PLUS … Weekend reflections on the Psalms, and the Big Picture by Philip Greenslade

December

November

EVERY DAYNov/DEC 2011

John 1—11Jeff LUcaS

Genesis 1—11Mary evanS

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NOVember | introDuction

Copyright © CWR 2006, 2011

First published 2006 by CWR. This edition published 2011 by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP England. CWR is a Registered Charity – Number 294387 and a Limited Company registered in England – Registration Number 1990308.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from the Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV), copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society.

Concept development, editing, design and production by CWR.

Cover image: www.istock/iLexx

Printed in England by Linney Print.

Mary EvansFormer vice principal of London School of Theology where she taught for thirty years, Mary took early retirement to spend three years teaching at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa and hopes to return there for shorter periods. Mary loves the old Testament and helping others to explore and enjoy its richness and relevance. She has written several books and commentaries in the attempt to follow that through. In her spare time she likes reading novels, doing puzzles, watching sport (especially when GB or England are winning) and eating food from all parts of the globe. She has taught in a visiting lecturer role for a few days, weeks or months, on every continent except Antarctica. She has wide involvement on the councils of missions and other Christian organisations in the UK and beyond. Mary is not married, but has good support from a great church, family (she has seven great nephews and nieces) and good friends.

Jeff LucasInternational author, speaker and broadcaster, Jeff Lucas holds a pastoral teaching position at Timberline Church in Colorado, a church that has grown to 10,000 in the last 15 years. He is the author of some 13 books and is also broadcast on weekly radio shows throughout Europe on Premier Radio. He is a monthly contributor for Christianity Magazine and writes a daily devotional with CWR entitled Lucas on Life Every Day.

Philip GreensladeHaving originally trained for the Baptist ministry, Philip has over 30 years’ experience in Christian ministry. He has worked with CWR since 1991 in the areas of biblical studies, pastoral care and leadership. With his passion for teaching God’s Word, he offers a refreshing and challenging perspective for all those who attend his courses. Close to Philip’s heart is the long-running Bible Discovery Weekends. He is currently Course Director for CWR’s new postgraduate programme in Pastoral Leadership. Philip is the author of several books.

Genesis 1–11 is the scene-setter for the Bible. It describes what Derek Kidner calls ‘two opposite progressions’. The first is the orderly creation by God, which comes to its climax in the creation of the humans as privileged and responsible beings. This is followed by the gradual disintegration caused by sin, which climaxes in the flood and Babel. This disintegration is marked by four judgments issued by God: the expulsion from Eden, Cain’s exile, the flood, and the confusion of language with the dispersal of humankind.

The picture presented of humanity in a total mess makes sense of every-thing else that follows. God longs for human beings to relate to Him in love and obedience. Genesis 1–11 explains why, and how, sin makes this impos-sible. The rest of Scripture, beginning with the stories of Abraham, explains what happens as God chooses a nation to represent Him in the world, and eventually sends His Son so that ‘at just the right time … Christ died for the ungodly’ (Rom. 5:6), thus making it possible for men and women to live once more in the presence of a holy and righteous God.

Genesismary evans

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NOVember | introDuction

Copyright © CWR 2006, 2011

First published 2006 by CWR. This edition published 2011 by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP England. CWR is a Registered Charity – Number 294387 and a Limited Company registered in England – Registration Number 1990308.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from the Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV), copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society.

Concept development, editing, design and production by CWR.

Cover image: www.istock/iLexx

Printed in England by Linney Print.

Genesis 1–11 is the scene-setter for the Bible. It describes what Derek Kidner calls ‘two opposite progressions’. The first is the orderly creation by God, which comes to its climax in the creation of the humans as privileged and responsible beings. This is followed by the gradual disintegration caused by sin, which climaxes in the flood and Babel. This disintegration is marked by four judgments issued by God: the expulsion from Eden, Cain’s exile, the flood, and the confusion of language with the dispersal of humankind.

The picture presented of humanity in a total mess makes sense of every-thing else that follows. God longs for human beings to relate to Him in love and obedience. Genesis 1–11 explains why, and how, sin makes this impos-sible. The rest of Scripture, beginning with the stories of Abraham, explains what happens as God chooses a nation to represent Him in the world, and eventually sends His Son so that ‘at just the right time … Christ died for the ungodly’ (Rom. 5:6), thus making it possible for men and women to live once more in the presence of a holy and righteous God.

