“In the Beginning Was the Word!” John 1:1
What directed John, led by the Spirit, to begin his Gospel letter with those words, “In the beginning was the Word?” Why did John call Jesus the Word and of all things place Him at the beginning, at the creation of the world? Why not start his narrative with the birth of Jesus or with the first time he saw Jesus? He could have written. “We met Jesus on that day, when Andrew and I were with John the Baptizer, when the Baptizer pointed to this man who was walking toward us and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John wrote this letter after he had years and experiences to reflect, exchange memories, teach and see the power of Christ in his life and his fellow followers of the way. John wrote his letter wanting us to experience and know the truth that is the Christ. He writes about his purpose, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). John begins his Gospel by identifying Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, as God eternal, before creation, who was and is and shall always be. John uses the Greek term Logos for Word. Logos means knowledge and so Christ is Logos, the truth, the Word.
Question of the week: Why is the color purple used in churches for Lent?
Answer: The color purple has been used for Lent by the Christian Church for centuries quite possibly because Jesus was mocked by the Roman soldiers on “Good Friday” when they “wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe and went up to Him … saying, “Hail, king of the Jews.” John 19:2-3 Jesus is beaten, crowned with thorns, draped in purple, the color of kings and emperors — the most expensive cloth in the Roman Empire and then ridiculed.
Rejoice In His Light
Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is a special time of the year to remember that Christ came as a servant to live and die for us. Lent is a time of repentance and prayerful anticipation of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning. The panels in our church are now purple, symbolizing mourning and remembrance of how Christ suffered for us. Christians, for centuries, have used color in divine worship to emphasize the redemptive action of God through his Son. Color, like music, plays an important role in the life of God’s worshiping people. Just as music is the “handmaiden to theology,” liturgical color complements the message of the seasons and occasions during the church year. Liturgical colors aid in addressing a specific “colorful” chapter in the life of our Lord and his church, retold annually by the church calendar. The primary role of color in divine worship is it allows us to see the Light of Life, Jesus Christ.
