When I was a little kid, the minister from the Methodist church came to visit us. He was new and not really good with kids. My mom called me from downstairs that a visitor was here to see me. I told her to send him up, but she insisted that I come downstairs. I was further alarmed when I found out he was in the living room, which was a room we hardly ever used. I was very alarmed though to look around the corner and see the new preacher sitting on the white couch in the living room in his suit. I wondered what in the world he would say to me. I was wondering if God had told him something about me. Quite frankly, it scared me to death to think about it. The minister always talked about God like he personally knew him. I was absolutely sure there was some kind of red phone, like in the old Batman television shows, somewhere in his office that God called him on.
I quickly said "hi" that day and went right back out the dining room as fast as I could. That was about all we said to each other for another 6 years or so after that.
I was thinking about that and wondering if that is part of what John meant when he talked about how Jesus is the "Word". In a sense, a word is always directed, it is always personal, it is always communication. There is creativity in the word "Word", as well as a sense of communication. But, it is always personal, it is always pervasive, it is penetrating. It doesn't allow us to rush into the room and out the other side without being changed in some way. It is always directed, not to the masses, but to us. Isn't that kinda amazing, that God wants to speak and he wants to speak to us, to you, to me. And far from being afraid of what he is to say, it is a good message, a hopeful message.