Genesismary evans

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Genesis 1 is not a scientific treatise. If it had been writ-ten to suit a modern scien-

tific journal it would not have made sense to earlier generations. If it had been written to suit earlier scientific, or even pseudo-scientific, understand-ing it would not make sense today. The wonderful thing is that as a theological statement of creation it makes sense in all contexts. When we try to envis-age what was there before the world was created we tend to think of end-less blackness or empty space. Ancient Near Easterners envisaged a kind of watery chaos. Both images, of course, are attempts to get to grips with the unexplainable – with something that by definition is beyond our compre-hension. Genesis 1 doesn’t attempt to answer all our questions about creation, but it does tell us that the world makes sense. There is an inbuilt structure to God’s world. The world is ordered. It is not the product of a chance colliding of atoms; it is not cha-otic (whether understood in ancient or modern terms). It is purposed by God and under God’s control.

Order from disorder

GeNesis 1:1–2:3 | WeD 2 nov

Genesis 1 tells us about the creation of the world, but there is no doubt that the

primary focus of this chapter is God Himself. It is clear from the beginning that knowing and understanding the Word of God must start with under-standing something of who God is and of what God does. Indeed, everything we know and understand about the world that God made is to be seen in the light of the God who made it. God, as Creator, is intimately linked to this world, but He Himself is not part of it. ‘In the beginning’ He was already present. Virtually all the creation sto-ries told in the ancient world begin with the origin of the gods, but there is no sign of that here. God’s eternal existence is presupposed. As far as the Old Testament is concerned, only a fool would doubt it (Psa. 14:1; 53:1).

Apart from all the occasions when we are told that God said ‘Let this happen’ and it did happen, we see that ‘God created’, ‘God saw’, ‘God called’, ‘God made’, ‘God blessed’, and so on. More than 30 separate mentions of God’s action are provided before we

are told that He rested – and even that is presented in an active way! Try read-ing aloud all these mentions of God’s actions.

This world exists because God decided that it should and because God’s Word is powerful and effective. The world is as it is because God wanted it this way, made it this way, organised it this way. At each stage of His creative activity God considers what He has done so far and sees that ‘it [is] good’. When it was completed, and human beings have been added to the equation, He looks again and concludes that it is ‘very good’. There are no mistakes; this is exactly what God intended. Knowing all the impli-cations of the element of choice and responsibility that He has built into human beings, God remains delighted with His creation.

How does our knowledge that the world was created by this powerful, active God affect our attitude to the world as we see it today?

The active God

tues 1 nov | GeNesis 1:1–2:3

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Genesis 1 is not a scientific treatise. If it had been writ-ten to suit a modern scien-

tific journal it would not have made sense to earlier generations. If it had been written to suit earlier scientific, or even pseudo-scientific, understand-ing it would not make sense today. The wonderful thing is that as a theological statement of creation it makes sense in all contexts. When we try to envis-age what was there before the world was created we tend to think of end-less blackness or empty space. Ancient Near Easterners envisaged a kind of watery chaos. Both images, of course, are attempts to get to grips with the unexplainable – with something that by definition is beyond our compre-hension. Genesis 1 doesn’t attempt to answer all our questions about creation, but it does tell us that the world makes sense. There is an inbuilt structure to God’s world. The world is ordered. It is not the product of a chance colliding of atoms; it is not cha-otic (whether understood in ancient or modern terms). It is purposed by God and under God’s control.

Notice how strongly the concept of progress and order comes out through the structure of the account:

Day 1 Light and dark Day 4 Sun, moon and stars (light-givers)

Day 2 Air and sea Day 5 Air and sea creatures

Day 3 Land and vegetation Day 6 Land creatures, including humans

The environment is seen as being carefully built up so that it is perfectly ready when God’s pièce de résistance – human beings – are introduced into it.

It seems clear that something cre-ated with such care that it exactly matched the Creator’s purposes still deserves to be cared for. Think about what that might mean for our attitude towards environmental issues today.

