That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 1 John 1:1-2

The Apostle John starts his epistle the same way he stated the gospel of John, “From the beginning” as John started his gospel from the beginning of Creation. “In the beginning was The Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) Jesus Christ is the Creator who became the creation to save us from our sins, to be reconciled back to our Heavenly Father. 

Now you might say, well these are ancient writings that were passed down from generation to generation, but no the Apostle John is not just the author of these writings inspired by the Holy Spirit, but he was also an eyewitness to these events and a personal Apostle of Christ. As John testifies “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life” The disciples have lived and learned from God incarnate for over 3 years.

As we enter the Advent season on the Church calendar, the celebration of the coming of Christ, the celebration of God becoming flesh and living among us (John 1:14) Can we even grasp what had happened in the manger in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago? Is there any possibility of our minds comprehending the Holy Spirit conceiving a child in the virgin womb to bring the Son of God into the world? I don’t think our human minds can fully grasp the incarnation but we know it happened in the manger in a little town of Bethlehem

Without the incarnation of Christ, without the Word becoming flesh, there would be no salvation for your soul. Without Immanuel, God coming with us here on Earth, there would be no atonement for your sins. The incarnation of Christ is an essential doctrine of your faith, and part of the gospel message. Christ could never have gone to the cross, without becoming flesh first!  This is why the Church began celebrating what we know today as “Christmas” , the virgin birth is the hope for all humanity

As the Apostle John states “The Word of Life (Christ) was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness “ The Word became flesh and lived among us, glory to the new born King! Reflect upon these thoughts as we prepare for Advent season, Amen!