By now you have heard of the tragic bridge collapse Wednesday evening here in Minneapolis.  A bridge span, nearly 1/2 mile long on one of the major roadways through the Twin Cities, collapse during the rush hour.  As of this morning, six people have been confirmed dead, but many are still trapped in cars under the bridge.  It was an event of historic and catastrophic proportions, as our Governor described it.  And now begins the agonizingly painful task of trying to understand why a bridge would just fall down.  Accidents happen...even in Jesus' day.  Luke tells us the story of Jesus' comment on the collapse of a wall tower in Siloam, killing 18 people.  The real tragedy was not the collapse of the bridge - as awful as it was - but the fact that many were not ready to meet the Lord when the bridge collapsed.  Tragedies such as these are a reminder to us of the brevity of life.  Not one of us knows the day or the hour when we should be ushered into eternity.  The Bible just tells us that we need to be ready.  And so, that is the message that comes from the troubled waters of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis today.  It is another wake-up call to remind us that the purpose of life is to be ready to meet Jesus.

Things continue getting more interesting in the Middle East.  This past week, an Iranian delegation met with leaders of Syria to encourage them to not consider any plan of peace with Israel.  The Iranians then offered billions of dollars worth of sophisticated weaponry to the Syrians, which we know will eventually find its way into the hands of Hezbullah.  Secretary of State Rice has been doing her shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East trying to convince the regions leaders to attend a summit meeting this fall.  God continues to move the pieces upon His chessboard.  And, with God in control, we know there will be no stalemate...only a checkmate at the very end. 

Now, let us turn our attention to the Gospel of John.  This week I would like to focus our attention upon verses 3-5 of the first chapter.  I want to work slowly through these early verses because I believe they are the most important verses in the entire book.  If we fail to understand what John is saying here, then the rest of the book becomes less meaningful.  The focus of verses 3-5 is upon Christ and His relationship to the creation.  Friends, everything owes its existence to the Creator, to the Word.  John writes, "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."  Now, two truths come from this passage.  First, the verb translated "were made" is in the aorist tense of the Greek.  It regards creation in its totality as one act.  Several verses in the New Testament affirm what John has just said: 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16; and Hebrews 1:2.  The world was created..."in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  And the Word was involved in that act of creation.  But there is a second truth.  The verb, translated "has been made" is in a different Greek tense - the perfect - and conveys the thought of the continuing creative work of God.  In other words, God is still creating...the Word is still creating.  The world you see around you is an act of the creation of God today.  Praise God for the marvels of His ongoing process of creation.  It is a world whose beauty and diversity we all enjoy.

Then, John focuses upon the fact that Jesus Christ is the life.  "In him was life, and that life was the light of men."  The concept of "life" is characteristic of John.  The word "life" is used 36 times in the Gospel, 17 times in Revelation, and 13 times in the First Epistle of John.  And it has reference to eternal life...the gift of God through His Son.  Only because there is life in the Word is there life in anything on earth at all.  Life did not come "by" the Word (Christ).  Life did not come "through" the Word.  Life exists "in" the Word - Jesus is more than the transmitter of life - He is life!  Apart from Jesus Christ a man merely exists; he does not live at all.  John expressed it well when he wrote: "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12).  The Apostle Paul confirmed this truth as well when he wrote to the Ephesians that, before they come to know Christ, they were dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).  So, John would say that there are only two types of people on the earth: those who are alive and have life, and those who are dead because they have no life.  The real measure of life is the measure of one's relationship to Jesus Christ.

Finally, John states that Jesus Christ is the light.  "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."  What are the functions of light?  First, the first record of light in the Bible describes light as chasing away the darkness, putting the chaos to flight.  "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." (Genesis 1:3).  And this light separated the darkness.  Jesus Christ is the one light that can save a life from becoming a chaos, from descending into darkness.  Second, the light reveals things as they are.  Again, listen to these words from John: "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." (John 3:19-20).  When we encounter Jesus Christ, who is light, He strips away our masks and reveals us for who we really are.  How wonderful it is to come out of the darkness into the light of Jesus Christ.  Third, light provides a means to show us the way.  Without Jesus in our life, there is always that time of uncertainty, doubt, and guessing.  It is through the light of the Word of God that we can know the way to God through Jesus Christ (Psalm 119:105). 

Three short verses...but they teach us incredible truths about Jesus Christ.  He is our Creator.  He is our Life.  He is our Light. 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
 To understand the world one must not be worrying about one's self.  (Albert Einstein)