“Jesus, the Word”
by Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones
“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…The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
In such a simple way, Jamaica-born Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones introduces to younger children that Jesus is the Living Word of God, a truth I didn’t begin to understand until I was a young adult. He creatively goes from the Word speaking creation into existence to the birth of Jesus, His ministry along with His death and resurrection, and ends with the Holy Spirit living within us.
"Jesus, the Word,
living among us and with us,
mending broken hearts,
wiping tears from crying eyes,
feeding the poor with bread and hope."
There’s also a constant reminder that He came so that all may be saved.
"The Word spoke through the ages
for all people...
just like you and me."
And Shelly Hehenberger’s illustrations are just glorious! I can’t help but fall in love with every image, not just for their radiance and inclusivity of different skin tones, but also for the diverse Biblical representations blended within her artwork. It’s fun to figure out what Bible story she’s telling along with Bozzuti-Jones’ lyrical writing.
I can’t think of a better way to teach little ones that the Word became flesh and His name is Jesus.