Most of us know what it feels like to chase fulfillment and come up empty. We set goals, build careers, raise families, and enjoy the good things of life, but still end up feeling like something is missing. It’s like grabbing at fog—you can see it, but you can’t hold it.

Every person wears masks. Some are obvious, like costumes and roles. Others are subtle, like the way we hide behind success, status, or the pressure to look like we have it all together. What we long for, though, is to live unmasked. To have the life we live in private match the life we display in public, and for both to align with faith in Jesus.

The Gospel of John opens with one of the most staggering truths in all of Scripture: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Unlike the other gospel writers, John doesn’t start with Bethlehem or Nazareth. He takes us all the way back before time began to remind us that Jesus has always existed.