Finally, on Day 7, God rested. Rest, too, is built into the structure of crea-tion. God rested, and so should we. The legalistic attitude towards the Sabbath of some previous generations has been criticised. But there is a very important principle here.

How far is proper rest built into the structure of my life?

Order from disorder

GeNesis 1:1–2:3 | WeD 2 nov

are told that He rested – and even that is presented in an active way! Try read-ing aloud all these mentions of God’s actions.

This world exists because God decided that it should and because God’s Word is powerful and effective. The world is as it is because God wanted it this way, made it this way, organised it this way. At each stage of His creative activity God considers what He has done so far and sees that ‘it [is] good’. When it was completed, and human beings have been added to the equation, He looks again and concludes that it is ‘very good’. There are no mistakes; this is exactly what God intended. Knowing all the impli-cations of the element of choice and responsibility that He has built into human beings, God remains delighted with His creation.

How does our knowledge that the world was created by this powerful, active God affect our attitude to the world as we see it today?

The active God

tues 1 nov | GeNesis 1:1–2:3

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Have you ever felt the strange-ness of looking at some-thing from a completely

new perspective? I once looked up at the constellation of Orion and found myself completely disorientated. At the time I was in Australia, and Orion was upside down! Something of the same reaction can occur when read-ing Genesis 2 after reading Genesis 1. This account of creation is presented in a very different way. While Genesis 1 talks about the creation of the whole universe, Genesis 2 is very much earth-centred. It is not really a creation nar-rative at all; it talks mostly about life in one particular garden. Verse 4 links the two accounts. Significantly, there is a transition from ‘the heavens and the earth’ of the first account to ‘the earth and the heavens’ of the second.

The style is different, the genre is different, the emphasis is different, but we have the same sovereign God creating the same perfect world. In both accounts everything relates to this already existent, unexplained God. Both accounts speak of form coming from formlessness, of order proceeding

The view from earth

GeNesis 2:4–25 | Fri 4 nov

Our world today seems obsessed with identity and image. Who am I? How do

people see me? How do I see myself? What makes me special? For peo-ple who are asking these questions Genesis 1 is something of a ‘wow’ pas-sage! What is our identity? Well, we are deliberately formed by God as the climax of His wonderful creation, and He has built into each one of us a ‘like-ness’ to Himself. You can’t get more special than that!

The ‘let us make’ in verse 26, as opposed to the ‘let there be’ of the previous verses, emphasises the dif-ference between human beings and the rest of the animal world. It stresses God’s direct involvement with human-ity, which is further underlined by the statement about His ‘image’. Since the ‘image of God’ is in human beings, if we really want to understand ourselves fully then we have to know something of God and His creation. Perhaps that is why increasingly atheistic Western societies have such a problem with discovering their own identity.

Genesis is very clear that human

beings are not simply ‘naked apes’. A very real difference exists between humans and other animals. There is a link of course; they were created on the same day. But there is also a profound difference. In fact humanity is given specific responsibility to care for and control the animal world. This means that ‘animal welfare’ should be an essential part of the agenda for Christians even though the concept of ‘animal rights’ has no place here.

Human beings are responsible to God for serving His purposes in His world. This responsibility for manag-ing creation, like the ‘image of God’, is given to both males and females. The writer makes a point of emphasising that both sexes are created from the beginning, with the same link to God.

The image of God is there in humans, not just in believers. This week try look‑ing out for indications of that image in everyone you meet. Notice how doing this affects your attitude to people.

What does the responsibility given to human beings to ‘rule over’ other living creatures mean for you personally?

in God’s image

thurs 3 nov | GeNesis 1:26–28

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Have you ever felt the strange-ness of looking at some-thing from a completely

new perspective? I once looked up at the constellation of Orion and found myself completely disorientated. At the time I was in Australia, and Orion was upside down! Something of the same reaction can occur when read-ing Genesis 2 after reading Genesis 1. This account of creation is presented in a very different way. While Genesis 1 talks about the creation of the whole universe, Genesis 2 is very much earth-centred. It is not really a creation nar-rative at all; it talks mostly about life in one particular garden. Verse 4 links the two accounts. Significantly, there is a transition from ‘the heavens and the earth’ of the first account to ‘the earth and the heavens’ of the second.

