John 1:1-2

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading: John 1:1-2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.

3) Devotional
“Word”. “A man is only as good as his word”.

How many of us were raised by a parent that reminded us of that truth growing up?  It is interesting that Jesus is described in John 1:1 as “The Word”.  He also calls us to be like him in word and in deed.

Every year in this country:
• 3,500 churches die,
• 1,200 churches are planted.
• Up to 80 percent of those fail.
• That means we’re losing 3,000 churches a year.
• We’re losing 60 churches a week—a week, just dying and getting buried, every year.
• What is desperately needed in our world of multiple cultures and multiple understandings and multiple realities, is people like John the Beloved, author of John’s Gospel.   For they are people who understand Jesus well enough and can understand the world well enough to be able to take a simple concept like the Logos and use that as a means of articulating the whole that brings the parts together.

And so, that’s what we exist for.
• Stonecrest is a (little w) word of God.
• You are a (little w) word of God.
• Not that you are divine,
• but that you are a speech,
• you are a statement sent into the darkness of this world to communicate the truth that there is light.
• God has sent you into the world as a (little w) word of God to speak about grace and to show it, and to speak about truth and to show it, and to speak about Jesus, and to be a witness pointing to him.
• How does God get his things done in this world? How does God get his word spoken in this world? That would be through us. That would be through you and me, just like he did it through John the Beloved.

And so, that’s what we strive to be. That’s what we are about. Word is produces word does.  When the Word (Logos) changes us on the inside, our “word” is in daily life.  That’s the most important thing.

4) Questions to Consider
How has the Word changed you?  How has God used you for His glory?

5) Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for your Word.  Help me to hide your Word within my heart in order to know you more and to know your heart.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)