In John 1, we learn that the Word was in the beginning with God, and that all things were made through Him (John 1:1-4). If Christ participated in creation, that means He participated in your creation. The intimate words of Psalm 139:15 remind us that our “frame was not hidden” from Jesus when we were “made in the secret place,” when we were “woven together in the depths of the earth.” He made us. He sees us. He knows us. 

But there’s more! John 1:14 tells us that the Word, the Creator, became flesh. From the beginning of time, Jesus saw our flaws and understood our sin. And still, He chose to become flesh and blood. He walked the pain we walk, and He suffered the loss we suffer. Perfect and sinless, He willingly bore the guilt and shame of our sin on a cruel cross (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus knows what you are facing. How does this truth change your approach to your struggles, fears, anxieties, and stress this season? 

In this John verse, the word “dwell” or “dwelling” reminds us of when God physically dwelt or “tabernacled” among the Israelites in Exodus. As a pillar of smoke by day and fire by night, God dwelt among His people when they were lost and desperate in the wilderness. With nowhere else to turn, the people found God was their guiding light in the darkness and their protective covering from the scorching sun. He led His people toward hope and rest in the promised land.  

Like God the Father, Jesus chose to dwell among lost and broken people. He entered our worst to give us His best. Jesus saw us wandering through life’s wilderness without hope or direction. In His compassion, He dwelt among us, lighting the path toward eternal hope. 

Jesus is near to you. How does this truth comfort or encourage you today?

In Exodus 33:20, when Moses asked to see God’s glory, God replied, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” In His love and compassion, God told Moses, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen” (Exodus 33:21-23). 

And yet, God chose to finally reveal His glory not in ultimate power and might, but in a humble and lowly baby. In a tiny infant laid in a manger, God’s glory was on full display. God chose to showcase His power in human weakness. The face of God that was hidden from Moses will shine upon us in eternity because “we have seen His glory”—the glory of Jesus the Messiah. 

As you gaze on Jesus through the Gospel of John, you have seen God’s glory. How does this revelation change your perspective?  

For John’s original readers, Jesus as the “the One and Only Son” would have held great significance. Status as an only son secured a complete inheritance from the father. In Jesus’s case, as the One and Only Son of God, He holds rightful authority over heaven and earth. His inheritance incorporated eternity past and eternity future.  

But in His deep compassion and perfect love, Jesus chose to set His inheritance aside to give us the greatest gift we could never earn. Through His birth, death, and resurrection, Jesus not only gave us eternal life, but also an eternal family. Through Christ, we are not simply accepted—we are adopted. John 1:12 tells us, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

How does your adoption as a child of God change the way you view your past, present, and future?

For all time God the Father, Jesus the Son, and The Holy Spirit have existed in perfect unity. Though Jesus left the splendor of Heaven to dwell among sinners on earth, the union of Father and Son remained unbroken. In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” From Colossians 1:15 we know, “The Son is the image of the invisible God …”, and Philippians 2:5 tells us that Jesus is “in the very nature of God.” 

Through His birth, life, death, and resurrection Jesus revealed the height and depth of God’s love for us. John 1:18 tells us, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father has made Him known.”  

On the cross, as Jesus cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” Jesus bore the full weight of sin’s penalty so that our relationship with God might be restored. Having accomplished victory over sin and death, Jesus returned to His rightful place in heaven. When Jesus came from the Father that very first Christmas, He revealed God’s eternal love for us. Born to die, He came to accomplish the redemption we so desperately need. 

How will you celebrate your relationship with God the Son, and God the Father this Christmas? 

In John 8, Jesus told His followers that “everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36). Truthfully, we need a savior, and graciously, God provided nothing less than Himself to save us. Are you burdened with sin that persists no matter what you try? Do you live with secret shame in your heart? Are you afraid to have your sin revealed to those around you, even to God? The truth about your sin, the truth of Jesus’s atoning sacrifice, and the truth of your new identity in Him will set you free. 

The fullness of grace and truth has been given fully to us in Jesus. John tells us, “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given” (John 1:16). Grace upon grace upon grace is ours in Christ Jesus! 

Will you experience the joy of God’s truth this Christmas? Will you receive the grace He is offering you today?