The style is different, the genre is different, the emphasis is different, but we have the same sovereign God creating the same perfect world. In both accounts everything relates to this already existent, unexplained God. Both accounts speak of form coming from formlessness, of order proceeding

from chaos – although here the chaos is pictured as a kind of watery waste. Both accounts see human beings as the main purpose of creation. Chapter 1 conveys this by presenting the creation of humanity as the climax. Chapter 2 makes the same point by using what is called a ‘ring construction’, with the twin foci of the man and the woman at the start and the finish. Both accounts are concerned to present human beings as responsible delegates of God.

It is sometimes tempting to try to work out how we can blend the two accounts into one single integrated scheme. But even to attempt to do that puts us in danger of ignoring the significance that comes from having two different pictures of God’s world placed together at the beginning of God’s Word. Right from the start of Scripture we are being encouraged to learn to look at life from different perspectives.

God created the world. Would my view of His world be enriched if I could learn to look at it from different perspectives?

The view from earth

GeNesis 2:4–25 | Fri 4 nov

beings are not simply ‘naked apes’. A very real difference exists between humans and other animals. There is a link of course; they were created on the same day. But there is also a profound difference. In fact humanity is given specific responsibility to care for and control the animal world. This means that ‘animal welfare’ should be an essential part of the agenda for Christians even though the concept of ‘animal rights’ has no place here.

Human beings are responsible to God for serving His purposes in His world. This responsibility for manag-ing creation, like the ‘image of God’, is given to both males and females. The writer makes a point of emphasising that both sexes are created from the beginning, with the same link to God.

The image of God is there in humans, not just in believers. This week try look‑ing out for indications of that image in everyone you meet. Notice how doing this affects your attitude to people.

What does the responsibility given to human beings to ‘rule over’ other living creatures mean for you personally?

in God’s image

thurs 3 nov | GeNesis 1:26–28

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CWRMinistry EventsPlease pray for the team

For full details phone 01252 784700, international +44 (0)1252 784700 or see the CWR website for further information.

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We all see the ‘natural world’ through different eyes, whether we are scientists, economists, farm-ers, painters or holiday-makers. The psalmist, however, sees all creation with the eyes of faith and bursts into song. He is moved to praise because he sees the world, in Calvin Seerveld’s words, as the ‘stunning theatre, workshop, play-ground of our Father in heaven, peopled by whatever His creative word sustains’. The initial burst of praise is like the opening fanfare of a dramatic performance or a cosmic fashion show with coats of many colours (vv.1–2). God sweeps glori-ously onto the stage, ‘dressed in sun-shine’ – as Peterson has it – riding the clouds, soaring on up currents, bending the trees, kindling fire in His wake.

In this glorious light, the psalm-ist sees light and rejoices over the earth’s stability (vv.5–9). God not only imparts to His creation His creative vitality but also builds into it something of His own faithful-ness and dependability. Despite vio-lent storms, the earth stands firm, the floodwaters are held back (v.5).

The psalmist applauds this because, for Israel, the sea represented the threatening forces of chaos. It was good news to learn that God had fixed limits to prevent chaos return-ing – a reminder of His creative powers at the beginning and His redemptive mercy at the flood.

This psalm vividly exemplifies the biblical doctrine of creation, which envisages God having an active and ongoing involvement in His creation. This is theism, not deism. Deism posits a ‘watchmaker’ God who wound creation up at the start but who subsequently has had noth-ing more to do with it. Deism was a desperate and fatal eighteenth- century concession to the perceived threat posed by the rise of modern science. It led inexorably to the rise of modern atheism.

Today, faith’s real battle is not so much against evolutionary science as against secular fundamentalists who are the real ‘flat-earthers’, low-ering the ceiling on all our lives.

Psalms such as this are our cheer-ful protest songs; we sing to cel-ebrate creation as the ‘theatre of God’s glory’.

