John 20:8
Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.
We are two days after the accounts of the birth of Jesus, still reading about the Nativity event, and today we put on the brakes to celebrate the Feast Day of John, the Evangelist. The gospel reading today comes from John and speaks of Peter and John discovering Jesus had risen from the tomb. So why in the world would the Church, in its infinite wisdom, go from birth to resurrection? Maybe we are called to remember both the infant and the adult. (See Talladega Nights, the Ballad of Ricky Bobby). John was one of the authors who did not detail the birth of Christ, but jumped in to his life. He spoke of his coming but in abstracts. But he was clear when it came to his life and resurrection. While the birth of Christ is of high importance to the salvation of man, it's the resurrection of Christ that is the big deal. John spent all of his time with Jesus when our Lord traveled, listening to his teachings. He was there at the crucifixion. He was there at the tomb. He was there when Christ reappeared. He was the one Christ loved. We read that when Jesus was a baby, he was swaddled in cloths and placed in a manger. When Jesus died, he was wrapped in burial cloths and placed in a tomb. A simple stable…a simple tomb; humble beginnings and a horrific end. However he came in glory, heralded by angels and rose from the dead in dramatic fashion. We believe in the infant Jesus who came to the world, and we believe in the risen Christ who took away our sin despite our unworthiness. Let us today give thanks to God for our many gifts this Christmas, especially the gift of our Lord Jesus in our lives.
