Those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God. Jn 1:12
God is good, all the time.
Friends: Saint John's gospel puts a different spin on incarnation from Matthew and Luke. Matthew and Luke accentuate the historical and human context of Jesus' birth, and John highlights the spiritual benefits of the Immanuel. John's overarching end in his gospel's prologue (chapter 1:1-18), which he would expound in the rest of the chapters, is to establish the divinity of Christ, which makes the incarnation a more relevant and praiseworthy act of God.
We should ask the nagging question, are we happier at Christmas because Christ came to the world or because of what we have become? John takes the end approach to the incarnation, suggesting that we have become almost equal with Christ because of the power he has given us to become Children of God. And the power is given equally on a simple condition of believing in him. This power is also the power to love, forgive, belong, give, and receive the love of God and the love of neighbors; it is not one that dismisses, fires, and rejects others.
John is almost telling us that Jesus knew what humanity had lost through the fall; since all things came to be in and through him, and he also knew the enormity of the loss. So, he chose to come to restore it by giving us the power to become just like him, children of God, a more excellent status for humanity than the one before the fall. And beyond that is the grace beyond measure he gives us to sustain our faith and adoption. John says, "From his fullness, we have all received, grace in place of grace because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Therefore, following Saint Paul’s advice, let us "strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:1-3).
Prayer blessings: God of all time, who makes all things new, we bring before you the year now ending. For life full and good, for opportunities recognized and taken, for love known and shared, we thank you. Where we have fallen short, forgive us. When we worry over what is past, free us. Be our guiding star in the coming year. (Adopted from the book of Christian Prayer)