystical energy, not a spiritual force floating through the cosmos, but a living Person, the eternal Son of God who shared perfect communion with the Father.
This eternal Word chose to become flesh, stepping into our world in a form we could recognize, approach, and even touch.
Unlike the presence of God in the Old Testament tabernacle, which was hidden behind thick curtains and accessible only once a year to a trembling high priest, the presence of God in Jesus came openly, walking the same dusty roads we walk. His arrival is not merely a symbol or a seasonal tradition but the astounding truth that God Himself crossed the gulf between heaven and earth to dwell among ordinary people.
The message of Jesus has spread across the globe and continues to transform lives.
The light He brought shines into a world that has always been full of darkness—darkness made of sin, confusion, loneliness, and the brokenness that marks every human life.
Yet John reminds us that this darkness has never overcome Him, not in the first century and not today. Empires have risen and fallen, cultures have shifted, philosophies have come and gone, but the light of Christ continues to shine with power and clarity.
The Roman Empire, once mighty enough to try to extinguish the early church, is now only a subject in history books, while the message of Jesus has spread across the globe and continues to transform lives. His coming was for all people without distinction: the Magi, representing the wise and influential of the world, travelled far to bow before Him, while the shepherds, representing the poor, unnoticed, and overlooked, were invited to be the first witnesses of His arrival.
This reveals that Jesus is the King who welcomes both the powerful and the forgotten, the educated and the uneducated, the celebrated and the disregarded.
The coming of Jesus remains the greatest hope available to us.
Today many people speak in vague terms about believing in something spiritual or sensing some unnamed force in the universe, but Christianity is not a philosophy built on atmosphere or feeling. It is not the pursuit of self-help rules or abstract principles. It is the declaration of a Person—Jesus Christ, the eternal God who became human, lived among us, died for us, conquered death, and now reigns forever. His story is not a fairy tale for children or simply a moral lesson for society; it is the heart of reality itself. The same Jesus who lay in a manger is the One through whom the galaxies were spoken into existence.
The same hands that would one day be pierced with nails were the hands that shaped humanity in the beginning. His presence is personal and powerful, able to bring light where there is confusion, hope where there is despair, and life where there is spiritual emptiness. In a world still filled with uncertainty and darkness, the coming of Jesus remains the greatest hope available to us, for His light continues to shine, His truth continues to stand, and His love continues to draw people from every background into the life and joy of God.
How might you respond this week?
LCM shares the gospel alongside the local church of London, equipping everyday Christians to lovingly bring a message of hope in Christ to those least likely to hear it.
Registered Charity No. 247186
