The following is a message from our Chief Executive Ian Worby about the reason for the season and reminding us to not forget that truth…
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 NIV
John takes a very different approach to the other Gospels in the way he recounts the Christmas story.
Instead of putting the shepherds and angels at the forefront of his message about Jesus’ birth, John chooses to interweave the story of Christmas and the significance of Christmas all throughout his entire Gospel.
He begins with a powerful declaration:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
This “Word” is Jesus, who existed with God from the very beginning and is in fact, God Himself.
My wife Mandy’s popular daily radio show Foundations tells us that in the Hebrew rendition of the first verse of Genesis says something slightly different from what we read in the English version.
“In the beginning God, the Alpha and Omega (Jesus, The Christ) created the heavens and the earth.”
We know from Revelation that this is talking about Jesus Himself as we read:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the One who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” Revelation 1:8
John 1:14 tells us,
“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.”
This verse encapsulates the miracle of Christmas: the eternal, divine Son of God took on human flesh and lived among us. He revealed God’s glory in a way never seen before, full of grace and truth.
The essence of Christmas is God revealing Himself through Jesus. John 3:16-17 beautifully summarises this:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”
Jesus came not to condemn, but to save, offering us grace upon grace.
Today, we remember that Jesus, the Word made flesh, came to bear witness to the truth. He said:
“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.” John 18:37
His truth sets us free from sin and its consequences, offering us new life and eternal peace with God.
Jesus described Himself as the living bread.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” John 6:51
As we celebrate His birth, we also remember His death and resurrection. Here at UCB Asia Pacific we join with the Vision Christian Media team each week to share Communion to remember His death, burial, resurrection and remembering what He did for us. The bread and the cup symbolise His body and blood, given for us.
So the truth is that Christmas is this. Jesus, who is God, came down in the flesh as a baby, to live amongst us. He would ultimately be killed to pay for our sin in order to redeem us back into right relationship with God, so that we might have eternal life.
That is the true meaning of Christmas and it’s the Good News of the Gospel message that we all proclaim every day over the airwaves, online, and through print in your nation as part of our UCB Asia Pacific media ministry.
Merry Christmas to you, your family and your team. May the Lord bless you at this special time and may He inspire and strengthen you for another year of opportunity to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples in 2025.
Ian Worby
Chief Executive
