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The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God\u2014children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband\u2019s will, but born of God.\xa0 (John 1:9-13)

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At the beginning of John\u2019s Gospel, he draws us into the story of creation and redemption together.\xa0

The light was coming into the world, says John, the very light through which the world had been made, but the world did not recognize him.\xa0 The Jesus who came at Christmas was there at the very beginning of the Creation of all things with the Father and the Spirit as together, they formed this world.\xa0 That was Creation.\xa0

And in that Creation, we human people were created too.\xa0 The crown of the Creation, formed in the image of God as those who would steward his rule on this Earth.\xa0

But we forsook our royal heritage to strike out on our own.\xa0 To create our own kingdom where we make the rules rather than following those set out by God.\xa0 That was the Fall.

Now John introduces us to the opening chapter of Redemption.\xa0 Again, Jesus is here, together with the Father and Spirit to do a creating work.\xa0 This time creating a restoration, a redemption, a right to come home to the royal family as children of God once again.\xa0

This theme of homecoming as children of the royal family echoes in our Romans passage from this past Sunday\u2019s sermon (which you can listen to again here) and all over the New Testament.\xa0 But, it\u2019s not often the way we think of what Jesus has done for us.\xa0

I wonder if that\u2019s due in part to the fact that we get distracted by so many other forms of our identity that we loose track of the most important one.\xa0 We are busy being a \u201cstudent\u201d or \u201cemployee\u201d or \u201cemployer.\u201d\xa0 Being \u201cattractive\u201d or \u201csuccessful.\u201d\xa0 Being a \u201cparent\u201d or \u201cfriend\u201d or any number of other things, so much so that we forget who we truly are.\xa0

And who we truly are, is an identity far more enduring than any of the ones we create for ourselves or are given in this life, it\u2019s far more enduring than even the identity of our own family and surname.\xa0 Because unlike all these other identities we carry, our true identity did not come \u201cthrough any human decision.\u201d\xa0

Our true identity was given us by God Himself.\xa0 Our true identity is who Christ has made us to be: the children of God.\xa0 Christian is the identity that counts in our lives.\xa0 It is who we are.\xa0 Royalty.\xa0 Those who Belong.\xa0 Those who will rule and reign with Christ.\xa0 Never forget who you are or whose you are.\xa0 You are a child of God, a child of the King.

Today on my ornament, I\u2019m going to try to draw a family tree and write the words: Child of God on it.\xa0

And today, I\u2019d like to invite you to call or message or send a card or email to one fellow Christian to remind them of their identity too: tell them \u201cRemember, you are a child of God!\u201d

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