1 John 1:1-4
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
John shares that the Word has been incarnated. God, which at the time was known as “The Word”, has taken on new life, in the flesh of Jesus. All have become One and John is sharing this truth from his own experience. He has not only seen his existence, but he has also felt it. He has felt the warmth of Jesus’s touch and heard the beauty of His words. His heart has been warmed by the smile of Jesus. He now knows the unwavering love of God. John knows that this news must be shared and that all can now experience God this way.
I close my eyes and imagine John as a motivational speaker on a stage, moving back and forth, as he uses volume, pitch, tone, and inflection to draw me into his message. As the words ring through my ears, my body begins to feel differently, my heart aches with longing to experience the realness of the words I hear. I begin to surrender myself to this new truth. The desire is replaced with peace. The ache in my heart is replaced with joy.
I imagine this is how the crowd of people must feel as they listen to John. He is announcing that, God, now experiencing the flesh, can give us grace instead of only mercy. God no longer must be feared. The Word was no longer unreachable. He understood and empathized with the flesh that He created. There is now unity within humanity and God. Like John, they are now made complete. As am I. As are you.
John calls us to experience this truth alongside one another. We can come together, in similar delight and celebrate the wholeness that we now have because of the new life that became of the Word.