The Gospel of John
Matthew Philip
Saving Initiative: 1:18
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
We all have those weeks: high stress, unfinished tasks, and unexpected intrusions that extend deadlines and collapse self-perceptions of control and order. Longer hours, quicker email responses, faster conversations do not seem to ease the pressure. More of the same does not work. Been there?
That was my story this past week. The number of hours in a day had mysteriously decreased, unscheduled events were rudely disrupting a well-laid out, albeit full week. My assessment of my administrative skills had taken a dive and was at an all-time low. Something had to change. Mid-week, my co-workers and I called a time-out.
Our team stopped our mad scramble, paused, and prayed the world’s most popular prayer: “Lord, help.” Looking around we realized we had given in to the tyranny of the urgent, lost control of priorities, and had over-valued expectations of others. Using various management tools, an hour later we had a saner, more holistic work plan. The initiative to pause and reflect saved our work week.
Our text this week closes out John’s magnificent prologue on divine initiative to make him known. God, already in the most satisfying relationship with the Word (and the Holy Spirit), takes the initiative to send Jesus in the flesh, so we may know him better. Scripture is literally the story of God’s initiative in revealing himself to us.
Initiative is a key characteristic of our God; quite opposed to the fatalistic, listless, and directionless worldviews of an increasing number of religions around the world. Interestingly, our universal quest for God ends not in our discovery of him, but in his invitation to know him. God’s initiative in revealing himself is a distinctive hallmark of our faith.
But when it comes to our making him known, more often heard than not are excuses for procrastination like “graduating,” “waiting on the Lord,” “waiting for the kids to go to college,” “discerning my call,” “waiting to retire,” etc. I remember my own resistance. I stooped to bribery, offering him not just 10%, but 25% as tithe, if he’d just let me continue on with my career.
Lots of energy and initiative surrounded my plans for the future, but when it came to aligning my plans and purposes with his of making himself known to all, initiative was replaced by denial, reluctance and spiritual posturing, on my part.
I use three contexts to measure my initiative to make him known, especially around the world:
1. The scope of my daily prayers: Does it extend beyond me, to include others around the globe?
2. Changes in my global awareness: Did it increase this week (even if it means playing Planet Earth the interactive DVD game with my kids)?
3. Cross-cultural interaction: Did I stop to ask the Lebanese waitress at my favorite restaurant her name?
I have a rough gauge to measure initiative when it comes to loving God’s global purposes of making himself known – it’s this question: When was the last time you shared a meal with someone from a different culture, in your home?
As mentioned in the John 1:1-5 entry (In the Beginning), God is the great initiator of missions, reconciling us to him, and to one another. He wants us and others to know him. Would you initiate something new this week to make him known? It may begin with a simple, “Lord, help.”
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