John 1:2

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He was with God in the beginning.

Can you remember where you were when …

  • The first man walked on the moon?

  • England won the World Cup?

  • Prince Harry and Meghan were married?

These kind of moments stay with us as individuals and help to shape who we are as a nation and a group of nations. Memories are passed on as we remember and retell significant life events to others who weren’t there so they can picture themselves at the scene and imagine what it must have been like to have been there.

This sort of story telling is exactly what the ancient Israelites practiced and today Jews regularly remember and tell Bible stories as if they were there.

Although it’s made up of different books, The Bible is one story and this first section of John’s version of the story includes a retelling of the early chapters of Genesis, the book of beginnings. Did you remember the words “in the beginning” are the same words as in Genesis 1?

John comes to tell his story much later than the other Gospel writers which is one of the reasons why his writing has a different tone to the other Gospels. God’s original Word which was there at the beginning speaking everything into being is now presented as Jesus, God’s living Word. And this living Word, speaking words of life to other people – wow!

PROMPT: Turn to the first creation account in the book of Genesis and see if you can spot any other similarities with the opening verses of John’s story. Think about the words used, and the way in which the two passages are written.

What’s emphasised? What’s missed out?

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