Illumination

The announcement
 
 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  John 1 v 1- v5 (NIV).
 
Yesterday, I looked out of the window and saw this awesome light gleaming through the window blinds.  I grabbed my camera and carefully captured the image I was presented with.
 
This morning I opened up the Bible to the book of John Chapter 1.  This is scripture I have read many times and have heard many interpretations of.  The Holy Spirit, of course, always provides new revelations and insight.
 
The insight I gained, and am still reflecting on, this time included the importance of recognizing The Word as a part of the being of God.   Just as we, in similar manner, speak, our Creator spoke Christ into manifest existence.  This Christ was an illumination of God, a part of Himself.
 
“and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1 v1.
 
John describes this essence of God coming as light into the dark, blind, unknowing, non comprehending creation.  He came in the form of Jesus the Christ to us, and we His very creation, and made in His image, did not recognize Him.
 
Recognition, however, as unveiled by scripture, came to some, when the Lord used specific sources and means to reveal Himself.
 
Luke records in scripture that a host of angels appeared to a group of shepherds.  The juxtaposition of heaven and earth is emphasized in this glorious visitation of heavenly beings to shepherds on earth.” 
 
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2 v13-14.
 
Transformed by their visitation the shepherds went to see the child that they were told about and after experiencing the child, announced earlier to them, they told everyone about their encounter.
 
The Witness
 
“There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.”  John 1 v 6-8 (MSG).
 
“There was a man sent from God whose name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.”  John 1 v 6-7 (NIV).
 
John was “tailor made” to be a witness of the coming of the kingdom of God and the coming of the Christ.  His whole life was dedicated to this purpose and when he saw Jesus he announced:
 
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”  John 1 v 29.
John recognized Christ Jesus and not just by sight but through the Holy Spirit.
His mother announced John’s response to Jesus’s mother, Mary, while she was pregnant with John and Mary was pregnant with Jesus.
 
“ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”  Luke 1 v 43 (NIV)
 
The Word
 
Do we recognize the Word sent by God today? The Christ came, fully God and fully man, to be a light and a witness to us.  Jesus the Christ, a manifested gift of our Creator’s agape love!
 
“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
                                                                  John 1 v 11 - 12 (NIV).

We have been provided with a gospel that is captured through witness and recorded, by inspiration, in the Bible.  These records are important tools for insight and teaching.  Our personal response to a personal God is the key, however, to tapping into the benefits and revelation the Lord provides. 
 
Let us receive Him and believe in His name so we can become the children or offspring of God.  The offspring that we were originally designed to be.
 
il·lu·mi·na·tion/iˌlo͞oməˈnāSH(ə)n/
noun
1. lighting or light:"higher levels of illumination are needed for reading"synonyms:light, lighting, radiance, gleam, glitter, ... moreantonyms:darkness
·         ▪a display of lights on a building or other structure.
·2. the art of illuminating a manuscript.
qsynonyms:decoration, illustration, embellishment, adornment, ornamentation
·         ▪an illuminated design in a manuscript.
synonyms:decoration, illustration, embellishment, adornment, ornamentation
 3. clarification:"these books form the most sustained analysis and illumination of the subject"synonyms:clarification, elucidation, explanation, revelation, explication, ... more
·         ▪spiritual or intellectual enlightenment.
synonyms:enlightenment, insight, revelation, discovery, understanding, ... moreantonyms:ignorance