Monday, Dec 23

Scripture: John 1:1-14 (NIV) – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 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 testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Message: In the Methodist tradition, there is a saying: we sing what we believe. This conviction likely stems from Charles Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement in the 1700s, who wrote more than 6,000 hymns. Through these songs, Methodist theology took root and spread across the world, shaping the denomination we know today.

Among Wesley’s hymns is the beloved Christmas carol, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”¹. It is a personal favorite of mine and one of the most widely recognized Christmas songs. While many sing it as part of holiday tradition, sometimes without much thought for its religious meaning, the hymn contains profound lyrics that reveal the mystery of what took place that first Christmas in Bethlehem.

Advent is the season when we prepare to celebrate what theologians call the Incarnation. John’s Gospel tells the story in a unique way: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The Incarnation means that in Jesus, God took on a human body and lived among us. That is no simple idea, it’s mysterious and hard to fully grasp! But Charles Wesley helps us glimpse its meaning.

In just three verses, set to a tune many of us know by heart, Wesley makes this complex truth accessible. The hymn reminds us that the birth of Christ is more than a story, or seasonal celebration; it is the moment when God’s love broke into human history in the most personal way possible.

So this Advent, listen closely to the words as you sing. They are not just beautiful poetry, they are theology in song, teaching us who God is and how much God loves us.

I find particular hope in verse three:

Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.¹

Prayer: May these words strengthen your faith and fill you with hope this season. Amen.

Pastor John Shughart

1. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” by Charles Wesley. 1743. Public Domain. UM Hymnal #240.