Theatre of glory

WeekenD | Psalm 104:1–9

Date Event Place Presenter(s)

2 Nov Faith, Hope, Love and Everything Waverley Abbey House Mick Brooks in Between

7–8 Nov Certificate in Counselling Supervision WAH Heather Churchill (stage 2)

9 Nov Caring God’s Way WAH Mick Brooks & Lynn Penson

12 Nov Taking a Look at the Old Testament WAH Elizabeth Hodkinson

14 Nov Insight into Addictions WAH Andre Radmall

15 Nov Preachers Must Apply! WAH Andy Peck

19 Nov Deeper Insights into MBTI WAH Andrew & Lynn Penson

21–25 Nov Introduction to Biblical Counselling WAH Angie Coombes, Richard Laws & team

29 Nov Mentoring Others WAH Andy Peck

6 Dec Women’s Christmas Celebration WAH Guest speaker: Abby Guinness

7 Dec Insight into Depression WAH Chris Ledger

Please also pray for students and tutors on our ongoing BAinCounselling programme at Waverley and our CertificateandDiplomaofChristianCounselling and MAinIntegrativePsychotherapy held at London School of Theology.

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The Big Picture

wars, both past and present, between science and biblical faith.

Be that as it may, John’s vision is cause for celebration: the Creator’s mind and heart have become tangible in the short-lived, bloodstained, but iconic humanity of Jesus (cf. 1 John 1:1–4).

Of course, as Genesis sadly reveals, things are ‘not the way they were meant to be’. God’s ‘good’ earth has become a contested arena. God’s ‘theatre of glory’ – as John Calvin described creation – has become a battlefield. Creation’s beauty is scarred; its satisfying ‘order-liness’ is fractured; its intended fruit-fulness too often withering away in wasted lives and unfulfilled potential.

So, by Genesis chapter 11, the One Word that spoke creation is almost drowned out by the God-defying Babel of competing voices.

Now that same Word is made flesh in Jesus Christ to re-instate God’s unique Lordship and, as the ‘second Adam’, to reassert humankind’s true dominion. The situation He faces is a ‘provisional dualism’ (light v darkness) but by join-ing the battle, Jesus makes the outcome

philip Greenslade gives a glimpse of how Genesis 1–11 and John 1–11 fit together in God’s story.

John’s Gospel is the new Genesis. Its opening statement: ‘In the begin- ning …’ is clearly intended to mirror the first words of the Bible.

In one deft move, John both estab-lishes a deep connection with the original creation, and signals a radical advance on it.

Genesis paints a vivid portrait of the Creator God by His Word and Spirit making a world. Now, in the Gospel, the Lord of Creation steps out of the pic-ture. The eternal Lord enters our his-tory at one particular time and place.

The ineffable Name, ‘I am’, now becomes an approachable person so that we can put a face to the Name.

The Word and Wisdom that forged a cosmos out of chaos now comes to speak and shape redemption.

In connecting us with Genesis, John shows us that the extraordinary life surg-ing through creation has now surfaced among our ordinariness in the glory of

the Incarnate Christ. We first glimpse that glorious life as a guest at a wedding feast, stepping in to save an embarrassed host from social disgrace, just as, later, it stoops to wash dusty feet.

In what are misleadingly called ‘natural processes’, soft showers fall on sun-soaked vines, grapes grow fit to be crushed, until water is turned into wine. So as C.S. Lewis suggested (following Augustine), Jesus does ‘speeded-up’ versions of what the One Creator God does more slowly all the time.

John has a Christ-centred vision of creation.

It is arguable that a biblical doctrine of creation should start with John 1 rather than Genesis 1.

Perhaps, if the Church had done this more consistently, it might have been spared at least some of the needless

John has a Christ-centred vision of creation.

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The Big Picture

wars, both past and present, between science and biblical faith.

Be that as it may, John’s vision is cause for celebration: the Creator’s mind and heart have become tangible in the short-lived, bloodstained, but iconic humanity of Jesus (cf. 1 John 1:1–4).

Of course, as Genesis sadly reveals, things are ‘not the way they were meant to be’. God’s ‘good’ earth has become a contested arena. God’s ‘theatre of glory’ – as John Calvin described creation – has become a battlefield. Creation’s beauty is scarred; its satisfying ‘order-liness’ is fractured; its intended fruit-fulness too often withering away in wasted lives and unfulfilled potential.

So, by Genesis chapter 11, the One Word that spoke creation is almost drowned out by the God-defying Babel of competing voices.

