in the Beginning - and in the End

Today we start my favorite gospel in the One Year Bible. We read from John 1:1-28. I love John's theology. He's my favorite disciple. And the way he uses the idea of the Logos from Greek philosophy ties everything together in a beautiful way.

But today we start with Jesus, the "Word" of God, who was with God in the beginning, and through whom all things were made. That's the take home lesson today. God is the beginning of everything. And God will be the end of everything. He came before the universe, and when the universe passes away, there He will be.

So the story that we're in, here and now, is preceded and followed by Him. He's where we come from, and where we're going. That puts things in perspective. It teaches us that pleasure isn't what's most important. Whether we have fun or enjoy our lives isn't the point. Sure, God wants us to have pleasure. But learning to put pleasure in the proper place - and to realize that suffering is part of the reality of our lives as well - is a huge part of our life lesson. When you realize that God comes before and after us, it helps us to see that whether we make money or get a nice car or big house are not important. What matters is how we treat His children. How we relate to Him. How we love. The rest is trivial.

God, thank You for being before and after us. Please help us open our lives up to You so You can indwell this part too. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth - and in our lives - as it is in Heaven - before and after.