In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.



And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God,who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

John 1:1-18

Few logos are as recognizable in our modern world as that of online retail giant Amazon. Of course, the company name is the obvious focal point, but have you ever noticed the little arrow underneath? What does it even mean? According to most sources, this little arrow holds a couple of different meanings. First, if you’ll notice, it begins at the “a” and points to the “z,” alluding to the vast offerings available on Amazon in product selection and purchasing options - everything “from ‘a’ to ‘z’.” Secondly, you’ll see that the little arrow also resembles a faint smile, conveying the company’s dedication to customer satisfaction. The logo is as simple as it is profound. Companies spend millions of dollars annually to ensure that they have just the right logo, because their logo tells the world a lot about the company, what it does, and what it stands for.

The term “logo” is derived from the Greek word “logos,” and it means “word” or “expression of a thought.” We see this Greek word “logos” 330 times in the New Testament, most notably in John chapter 1. The apostle “that Jesus loved” begins in verse 1 that the Word (Logos) has been eternally present with God, and is in fact equal with God, being the vessel through which all things were created, and the source of life and light, conquering darkness and evil. John the Baptizer (different John) came to bear witness to the world that the Word was the Light of the World prophesied about in the Old Testament, and that He would be rejected by the very people created through Him. Then, in verse 14, John writes that “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth,” and in verse 18, “No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side - He has revealed Him.” “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus the Messiah left the glory of heaven and came to this earth, fully man and fully God, with the express purpose of sacrificing His own life to save ours. 

We often think of salvation and redemption when we think of the Savior coming to this earth as Immanuel, “God among us,” but what else has He done for us? He revealed an unseen God to His own creation. He is the perfect expression (Logos) of the nature of God, and demonstrated how we can live a life holy and God honoring to restore the broken relationship with God that He desired when He created us. As Jesus told Philip in John 14, “…The one who has seen Me has seen the Father…”. Until this point in history, God had proclaimed His love for us, but likely seemed distant and unapproachable. But through Jesus, we now see a God who is not only just and powerful, but also loving, compassionate, personal and intimate. A God we can have a real working relationship with. A God who is with us and for us.

This Christmas, many of us will fill those Amazon carts with gifts galore - from “a” to “z,” and smile in satisfaction that we’ve gotten the perfect gifts for our friends and family. But as we enjoy the festivities and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the sole means of salvation and redemption that He brought with Him, reflect on the fullness of what His life means to us. His desire is that we not only have hope in eternal life in heaven because of His death, burial, and resurrection, but that we can have joy in the here and now, because Jesus came so that we “…may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Rick Black