URC Daily Devotion 7th May 2025
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.
Reflection
In Wales and Scotland, many road signs are bilingual. One Welsh sign, when translated back into English, hilariously read, “Thank you for emailing the translation department. We will respond when we reopen on 19 October.” Similarly, a person seeking a tattoo of “live and let live” in Mandarin ended up with “sweet and sour chicken,” while another’s “I love David” in Hebrew became a message promoting translation software. Translation, it seems, isn’t risk-free.
Understanding John’s gospel also depends on translation. God translated divine life and purpose into human form through Jesus: “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” Unlike other gospels, John has no Nativity story, and focuses instead on the cosmic significance of Jesus. This is the God whose light has travelled 13.7 billion years from the Big Bang, pouring life and purpose into Jesus, a carpenter from Nazareth. Jesus’s life was so saturated in God that people declared him the Son of God.
Jesus entered a fragile, broken world, much like ours today. As Studdert-Kennedy observed, “the hand that rocks the cradle wrecks the world.” Human gentleness coexists with the capacity for destruction, as the news reminds us daily. Yet Jesus’ incarnation had a purpose: to move in, live deeply, and share everything. Embedded in the messiness of life, Jesus brought healing, hope, and renewal to the broken. Nelson Mandela mirrored this strategy, entering deeply into his people’s struggles. Known for justice and kindness, he invited his gaoler to his presidential inauguration and greeted everyone, from heads of state to tea servers.
God calls us to do the same: live deeply and share generously. Through acts of kindness or societal change, we translate God’s love into the world. Whoever we are, we are God’s translation today. This is what “the Word became flesh and lived among us” means in your life and line, today.
Prayer
Living God, you translated your divine purpose into human form in Jesus, showing us how to live deeply, love generously, and share freely. Help us follow his example, bringing healing, hope, and renewal to a fragile world. Inspire us to act with justice and kindness, reflecting your love in all we do. May our lives translate your presence into the lives of others, so that your light shines brightly through us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.