future

He Came for Us!

/ Bryan Lowe / Leave a comment

by Pastor David Taylor

“The central miracle asserted by Christians is the incarnation. They say that God became man.” 

CS Lewis

John 1:1-5

One of my favorite places to fish in Alaska is Kodiak Island, where I tried to catch silver salmon with some friends. Just as we were setting up camp, the sun disappeared, and the temperature dropped quickly. While we struggled with our tents, the wind joined in. Then, it started pouring rain—like someone dumped a bucket of water on us! I woke up at midnight to strong winds flattening my tent, making me wonder if fishing Kodiak was really worth it. 😁

But in the morning, the storm had moved on. The sky transformed into something gold! The sun shone brightly, making the world come alive. The night gracefully stepped aside, allowing the darkness to fade away and make room for a new, vibrant day.

I realized then that’s the way of Christmas. 

We have an Advent hope. The light doesn’t negotiate with darkness; there’s no struggle. The darkness retreats when the light arrives. Plain and simple.

Advent hope seems slow, but honestly, it’s unstoppable.

When Jesus came into the world, nothing could stop Him. His birth is recognized during Advent. His arrival was predicted in the scriptures. Jesus came to take away our sins and offer us eternal life.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus is God in the flesh, fully divine and fully man, who came to save us from our sin. This is basic Christianity.

One: The Word Who Always Was, (vv. 1-2)

“In the beginning” reminds us of Genesis, where God created everything (Genesis 1:1). Through the Spirit, he shows that he has taken an important step towards us with the arrival of Jesus. He is dedicated to saving us.

God created us to know and enjoy him (Gen 3:8). We must understand that sin entered the world and screwed everything up. Jesus came to sacrifice Himself to secure our salvation, restoring his image in those who trust him. 

Jesus Christ restores all that we lost because of our sin.

In the beginning was the Word. The Word did not come into existence in Mary’s womb but He always was. The Word is eternal. Before it all began, he was there, and he was coming for us.

The phrase “the word was also with God” indicates that the Word is from God but is closely connected to Him (Mk 6:3; 11:4; 2 Cor 5:8; 1 John 1:2). The Word is also God and represents the eternal Son of God, who is both with God and is God. He is the Word and the Son, distinct yet unified with God.

Two: The Word Who is the Creator, (v. 3)

Everything we see was made through Jesus, and nothing exists without him (see Col 1:16-17). The Old Testament says that God created the heavens and the earth, while the New Testament shows that the Word is the true Creator. This highlights Christ’s key role in creation and his divine nature. Both Testaments emphasize the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, confirming that all existence is intentional and meaningful. 

Recognizing Jesus as the Creator enhances our understanding of his authority, showing us that all things were created through him and find their purpose in him.

Three: The Word Who is the Light, (vs. 4-5). 

We must understand that we’re born spiritually dead and blind. But that can change.

Jesus is the light and every one of us is spiritually blind to truth and beauty and glory (John 17:24). Jesus overcomes our darkness and now gives life. Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. His love is seeking us.

The word, the gospel, brings forth life and light so that we are born again, literally born from above, and so we see (John 3:3). The light shines into our darkness and the darkness leaves us.

From a sermon given at Community Christian Church, December 7, 2025

David Taylor has been a follower of Christ since 1983 and a pastor since 1988. He moved from Los Angeles to Homer, Alaska in 2004.

But God…

/ Bryan Lowe / Leave a comment

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.”

(Ephesians 2:4–5)

But God. Short words with a powerful meaning, used over 4100 times in the Bible (every 7 verses). It’s used to imply intervention and change, typically a holy interruption of some kind. This verse in Ephesians 2 describes the Father getting involved in a tangible way.

We were terribly lost–actually the Bible says, “dead.”

But He is rich in love and mercy, and it’s grace (and only grace] that makes us alive. Now we’re not reformed or rehabilitated. These are good words, but the verse describes a resurrection–a revivification. The dead live!

Jesus actually resurrects each believer.

“But God.” Joseph learned that “all things work together for good.” His brothers cruelty sold him into slavery and even though he endured prison, he would become the prime minister of Egypt. After many years his wicked brothers come before him. Revenge? Not on your life.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.“

Genesis 50:20

“Joseph’s early life was filled with severest adversity. Sold into Egypt, thrust into prison, he might well have decided that all his early dreams were brainstorms. He might have asked, “What’s the use?” But God turned the evil designs of men to the good of many. One cannot say, “All these things are against me,” if he believes that all things work together for good to God’s people.”

Vance Havner

Let God have His way with you. Acknowledge His sovereignty by allowing Him to interrupt when He wants to. He is active in our lives. Having resurrected us from the dead, the Holy Spirit becomes actively involved in our lives (and He brings us grace and beauty).

If you do this, I expect great things for you.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Psalm 73:26

 

The Present Tense Jesus

/ Bryan Lowe / Leave a comment

All we really have is the present moment. The past is gone, you can’t change it. The future isn’t here yet, we really have no idea what it’ll bring. But we have the now, and Jesus reveals Himself to us, right now.

This doesn’t mean the past or future is irrelevant or unimportant.

God redeems our past, and our future as believers are filled with His precious promises. This is no small thing. We learn from our past, and believe Jesus will be there for our future. I cannot or won’t diminish this. Both our past, and our future, matter. We learn (reflect) and trust (faith).

But Jesus often refers to the present moment. For instance, in the Gospel of John, the Lord uses the immediate now to explain who He really is. (There are seven of these here and now verses.) He says I am, and that is right now.

Notice: Not I was, or I will be, but now in this present moment, Jesus says, “I am.“

Due to grammatical rules, “I am” must be translated, from the original Greek, as present tense, and 99% of every Bible translation agrees. “I am” is right now, in the present tense. Not I was, or i will be. (Sorry, I am being redundant here.)

The Seven I AM Statements of Jesus as found in John’s Gospel.

  • “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51)
  • “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) 
  • “I am the door [or gate] of the sheep.” (John 10:7, 9) 
  • “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11, 14) 
  • “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) 
  • “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) 
  • “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1, 5) 

Because these characteristics are neither past or future we can be confident that these are in the now. We know that God doesn’t change, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8.)

So, when you wait on God, it’s all in the present moment.

The “I am” is now. When He states “I am the bread of life,” we understand that Jesus wants us to come and dine, right now. When he says, “I am the good shepherd,” it is meant for me being in His flock, right now.

Why does this even matter?

Well first of all, it gives us confidence that Jesus is our present tense Savior. He is always there. Furthermore we’re not trapped in the distant past or the nebulous future. We only have the now– this present moment. When this present moment happens, it slides into the past.

I guess this idea is a bit of a shocker for me.

Living in the now and gripping on Jesus when I pray and worship, or read the Word gives me the powerful sense that He is present. He’s now focusing on me. I do admit that my past life has been terrible, I can’t live there, and my future, well, it only builds on the now.

It has taken me almost 40 years to see this.

Moses understood this concept. “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”  And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14.) These emancipated slaves needed the present tense “I am God” to lead them every step of the way. They needed Him every morning–everyday.

Be aware of Him in this present moment. Jesus is waiting for you. It’s time to press into the Lord of the now. I believe He can’t wait for you to join Him. He stands at your door, and knocks. Please let Him in.

Question: What does it mean for Jesus to be in the “present tense” in your life?