John describes how God has come to dwell with us in the person of Jesus Christ: the Word made flesh who brings grace and truth, and from whose fullness “we have all received, grace upon grace” (1:14, 16–17). As we read and pray these encounters together, we’re invited into life with God—abundant life. John’s aim is clear: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).

A tragic tension runs through the Gospel as Jesus “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (1:11).  And yet, the promise stands for all who receive him that he gives them the right to become children of God (1:12). An invitation to life with the Lord is the greatest gift and reality of being human.

In him, through his Word, and by the agency of the Holy Spirit, we are offered his love, grace, truth, and the joy of life with him, now and for eternity. We are nourished by the Bread of Life, renewed by living water, and led and loved by the Good Shepherd. The Gospel of John invites us to encounter the living Jesus. Come and you will see.