The 1997 movie contact tells the story of a relationship between a
theologian and a scientist. It’s sci-fi so yes it is about alien contact. When
it comes to how John chooses to start his story of Jesus I can’t help but think
of the way the film Contact begins, with its sweep out from earth, out from the
solar system following radio waves, out through even our sun looking like that
the pale blue dot image, out through the pillars of creation, out beyond the
milky way, through the star forming hearts of neighbouring galaxies, even through
Hubble’s far fields to a cascade of infinite universes seemingly coming into
being, an explosion of light like a big bang and then we find ourselves
entering the story through the eye of a child. Why don’t we take a moment and
watch it…
It paints the big picture for us.
It paints the picture of God being the creator, being the source of all
life in the universe.
It paints the picture of God revealing himself to his creation. We see
it in the law being given through Moses, that God wanted a people to be able to
reflect what God is like by the way they lived and treated each other and the
world around them.
When you read through the Prologue to John’s gospel there is an
interruption to the flow of John’s thoughts and poetry in verses 6-8 as we look
at John the Baptist. But in painting the
big picture about God’s self-revelation John stands as an important figure. He
stands as the last of the Old Testament Prophets, because he is calling people
back to being faithful to their covenant relationship with God, as such he is
the last of the line of prophets who had done that for the Jewish people. God
was constantly inviting his people back to himself. But also he stands as the herald of the
dawning of a new day as he proclaims that the Kingdom of God is at hand, he
witnesses to who Jesus is. One tradition has John the writer of the gospel in
Ephesus, and the emphasis on making sure people do not confuse John the Baptist
with the light fits in well with that. In Acts when Paul comes to Ephesus there
are a group there that has already been baptised, but not as followers of Jesus
but of John, so this John here makes sure they see John the Baptist, as yes an
important man, but important because he bears witness, as do all those who have
gone before him, to the light that has come into the world in Jesus.
The prologue paints the big
picture of God’s love because it tells us for our sake that God stepped into
our world, the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. The light came to shine
in the darkness. By the way the tent here does not signify a quick visit, like
our Christmas holidays, it’s the word tabernacle, and signifies God presence
being with us for the whole journey. Even though His own did not recognise him, it’s the big picture of God reaching out to us.
Here we step onto the canvas of that big picture because the
prologue paints the big picture about the human condition.
It paints the big picture that we were created and made to find our life
in relationship with God through Jesus, God’s Word. My friend and mentor Jim
Wallace in his study series ‘discover life’ talks about human life using two
Greek words one being bios, where we get the word biology, which talks about
our physical life, the life we share with all creatures. But John also uses the
word Zoe which has an idea of life that is more than just the MRS GREN my
children talk about over meals… Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth,
Reproduction, Excreting and Nutrition.
The prologue paints the big picture that as humans we live in
darkness. We are fallen and broken. All
the way through John’s gospel the motif of light and darkness is used to
explain Jesus mission in the world. After that most famous verse in John, John
3:16, that God so loved the word, that he gave his only begotten son that
whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life… John says the
reason that people did not receive the light is that we prefer the darkness.
One of the things that light does is that it reveals the truth, and says John
people see their works are evil. When the light comes when God’s truth is
revealed it shows up the extent of our brokenness. Our need for God and that is
not comfortable.
The prologue then paints for us the big picture of God’s love, in the
Word made flesh, in the beloved son inviting us back to relationship with him.
Not only is God’s truth revelled but God’s grace as well. God grace stepping
into our world, God giving his son, It’s the big picture that is painted in a
babe in a manger, and that child grown into a man, dying on a cross. It paints the picture that to all who would receive him he gives the right to be sons and daughters of the most high.
Songwriter and Presbyterian Minister Malcolm Gordon in his sermon for
the first Sunday in advent this year wraps this big picture up for us… “Our Advent hope is that God will send his
beloved one out after his wayward ones. And that no matter how badly that might
seem to go for God and for his beloved one, God will somehow win the salvation
of many through it.”
It’s the big picture but it’s not some abstract hanging on the wall of
a lofty gallery, surrounded by security, unless it may fall into the wrong
hands. It’s not some CGI Master piece the beginning of contact which would look even better if it was in
3D. It makes contact…It’s a big picture that as I said before comes from
eternity to here. Its real.
It reaches into the lives of people who encounter Jesus in John’s
gospel. It is the offer of new birth and new life made to a Pharisee so worried
about his public appearance that he came to see Jesus at night. But so wanting
to find light and truth that he comes seeking Jesus.
It is living water that can quench the thirst of a women, so ostracised
by her people , that she had to endure the mid-day sun to come to her local well and draw water. Jesus speaks
life into her life. She goes back not with the scent of bad news about her but as
the herald of Good news “witnessing to her neighbours… he told me every thing I
had ever done… could this be the messiah”.
It speaks healing and wholeness into the life of a cripple, who had
been on a waiting list by a pool in a major city for thirty eight years, he is
made well when he meets Jesus.
It opens the eyes of a man born blind. Lifting him up out of the dust
of the road side where he sat as a beggar.
It would bring comfort to Mary and Martha as Jesus showed his solidarity
with their grief and wept at the death of their brother Lazarus and then did
the unthinkable and raised him to life again.
It gave the example of love and service to one another, as the master
and teacher, stopped to wash the feet of his disciples and commanded all who
would know him to love to love one
another.
It’s the big picture that shines into peoples lives, not only as we cherry pick
our way through John’s Gospel but in lives today…
Maybe I could go on and share many other people’s testimony and cherry pick the most spectacular... But the
big picture came here to you and I. For
me I grew up in a home where my Mum would go to church, in fact she was a
Sunday school teacher, but my dad wanted nothing to do with Church and
Christianity. I grew up in the Church.
As a teenager I went to Youth Group for purely social reasons, we went to the
beach and out on Saturday night, I was a bit of a nerd and these folk actually
seemed to care. When I was asked are you a Christian I would proudly say “ No and I don’t want to
be”. One weekend at a family camp, where we’d been dragged up from playing on
the beach to listen to a very boring speaker, that big picture of God’s love
stepped into my life, I heard God say “I want You to follow me” and I knew God
was real. So I responded. Life has been
up and down since then it hasn’t been all beer and skittles. But I know I am
loved and have found amazing life in knowing and following Jesus.
The Big picture… from eternity to here, God’s Word stepping into our
world.
The big picture from eternity to here, the here and now, not just the
then and there.
The big picture of God’s love… from here to eternity… to you and I…
bringing new life to all who will receive him.
No comments:
Post a Comment