"We Are God's Beloved" A Sermon by Barrett Owen

The first eighteen verses of John is known as Prologue. It sets the stage for the gospel’s narrative by introducing major theological themes. It’s also written in as an ancient word scramble known as a chiastic structure. This means the first and last thoughts are symmetrical just like the second and second to last thoughts are. The poem works its way to a central, core verse that becomes the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the poem. For John’s prologue, and arguably the entire gospel, the hinge in which the poem turns is found in John 1:12: ‘for they shall be called children of God.’