I will ______ will not________ attend

John 1:1-18

           Philip Seymour Hoffman was an American actor and director, he died February 2, 2014 of an 'accidental' overdose. He left his substantial fortune to the mother of his children. It is purported that his intention was to be sure his children were cared for but that they would not become 'trust fund children'. These children would be loved and cared for but not given a guarantee of income or wealth. These kids would grow up having to make something of themselves. Kudo's Philip. This same idea is carried through with Gloria Vanderbilt's son , Anderson Cooper. He too was not guaranteed anything from the Vanderbilt fortune, he had to make it on his own. Kudo's Anderson.

             This is one of the messages I am getting from this passage today.  God came to earth as Jesus, to his own people who were supposed to be the heirs to the kingdom. In God's all encompassing love, the message is given to all of humanity. Perhaps it is guaranteed to us all but I imagine what this passage is saying is that we must accept it. I doubt God will hold any one of us accountable if we have not received this message of love but to those who have been so informed, we are asked to accept it or turn it down. I would not want to get into dogmatic arguments over what the word 'accepting' means by denomination or by specific religions, they are all human conventions, human inventions. But we must respond to God's call, his invitation to love and as heirs to the kingdom.

        So it is entirely up to each and every one of us to respond to God's call. We are all unique and all respond differently. We are all on different journeys. This is the beauty of God's creation, so diverse and so incomprehensibly beautiful.  We cannot see the entire landscape, the entirety of God's vision and plan. All we are asked to do is respond to the invitation and show a willingness or a desire to participate.

              

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.