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In. The. Beginning. Powerful words that begin the books of Genesis and the Gospel of John. And while these phrases were originally written in different languages, they share the same meaning and are translated with the same words. This has been recognized since the Old Testament was first translated into Greek by the scholars gathered together for that purpose. En arche God created the heavens and the earth. En arche was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
As we walk through this Advent season and prepare to celebrate Christmas, the connection that the Apostle John makes with the book of Genesis is powerfully relevant. The God who was and is the beginning of all things is the very same God who was and is the Word who came to live among us, to be our Immanuel, God with us, to reveal Himself in flesh and to save us as the Lamb of God.
Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem, in time and space, was not a random event. It is firmly anchored in the beginning of time; it is promised by God after the fall; it is prophesied by the prophets. The I AM by Whom, through Whom, and for Whom all things have been created (Colossians 1:16) has emptied Himelf, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:7).
As we prepare to celebrate our Lord’s first coming and consider the reality of His second coming, may we remember and appreciate with awe and reverence the wonder of Immanuel, God with us.