Now that same Word is made flesh in Jesus Christ to re-instate God’s unique Lordship and, as the ‘second Adam’, to reassert humankind’s true dominion. The situation He faces is a ‘provisional dualism’ (light v darkness) but by join-ing the battle, Jesus makes the outcome

certain (John 12:27–36). Jesus is God’s ‘I am’, the light that

overcomes the darkness, the life that defeats death.

And His story is the story of God. ‘Jesus is the narration of God’

(Don Carson on John 1:18). We see the Father in the Son who

does only what He sees His Father doing, for the Father is ‘working still’ (John 5:17).

Sabbath signified God’s rest from His first creative labour. But in a fallen world, God is restless to redeem. So Jesus turns the day of rest into a day of restoration.

Sowing Himself as a saving seed into the soil of our cursed ground, Jesus effects a great reversal of the tragic fate pictured in Genesis. Going ‘against the grain’ of life leading to death, He brings us from death to life (John 5:26; 11:25).

Jesus is proof that, as Bonhoeffer said, ‘the God of creation, of the utter beginning, is the God of the resurrec-tion’, the ultimate end.

the Incarnate Christ. We first glimpse that glorious life as a guest at a wedding feast, stepping in to save an embarrassed host from social disgrace, just as, later, it stoops to wash dusty feet.

In what are misleadingly called ‘natural processes’, soft showers fall on sun-soaked vines, grapes grow fit to be crushed, until water is turned into wine. So as C.S. Lewis suggested (following Augustine), Jesus does ‘speeded-up’ versions of what the One Creator God does more slowly all the time.

John has a Christ-centred vision of creation.

It is arguable that a biblical doctrine of creation should start with John 1 rather than Genesis 1.

Perhaps, if the Church had done this more consistently, it might have been spared at least some of the needless

John has a Christ-centred vision of creation.

C2CED ND 2011 text.indd 33 23/6/11 11:39:22

DeCember | introDuction

BelievinG leads to life. That’s why John wrote his Gospel, summarising his intentions thus: ‘But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’ (20:31). John gathers together a collection of seven signs that point to who Jesus is, and why we should put our trust in Him. The first three Gospels major on describing events in the life of Christ, but John empha-sises the meaning of these events.

Jesus is the Light of the whole world – and we know that John had Gentiles in mind as well as Jews when he wrote because he often interprets Jewish words or customs for his readers.

And we will meet the insistent Jesus who refuses to be passed off as a mere miracle worker or magnificent teacher. His ‘I am’ statements (the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Resurrection, the Bread, the Shepherd, the Door, the Vine) explain different aspects of what He came to be and to do for human-kind. We will see the darkness of ‘mere’ religion here, too, as the religious experts of the day dig their heels in and stubbornly refuse to recognise the light that shines in their darkness.

But there is one major theme that runs throughout John’s Gospel: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and if we commit ourselves to Him, He will give us eternal life (20:31). May His light and life be ours, and our faith nurtured as we look again at Him through the lens that John has provided.

John 1–11Jeff lucas This is the life!’ Have you ever

said that, perhaps when you were at the end of a wonder-

ful meal which made you full – and grateful? Or perhaps it was during a much anticipated holiday that you’d been saving for years to experience, and where reality actually looked like the brochure. Maybe you were just purring with pleasure at the joy of being able to put your feet up and enjoy a lazy few hours doing nothing in particular.

John wants us to know what real life is all about. ‘Life’ is one of his favourite words – he uses it 36 times in his Gospel. That’s his agenda – to paint a portrait showing the contrasts between life and death, light and darkness. And so he gives us no heart-warming nativity scenes, and no heart-breaking Bethlehem trek. He just launches right into the very core of his message.

But, succinctly, John answers two of the major questions that we human beings face. The first is: Are we alone, or is there a God who is not just ‘out there’ but who wants to rub shoulders with us? ‘He pitched his tent among us’

real life is …

JOHN 1:1–14 | thurs 1 Dec

‘

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DeCember | introDuction

BelievinG leads to life. That’s why John wrote his Gospel, summarising his intentions thus: ‘But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’ (20:31). John gathers together a collection of seven signs that point to who Jesus is, and why we should put our trust in Him. The first three Gospels major on describing events in the life of Christ, but John empha-sises the meaning of these events.

