Practicing Jesus: Thoughts on a Sunday in June Almost As If I Was Going to Preach Them but Not Really—with reference to Isa 40, Ps 19, Php 4 and John 1

Jesus 

is the Word who was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Jesus and without him was not any thing made that was made—including you and me. In Jesus is life and the light of us all. Jesus still shines in the darkness (John1.1-5). From the fullness of Jesus we have all received, grace upon grace, and truth (John1.16-17). Jesus is The One who is at the Father’s side and who makes the Father known to us who have never yet seen God (John1.18)—all from John chapter one this morning. 

The Holy One who John calls Father and Isaiah describes this morning, as—LORD, everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the earth, who does not faint or grow weary and whose understanding is unsearchable (Isa40.28)—can only be known and seen through Jesus. 

Jesus is the key. Just as the words of different languages carved on to the Rosetta Stone became the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, Jesus is The Only One by whom any speech, words, voices, can be properly discerned as declaring the glory of God through all the earth and to the end of the world (Ps19.3-4, John14.6), or not. Jesus is The Word written in the language of the Holy Spirit, without which no one can discern, decipher and translate the unsearchable understandings (Isa40.28) and mysteries of God. 

As we heard in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Jesus is The Only One who can truly free our hearts to rejoice (Php4.4) in life and in God’s goodness and steadfast love. Jesus embodies and exemplifies the purity of The LORD’s commandments, enlightening our eyes (Ps19.8). It is in Jesus that fear of The LORD becomes forever clean (Ps19.9). Jesus is Grace and Truth (John 1.14, 17). And Jesus is the personification and exemplar of whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy (Php4.8). Whenever I am wondering about how I must behave—how I must treat an indigenous person, my father, a wife, a husband, a child, a parent, a friend, someone I disagree with or dislike, where to spend my money and use my time, how to forgive someone who has wronged me—Jesus must be my key and guide for translating the truth into all my situations and relationships. Only in Jesus can I be reasonable to everyone (Php4.5), free of anxiety (Php4.6), true, honourable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy (Php4.8) in my behaviour and actions.

The LORD is at hand, declared St Paul this morning. So I need not be anxious about anything! If in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, I make my requests known to God (Php4.5-6), all else will follow. I will mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint (Isa40.31). The God of Peace will be with me and those around me (Php4.9). The words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart will be acceptable in God’s sight (Ps19.14).

Practice these things (Php4.9)—the wise and practical teachings of Jesus, Paul, Isaiah and the Psalmist we heard today—and we will all receive grace upon grace from the fullness of Jesus (John1.16) and we shall see his glory, 

glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John1.14).

in the face of our LORD and Saviour,

Jesus.