Open The Gospel – 4 January – The Second Sunday of Christmas, John 1.1-18

4 January – The Second Sunday of Christmas, John 1.1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.]

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who 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. ¹⁵(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.” ’) ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Things to think about with the child at the centre:

Activities

A prayer labyrinth – you can use a large one to walk around, or print out onto paper and follow with your finger.

In the beginning… before you start the labyrinth, what are you hoping/dreaming/praying for 2026? How can you include God in this? What does God want from you this year?

Response

January (from Janus, the 2-faced God) is a time of looking backwards and forwards, and our Gospel reading looks back to the very beginning of creation, when Jesus was present, to the beginning of His life on earth – made flesh, and forward to our lives filled with Grace and Love.

What are we looking backwards about – are there things you want to bring with you, and things you want to leave behind? And what are you looking forward to in 2026?

Prayer

Physically turn to “look back” – give thanks for 2025 and all the good things that God has done, and hand to God anything you don’t want to carry with you.

Physically turn to “look forward” – ask God to be your guide this coming year, and for God’s will to be done in your life.