Show Don't Tell: John 1:1-5

Imagine standing on the shores of a vast, untouched ocean at dawn. The sky is painted in the delicate hues of a new day, the soft brush of light stretching across the water, revealing the depths of its mystery. This is how John invites us into the story of Jesus. "In the beginning was the Word," he writes, and with those words, we are thrust into an eternity that predates creation itself, before the first whispers of bereshit (Hebrew for "in the beginning") echoed through the cosmos.

Picture the moment before the creation of anything—before the galaxies spun into existence, before the stars were flung into the night sky, before trees stretched their limbs towards the heavens. There was the Word, a vibrant force, pulsing with life and purpose. As we stand there, we hear the soft rustle of a breeze, the tender promise of something magnificent about to unfold. Through Him, John tells us, all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made. Every grain of sand you feel beneath your feet, every fragile flower blooming nearby, every flicker of joy and laughter in your life—crafted by the very breath of this Word.

Yet the story doesn’t end there. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. Visualize a darkened room—one that echoes with silence and the weight of despair. But then, a spark ignites; a light so brilliant that darkness cannot contain it. This light shines now, even in our most difficult moments—illuminating our paths, guiding us through shadows that threaten to overwhelm. The darkness keeps trying to snuff it out, throwing doubt and despair our way, but like the dawn that breaks the night, the light persists, unwavering and true. It invites us to step forward, to embrace its warmth, and to become reflections of that very light in a world that desperately needs hope.