This will be an interesting place to begin. The book of John is the story of Jesus as told by one of his disciples. John has a unique spin on the story of Jesus' life. He tells some stories that the other Gospels miss, and he has a different voice than the others, who seem to speak more as reporters. Take Luke, for example. His main purpose was to document a historical account of Jesus' life. In John, we get a more intimate look into what it was like to walk side-by-side with Jesus.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. [John 1:1-5]
This seems pretty straightforward, but these two verses have marveled philosophers for centuries. You see, in the Greek, the word translated in verse 1 as "Word" (logos) can mean many different things. Wikipedia has a discussion about this word (and this passage from John) that may shed some light on its magnitude. Logos can also mean things like "thought, speech, account, meaning, reason, proportion, principle, standard."
My point is that John is saying that God had a thought, a meaning, a message to communicate to the world, and that he sent that message in the embodiment of His Son.
What do you think? What is this passage saying to us?
