Please read the Scripture below from John’s Gospel chapter 1.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

IN TOUCH WITH THE WORLD AROUND YOU

Good morning, Merry Christmas and Happy St. John’s Day.

Today we read the first part of John’s gospel – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Bible scholars rarely agree on much, but they agree that the author of this Gospel was writing to a largely Greek audience.

While Matthew was writing to Jewish people, Luke to non-Jews, and Mark to what we think was an early church – John was writing trying to tell people who were immersed in a Greek culture about Jesus.

Every Gospel ends with the story of Jesus’ last week, His Passion, Death and Resurrection.  But every Gospel starts differently.

They start differently in order to reach the people they are writing to.

TODAY MY CENTRAL THROUGHT FOR YOU IS THIS:

• JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO REACH PEOPLE,

• THE GOSPELS WERE WRITTEN
  IN SPECIFIC WAYS
  TO REACH PEOPLE

• THE GOAL OF JESUS, AND THEREFORE HIS FOLLOWERS, IS TO REACH PEOPLE WITH THE GOOD NEWS.

Let’s look at how John in the opening of his Gospel did just that.

To the Greek people of that era, the word “Logos” would mean: the source and fundamental order of the cosmos (first established by Heraclitus (ca. 535–475 BC)).

We translate the word “logos” as “Word” with a capital “W” -- “The source and fundamental order of the cosmos”!

John tells the people he finds himself among that: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

In the beginning was the “fundamental order” – and that “order was with God”.

I think the people of that day would agree, but John continues: and the Word was God.

John says the “order” is God – the people might be OK – and John continues:

He was in the beginning with God.

“He”, the logos, the Word, isn’t some concept; no John says it is a person:

All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

That which the Greeks talk about and respect, that which the Greeks seek – the “logos” – is Jesus.

The reading continues:

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

Could you imagine the surprise of the Greeks who heard, I imagine them saying “What, they did accept the “logos”?

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And there it is – the Good News – that TO ALL who believed in his name, he gives the power to become children of God.

It’s the message of Christmas – that God has come to reach all people.

Today is St. John’s Day, a day we celebrate the Apostle John, the one who, without compromising the Gospel, was able to communicate it to people of another culture – and we celebrate our parish!

I’m encouraged that the founders of this parish chose to name it after St. John because St. John is a person who strove to reach the culture of his day.

And if you look at our parish history, you’ll see that same desire – to reach the lost of this world for Jesus.

About 35 years after the first settlers arrived in this area, on October 11, 1819 Ebenezer Foote, Samuel Sherwood, Gideon Frisbee, Benjamin Barrow, Erastus Root, C.B. Sheldon, The Rev. David Huntington and others held the formal organizing meeting of this parish and chose to name it – St. John’s – Delhi (from history by W.W. Munsell).

They met in the Courthouse and would continue to meet there for another 12 years until the first church was erected.

Why would people do this, why would they meet in a courthouse and labor for years to build a church?

Because they, like St. John, were trying to reach their world, with its own culture, to tell them about Jesus.

It says in the history that in 1876 the Church had “a good tone” – isn’t that wonderful.

It also says that in that same year they raised $1,176.00 for mission – for mission, sponsoring people to go and tell others about Jesus!

We may think of our parish as “old and traditional”, but the hymns we are singing this morning – 4 of the 6 were published after St. John’s was founded and the music to all 6 is after the founding of the parish.

St. John’s started with the 1789 Prayer Book and has used 3 others since.

So the Parish has had to adapt in order to reach the culture.

The Parish has also had to persevere.

We know that the Parish has faced trials – the main church burned in 1936 which led to modifying this chapel that we now worship in.

Do you know the pews you’re sitting in were the second set – after the church burned in 1936 and they moved forward with modifying the tower they ordered pews – the first set caught on fire in shipment!

But they pressed on – the pressed on to bring the Good News of Jesus to those of Delhi and the surrounding area.

The goal of the Apostle John to tell the Greek people about Jesus.

The goal of the founders of the Parish of St. John’s to tell the people of this new frontier about Jesus.

And I pray our goal – is to tell people in our world about Jesus.

What will we tell them?

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.