Jesus is the Light of the whole world – and we know that John had Gentiles in mind as well as Jews when he wrote because he often interprets Jewish words or customs for his readers.

And we will meet the insistent Jesus who refuses to be passed off as a mere miracle worker or magnificent teacher. His ‘I am’ statements (the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Resurrection, the Bread, the Shepherd, the Door, the Vine) explain different aspects of what He came to be and to do for human-kind. We will see the darkness of ‘mere’ religion here, too, as the religious experts of the day dig their heels in and stubbornly refuse to recognise the light that shines in their darkness.

But there is one major theme that runs throughout John’s Gospel: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and if we commit ourselves to Him, He will give us eternal life (20:31). May His light and life be ours, and our faith nurtured as we look again at Him through the lens that John has provided.

John 1–11Jeff lucas This is the life!’ Have you ever

said that, perhaps when you were at the end of a wonder-

ful meal which made you full – and grateful? Or perhaps it was during a much anticipated holiday that you’d been saving for years to experience, and where reality actually looked like the brochure. Maybe you were just purring with pleasure at the joy of being able to put your feet up and enjoy a lazy few hours doing nothing in particular.

John wants us to know what real life is all about. ‘Life’ is one of his favourite words – he uses it 36 times in his Gospel. That’s his agenda – to paint a portrait showing the contrasts between life and death, light and darkness. And so he gives us no heart-warming nativity scenes, and no heart-breaking Bethlehem trek. He just launches right into the very core of his message.

But, succinctly, John answers two of the major questions that we human beings face. The first is: Are we alone, or is there a God who is not just ‘out there’ but who wants to rub shoulders with us? ‘He pitched his tent among us’

is one beautiful translation of ‘the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’ (v.14). The Message version reads even more pointedly, ‘The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.’

When God came to earth in the Person of His Son, He did not come to hover on a celestial cloud or even to live in a beautiful palace but to our neighbourhood. Real life, the life we really live is found in grimy streets, noisy factories and bustling offices. Into this real world Jesus came to give us real life, eternal life, abundant life. This is a life where God Himself ‘rubs shoulders’ with us in our everyday world. Jesus was born in a filthy sta-ble, wrapped in strips of cloth and placed in a manger which was a feed-ing trough for animals. He lived not as a rich and powerful king but as a sweat-stained hard-working carpen-ter. As a flesh and blood man, Jesus experienced the realities of life and yet He was also called Immanuel – ‘God with us’.

real life is …

JOHN 1:1–14 | thurs 1 Dec

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if We ask the psalmists why they overflow with praise, they will tell us that ‘it is fitting’ to praise God. Like a well-cut suit or a well-styled dress, praise is tailor-made for us because that is what we were created for! Praise is fitting because with it all the elements come together: heart-felt convictions, exuberant emo-tions, musical skills – cascading forth in fresh melodies and new songs. So praise is no passing fad but the fashion that’s here to stay. And praise is not escapism. In the words of Old Testament scholar, Ellen David, ‘Praise suits those who want to see the world as it really is.’ Praise is not whistling in the dark to keep our spirits up, but the bold prophetic declaration of our real reasons for living.

Let’s celebrate ‘the word of the Lord’ (vv.4–9). First, praise God for His covenant Word. God’s covenant promise taught Israel a new lan-guage to describe God’s relationship to His people. God ‘loves righteous-ness and justice’ (v.5). Sing joyfully to the Lord for ‘the earth is full of his unfailing love’ (v.5). This hesed, in particular, is God’s trademark,

God’s living Word

Psalm 33:1–9 | WeekenD

The second question John seeks to answer in the intro-duction to his Gospel is this:

How can we find life beyond survival? Life should be about more than just existing from one day to the next. As John speaks of Jesus as the Light and Life of humanity, we realise that Christ – not mere religion – is the vital com-ponent to genuine living. Although the law given by Moses had produced great joy and blessing, now Jesus introduces us to a new relationship with God based on grace and truth. And not just some grace but fullness of grace! This was not to be a life following a set of impossible rules but a life flowing out of a new heart of love from within. Jesus makes God known to us not as a judge but as a loving Father. To the Jews, this was a seismic shift in their thinking.

