Remembering: The Word Became Flesh
Month 1: The Word Became Flesh · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe. 8 He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 The true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’” 16 From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
Memory Verse
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”— John 1:1 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Leviticus 2-5
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 29 of 365 — offerings that show how seriously God takes sin, and how He provides a way back.)The Heart of It
Tonight we worship by looking back over the whole month. We read the song John wrote to open his Gospel. He doesn't start in a stable. He starts before time itself: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." That "Word" is Jesus. He was always with the Father. He has always been God. And through Him everything was made (). Then comes the wonder the angels announced, the shepherds saw, and the wise men worshiped: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (). The One who flung the stars into place became a baby who needed to be held. That is who we have been getting to know all month. And tonight we praise Him for it together.
John also tells us what this Light came to do. He came to His own people, and many would not receive Him. But to everyone who does receive Him, who believes in His name, He gives the right to become a child of God (). That is an invitation, not a forced entry. Jesus knocks, and we get to open the door. He didn't have to come down to us. And we could never have climbed up to Him. So He came, full of grace and truth. He came close enough to touch. And He brought light that the darkness has never been able to put out (). The right response to news this good is worship. It is grateful, glad-hearted worship that He came near.
Around the Table
Jesus was always God. Then He became a tiny baby so He could be close to us! That's the best news ever.
Let's do it: Cup your hands like you're holding something precious and whisper, "Thank You, Jesus, for coming close to us."
John says Jesus is "the Word." He was there at the very beginning, and He made everything. Then He became a man.
Let's talk: What is one thing you learned about Jesus this month that you didn't know before?
teaches that Jesus is fully God and became fully man. And it teaches that receiving Him is a real choice we make. It is not forced on us ().
Let's go deeper: Why does it matter that Jesus is both completely God and completely human? What could He do for us that no one else could?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you could go back and witness one moment from the Christmas story in person — the angel, the manger, the shepherds, or the wise men — which would you pick, and why?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some say Jesus was just a good teacher, not God. But says plainly that the Word "was God." And says that same God "became flesh." A merely good teacher who claimed to be God would be neither good nor merely a teacher. So when someone asks, we can kindly point to what Jesus actually said and was. We can explain why we believe it ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
A month of family worship can quietly become a habit you just check off. Tonight, resist that. The aim of John's prologue is not information. It is adoration. He wrote it so we would "behold His glory" (). Your children will learn what worship feels like mostly by watching you. When you read that the eternal Word became flesh and your own voice catches a little, when you actually pause to be amazed that God came near, you are discipling them in something no curriculum can teach. You are showing them that this is real, and worthy of wonder. Don't rush the recap. Let the bigness of it land on you first.
Draws on: D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Pillar New Testament Commentary).
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Jesus came to live among us, full of grace and truth. We open our hearts and receive Him. Help us see how wonderful He is. We worship You with glad hearts tonight. In Jesus' name, amen."
The God who made everything came near enough to be held. And He is worthy of my worship.