Part 1: "Before Christmas Began" (John 1:1-5)

Many of us walk into December smiling for the photo while feeling the ache of the gap—the life we imagined versus the life we actually have. The answer isn’t a thin glaze of Christmas cheer; it’s a clearer vision of Jesus. John opens his gospel not in Bethlehem but “in the beginning,” revealing Jesus as the Word who was with God and was God—eternal, personal, and divine. That means God is not distant or easily disappointed; if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus—how he moves toward the ashamed, comforts the suffering, and confronts the proud. He is not part of creation; all things were created through him. In him is life—the kind your soul was made for—and that life is the light of all people.

Light doesn’t deny darkness; it shines into it. Darkness is real—sin, confusion, grief, injustice—but it is not ultimate. At the cross, it looked like darkness won. On the third day, the light proved otherwise. So hope is not naive optimism; hope is tethered to a Person who walked through death and came out the other side. Advent invites us to re-center our longings: Who are you most looking forward to seeing this Christmas? If the answer is Jesus, then created things move out of the “source-of-life” spot and back into their proper place. He knows how you’re wired, what you carry, and even what you hide—and he moved toward you while you were still searching for life elsewhere.

This season, make room for honest light. Read a Gospel and keep asking, “What does this show me about what God is like?” Walking in the light isn’t about perfection; it’s about direction—step by step, bringing more of your life into his presence. Advent remembers who has already come and expects who will come again. The Word became flesh; the Creator stepped into our darkness; the Light still shines. Let’s prepare him room—not as sentiment, but as surrender.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Seeing Jesus reorients real hope When I see Jesus clearly, the false stories I tell myself about God’s absence or indifference begin to crumble. He looks at my anxiety and my cynicism and says to them, “Not possible.” Seeing him rightly doesn’t erase pain, but it puts pain in a world where God is present, powerful, and good. Hope becomes anchored, not imagined. [04:34]
• 2. Love existed before the world God is love not because he needed people to practice on, but because Father, Son, and Spirit have always lived in perfect fellowship. That means love is God’s nature, not his strategy—and you are not a project to fix, but a person to pursue. Christmas is the overflow of eternal love, not a seasonal sentiment. Let that redefine what “being loved” means for you. [12:30]
• 3. Jesus is life, not accessories Work, relationships, achievement, and approval matter—but they make terrible sources of life. To trust Jesus is to shift created goods out of the center and receive life from the Creator. He knows your wiring and your wounds, and he moved toward you while your loves were disordered. Advent is a gracious invitation to plug your soul back into its true source. [17:19]
• 4. Darkness is real, never ultimate The gospel does not flinch at grief, injustice, or failure; it declares that light shines in that very place. The cross looked like defeat, but resurrection named the darkness a liar. If you belong to Christ, your story does not end where it is darkest. Walk in the light—honestly, steadily—and watch how his life has the last word. [23:41]
• 5. Await His arrival with intent Advent is both remembrance and anticipation: he has come, and he is coming again. Make real space to welcome him—unhurried Scripture, honest prayer, wise conversation, and repentance where his light exposes the truth. Move Jesus from the edges of your December to the center of your affection and attention. Hope grows where he is awaited. [27:33]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:22] - The gap December exposes
• [00:56] - Who Jesus is before Bethlehem
• [01:14] - Light in real darkness
• [05:34] - Advent: who are you awaiting?
• [06:57] - Reading John 1:1-5
• [10:43] - With God and was God explained
• [12:30] - Trinity and love’s origin
• [14:59] - See God by watching Jesus
• [16:24] - Maker and source of life
• [17:55] - Counterfeit sources we chase
• [22:32] - Light that reveals and leads
• [23:41] - Darkness defeated at the cross
• [25:53] - Walking in the light daily
• [27:33] - Waiting for His return

Bible Reading

- John 1:1–5 — 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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Observation Questions

1. Read John 1:1–2. What three claims does John make about “the Word,” and how would you explain each claim in one simple sentence?
2. Read John 1:3–4. How does John connect the Word to creation and to life? What does that suggest about where life ultimately comes from?
3. Read John 1:5. What two truths about darkness and light does John state here—what is true about darkness, and what is true about the light?
4. The image of December exposing “the gap” between the life people imagined and the life they actually have is used to frame Advent. How does placing Jesus at the center of longing help reframe that gap? [00:22]

Interpretation Questions

1. John says the Word “was with God” and “was God.” What does this pairing imply about Jesus’ distinct personhood and his full divinity, and why does that matter for understanding how God loves people? [11:34]
2. John says “in him was life.” How should one distinguish between physical life, emotional well-being, and the deeper “life” the soul was made for? What practical differences flow from seeing Jesus as the source of that life? [17:19]
3. John declares the light “shines in the darkness” and that the darkness did not overcome it. How does remembering the cross and the resurrection give a present-tense significance to that claim for people living through grief or injustice? [24:03]
4. If the Word is the agent through whom all things were made (v.3), how should that shape a person’s sense of identity and purpose, especially when their background or upbringing was painful or chaotic?

Application Questions

1. Jesus is the one to be most anticipated at Christmas. Who are you most looking forward to seeing this season, and what would it look like to put Jesus at the top of that list instead? [05:56]
2. Work, relationships, achievement, and approval matter but are not the source of life. Where are you currently treating a created good as your source of life, and what is one concrete step you can take this week to re-center on Jesus as your source? [19:36]
3. God proved his love while people were still sinners—there is no need to “clean up” fully before coming to him. Is there a place you feel you must be different before approaching God? What would it look like to come as you are and admit that to Jesus? [21:19]
4. Walking in the light is about direction, not perfection. Name one small area of your life you will invite Jesus to expose and lead in the next 30 days. What practical action will you take to keep that step forward? [26:24]
5. Darkness does not get the last word for those who belong to Christ. Where in your story do you need hope to rewrite the ending, and who could you ask to walk with you as you claim that hope? [23:41]
6. Advent calls for unhurried Scripture, honest prayer, and wise conversation. What will you remove or postpone this December so you can set aside 15–30 minutes, three times a week, to read a Gospel and ask, “What does this show me about God?” [31:03]