So John the apostle fixes the spot-light of attention firmly upon Jesus. John the Baptist, brilliantly lucid and arresting in his eccentricity, captivated the hearts of many with his punchy preaching and wilderness baptising. But he was only a witness, and not the

Light itself. John was only called to pre-pare the way, Jesus is supremely centre stage. There is only room on the plat-form for one. It’s all about Jesus. Only He can give life anyway. And this life He offers doesn’t come cheaply, as John introduces us to Him as the Lamb of God, the One who willingly sacrificed Himself for us. John also introduces us to the Holy Spirit and a new, personal and dynamic relationship we can have with Him through Jesus.

It is no longer a case of merely surviving in life but thriving through life as Jesus gives us a new inner life. We are filled with the light of His extraordinary power and presence which shines in the darkness of our seemingly ordinary days so we truly experience ‘every day with Jesus’. To find Jesus is to find real life. Years ago, when I first became a Christian, we sported huge, dustbin-lid-sized badges that screamed the message, ‘Real life is Jesus!’ Subtle they were not. Absolutely true they were.

Finding real life

Fri 2 Dec | JOHN 1:15–34

C2CED ND 2011 text.indd 36 23/6/11 11:39:22

if We ask the psalmists why they overflow with praise, they will tell us that ‘it is fitting’ to praise God. Like a well-cut suit or a well-styled dress, praise is tailor-made for us because that is what we were created for! Praise is fitting because with it all the elements come together: heart-felt convictions, exuberant emo-tions, musical skills – cascading forth in fresh melodies and new songs. So praise is no passing fad but the fashion that’s here to stay. And praise is not escapism. In the words of Old Testament scholar, Ellen David, ‘Praise suits those who want to see the world as it really is.’ Praise is not whistling in the dark to keep our spirits up, but the bold prophetic declaration of our real reasons for living.

Let’s celebrate ‘the word of the Lord’ (vv.4–9). First, praise God for His covenant Word. God’s covenant promise taught Israel a new lan-guage to describe God’s relationship to His people. God ‘loves righteous-ness and justice’ (v.5). Sing joyfully to the Lord for ‘the earth is full of his unfailing love’ (v.5). This hesed, in particular, is God’s trademark,

saying all we need to know about the passionate commitment that undergirds God’s covenant love. Israel exemplifies a people who do not live by bread alone but by every word of unfailing love that comes from God’s mouth.

Second, praise God for His creative Word (vv.6–8). In the beginning was God’s uttered ‘Let there be … and there was’. In the Old Testament world-view, God’s Word not only informs but also acts. God’s Word comes powerfully as an energetic partner of His life-giving ‘breath’, or Spirit (Gen. 1:1–2; cf. Isa. 55:10–11). For this God commands universal respect and evokes the ‘awe’ of the whole world (vv.8–9).

During the Advent season, we cel-ebrate the astonishing, redemptive intrusion of God’s ‘Logos’, when that very world-creating, covenant- making Word became flesh and dwelt among us, ‘and we beheld his glory’ (John 1:14, AV). He is the One who speaks the grace and truth of the new covenant to us, and breathes the breath of the new creation on us. Praise is surely fitting to those who see the world in this way!

God’s living Word

Psalm 33:1–9 | WeekenD

Light itself. John was only called to pre-pare the way, Jesus is supremely centre stage. There is only room on the plat-form for one. It’s all about Jesus. Only He can give life anyway. And this life He offers doesn’t come cheaply, as John introduces us to Him as the Lamb of God, the One who willingly sacrificed Himself for us. John also introduces us to the Holy Spirit and a new, personal and dynamic relationship we can have with Him through Jesus.

It is no longer a case of merely surviving in life but thriving through life as Jesus gives us a new inner life. We are filled with the light of His extraordinary power and presence which shines in the darkness of our seemingly ordinary days so we truly experience ‘every day with Jesus’. To find Jesus is to find real life. Years ago, when I first became a Christian, we sported huge, dustbin-lid-sized badges that screamed the message, ‘Real life is Jesus!’ Subtle they were not. Absolutely true they were.

Finding real life

Fri 2 Dec | JOHN 1:15–34

C2CED ND 2011 text.indd 37 23/6/11 11:39:23