The Kitchen Sink
An occasional piece of paper
January 4, 2009
Vol. 12 no. 01

Everything But...
           It is all due to the inevitable march of days on the calendar, nothing intentional, but seldom do we celebrate a Second Sunday after Christmas. But after all, this is only the 11th day. Watch out for the pipers piping!
          A problem for the Lectionary guys on this Second Sunday is that they have run out of stories. The magi have to wait until next week after Epiphany, everything in its proper time and place. The best choice is to turn to John’s magnificent ode in Chapter 1 of the Gospel, a passage strong on poetic heights, but slim on narrative.
          “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Many new English translations cannot leave that alone, apparently compelled to give us the plain meaning. But sometimes the very words mean a lot more than they mean.
          What John means by “In the beginning” is that this is the Creation all over again, the most important act of God. Perhaps the most important part of that act is the Word, or as the Greeks originally called it, the Logos. Our can-do culture tends to put down “mere words.” A word just says things, it accomplishes nothing, and that does describe human words all too well. Yet God spoke and there was a world; the Word came into our world and gave us something new to say and do. With God and the Word when a word is spoken, that word becomes reality and is accomplished. There is no human disconnect between God’s words and our actions.
          The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, but not everyone knows the Word. Some only hear the Word, but cannot figure out what it does. That’s our job: making sure the power of our words connect with the power of our actions.