Verse of the Day

In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1

Picture this: a young girl in the post-Civil War South, born into a world where her very existence straddled the line between slavery and freedom. Georgia Gordon was born in 1855 in Nashville, Tennessee, to parents whose complex legal status reflected the harsh realities of that era—her mother, Mercy, was free, while her father, George, remained enslaved.

In those days, literacy was both forbidden fruit and the key to freedom. Following the Civil War, one of the first things that Black people wanted was education, with people in their 70s and 80s desperately wanting to learn to read the Bible, recognizing the deep connection between reading, writing, and freedom. For Georgia, like so many others, the desire to read wasn’t just about education—it was about accessing the very words of God.

The moment that changed everything came when Georgia heard a preacher reciting John 1:1. Something about those opening words of the Gospel struck her soul with such force that she memorized the entire verse on the spot. When she returned home, she found a Bible and asked someone to point out exactly where those words were written. Then, with the determination that would later make her famous, she studied that verse until she could recognize every single word.

But Georgia didn’t stop there. She began searching through the Bible for other verses that contained the same words—“beginning,” “was,” “Word,” “God.” Slowly, painstakingly, she built her vocabulary one biblical word at a time. Through John 1:1, Georgia Gordon taught herself to read.

That same young woman would later become one of the renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers, performing as part of the legendary group that traveled the world introducing audiences to the spiritual songs born from slavery. The girl who learned to read from “In the beginning was the Word” would use her voice to carry the gospel in song to audiences across America and beyond.

There’s something profoundly beautiful about Georgia’s story that mirrors the very verse that taught her to read. John 1:1 isn’t just the opening line of a Gospel—it’s a declaration that shakes the very foundations of how we understand reality.

Think about the progression John gives us here. First, he speaks of Christ’s pre-existence: “In the beginning was the Word.” Before creation, before time itself, there was the Word—eternal, uncreated, simply existing in the timeless realm of God. This isn’t talking about the beginning of Jesus, but about the beginning of everything else, when the Word was already there.

Then comes the mystery of His co-existence: “and the Word was with God.” Here we glimpse the beautiful fellowship within the Trinity—the Word in relationship with the Father, distinct yet united. The Greek word “with” suggests face-to-face intimacy, the kind of closeness that speaks of perfect love and communion.

Finally, the statement that changes everything: “and the Word was God.” Not became God, not similar to God, but was God. Full deity, complete divinity, the very essence of the Almighty compressed into this simple yet earth-shattering declaration.

J.I. Packer captured it perfectly when he wrote about these mysteries: “Here are two mysteries for the price of one—the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Christ. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets.”

This verse confronts us with a God who is simultaneously comprehensible enough to be known and mysterious enough to inspire awe. Georgia Gordon discovered this when she encountered these words as an uneducated girl—they were simple enough for her to memorize instantly, yet profound enough to transform her entire life.

We need this kind of transcendent God, don’t we? In our age of information overload and easy answers, we need a God who “boggles our minds with His immensity” while still bringing “His infinities to bear on our infirmities.” We need a gospel that doesn’t shrink God down to fit our understanding, but expands our understanding to glimpse His greatness.

The Word that Georgia Gordon used to learn to read is the same Word that spoke light into darkness, that became flesh and dwelt among us, that died and rose again for our salvation. This isn’t just theological poetry—this is the bedrock reality upon which all of existence rests.

Consider how these opening words of John’s Gospel connect to the opening words of Genesis: “In the beginning God created…” Both beginnings point to the same eternal Word who was there before anything else existed, who spoke creation into being, and who continues to speak hope into our lives today.

When you read John 1:1, you’re not just reading about Jesus—you’re encountering the very foundation of Christian faith. You’re meeting the Word who existed before words were invented, the God who became human without ceasing to be God, the beginning and end of all things who chose to enter our story and make us part of His.

Georgia Gordon’s journey from illiteracy to acclaim began with these seventeen words. Her transformation reminds us that the Word of God remains the most powerful force for change in human experience. Whether you’re learning to read for the first time or you’ve read the Bible for decades, John 1:1 continues to hold the power to transform lives.

The next time you encounter these familiar words, remember that young girl in post-Civil War Nashville, memorizing them with desperate hope. Remember that the same Word who taught her to read is the Word who created everything you see, who holds your life in His hands, and who promises to never leave you or forsake you.

“In the beginning was the Word,”—and because of that Word, our endings are always new beginnings.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Word that was in the beginning, the Word that was with God, the Word that was God. Help us to never lose our wonder at this truth. Like Georgia Gordon discovering these words for the first time, help us to approach Your Word with fresh eyes and hungry hearts. May Your truth continue to transform us, just as it transformed a young girl’s life through a single memorized verse. In Your holy name, Amen.