Songs for All Seasons

¹ In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. ² The Word was with God in the beginning. ³ Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being ⁴ through the Word was life, In the Word was life and the life was the light for all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. ⁶ A man named John was sent from God. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light. ⁸ He himself wasn’t the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light. ⁹ The true light that shines on all people was coming into the world. ¹⁰ The light was in the world, and the world came into being through the light, but the world didn’t recognize the light. ¹¹ The light came to his own people, and his own people didn’t welcome him. ¹² But those who did welcome him, those who believed in his name, he authorized to become God’s children, ¹³ born not from blood nor from human desire or passion, but born from God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John testified about him, crying out, “This is the one of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than me because he existed before me.’” ¹⁶ From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace; ¹⁷ as the Law was given through Moses, so grace and truth came into being through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made God known.