Pastor Timothy Patoka Christmas Day: December 25, 2018 The Word Became Flesh John 1:1-14 1) Jesus’ Dwelling Is Our Christmas Joy 2) Jesus’ Light Is Our Eternal Life If you were to ask Google for an image that best sums up Christmas, chances are it would show you a Christmas tree loaded with presents underneath. Maybe if Google concluded that you were a Christian from your search history, then perhaps it would include some images of the Nativity. These two images are great ways to summarize what Christmas is all about – the tree and presents reflect our American culture and the Nativity scene reflects Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. In our verses for this morning from the Apostle John, we also see images that sum up what Christmas is all about. Yet surprising, they are not trees or presents or a retelling of the Nativity scene. Rather for John, it is the Word who became flesh to make his dwelling among us so that he might give his light in this sin-darkened world. As is typical of the Apostle John, he uses simple words to communicate deep truths. We have the Word, a term that was full of meaning for the Jews and Gentiles of John’s day. We have the flesh, the physical body that God took on so as to dwell among us. And we have the light, an apt description of God’s Word and its promise of eternal life. It is with this all in mind that we step forward this morning to see what great joy Christmas Eve brought us when the Word became flesh. 1) Jesus’ Dwelling Is Our Christmas Joy The Apostle John shares with us a name for Jesus that is seldom found elsewhere (the only other occurrence is in Revelation 19:13) where he says this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1-2) Three times John calls Jesus “the Word.” This term was rich in meaning for the people of John’s time. In the Greek-speaking world, “the Word” referred to the underlying principle that governed all things in the universe, similar to what we might call destiny or fate today. In the Hebrew-speaking world, “the Word” was shorthand for the Holy Scriptures where God revealed everything we know about him. The Apostle John knew the deeper meaning of this term and intentionally called Jesus “the Word” to communicate a deep truth about Jesus, that he is true God. Jesus is the underlying principle that governs all things in the universe because it was he and the other persons of the Trinity who created all things. It is through Jesus we know who God is and what he has done us. This union of God and man which happened on Christmas Eve is the reason why we especially celebrate at this time of year. For it is the birth of our Savior who would take away our sins. But along with Jesus’ birth, we also have a number of accompanying, fun things to 1
Pastor Timothy Patoka Christmas Day: December 25, 2018 look forward to these next few days: time off from work and school, the chance to catch up with friends and family, and the giving, getting, and playing with gifts. These are great things that I myself am looking forward to. But I want to encourage us as we start off our Christmas celebrations that we keep those fun, accompanying things just that – fun things that accompany the never-ending joy of Christmas, that of the Word becoming flesh. And that can be difficult to do. How many hours in these past few months have children of all ages been thinking about their Christmas presents? How late did they stay up last night or how early did they get up this morning to rip into them? It can be difficult for young hearts to reserve a special place for Christ’s birth when there are so many new toys to play with. For adults, Christmas seems to have come early this year. How many of us are just now beginning to breathe a sigh of relief? The presents that are going to be given on time have been given. Plans have been made for visiting guests. Work is finally taking a break so that we can enjoy life instead of simply living it. While these are all great things to look forward during the Christmas season, be careful that they don’t crowd out your never-ending joy of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. It’s primarily because of our Savior’s birth that we celebrate Christmas. All those other things, while fun and enjoyable, simply accompany the joy of the Word who became flesh. And we primarily rejoice in that Word becoming flesh because of what that means for us. As the Apostle John tells us, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14a) Jesus came and made his dwelling among us. That “dwelling” word has a sense of permanence. When our God came to earth, he didn’t come for a brief visit like we might do when we go somewhere on vacation. Our Lord, because of his great love for us, left heaven and visibly dwelled among us for 33 years. And during those 33 years, he went through many of the same rigors of life that we do. Jesus too was tempted by Satan and this world to focus on the wrong things for never-ending joy. Jesus too knows what it’s like to be so anxious about the future that it’s hard to barely function in the present. Jesus too knows what it’s like to be let down by friends and family. It’s because of these shared experiences that we can be sure that when we go to our God, we are going to someone who can relate to us. The Word became flesh so that, by dwelling among us, he could understand us and be the Savior we need him to be so much. That’s whose birth we are celebrating at Christmas. That’s the never-ending joy we have at Christmas time. 2) Jesus’ Light Is Our Eternal Life Jesus’ birth is also when he gives us the light of our eternal life. We continue to another simple yet deep word that the Apostle John uses – light and the promise of eternal life which it stands for. We find this light in the Bible which tells us what Jesus said and did for us. John frequently uses this illustration of light for God and his Word and of darkness for sin. The 2
Pastor Timothy Patoka Christmas Day: December 25, 2018 darkness of sin is the natural state we are all born in and from which we cannot escape. And to make matters worse, those who are living in sin’s darkness want nothing to do with God. As John tells us, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:9-11) Even though Jesus was instrumental in the creation of the world, the world did not receive him. Even amongst the Jewish people who had a long history with God and the Old Testament Scriptures, they too did not receive Jesus. They all rejected him and the light he came to give. Sometimes we Christians can wonder why it is so difficult for people to realize that Christmas is about Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. After all, Christ’s name is literally found in the word Christmas! My wife and I went to the Parade of Lights in downtown Tucson a week or so ago. Out of the approximately 60 floats we saw in the parade, only 1 was obviously about the Nativity scene. Now I’m not sure if the city of Tucson has limitations on religious floats in the parade, but it had me remember what the Apostle John tells us, that God’s created order doesn’t recognize its Creator. Even in the homes of God’s own people, we too can struggle to keep our Christmas joys centered on Christ’s birth. Because of the darkness of sin in which we were born, it will never leave us in peace. It will always want us to reject Christ’s light and not recognize him as our Savior. But all is not lost, for Jesus shines his light of eternal life into sin-darkened world. That is what happens whenever we share the good news of Christmas’ never-ending joy, that of our God who became flesh to dwell among us. Because not only did Jesus do so to show us his immense love and be able to relate to us by dwelling with us, but also so that he share with us the Bible’s promise – that whoever believes in the name of Jesus for their salvation from sin will be forgiven and promised eternal life in heaven. Or to use John’s illustration of light and darkness, it is those who call Christ their Savior who walk in God’s wondrous light and instead of wandering in sin’s darkness which once controlled them. And it is those who are in God’s light who can say with the Apostle John “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14b) When we look at Jesus, we see glory of God himself. Christmas is the celebration of God’s glory becoming human so that we have a Savior. Jesus did not always show his glory in the most visible of ways while he walked on earth. But whenever he told people that the promised Savior had finally come, he was shining the light of eternal life in this sin-darkened world. When we look at Jesus, we see grace of God himself. Grace that brought Jesus to Bethlehem in the flesh. Grace that was shown to us so that we may recognize who Jesus truly is, believe in his name for salvation, and gladly walk in the light of eternal life. When we look at Jesus, we see the truth of God himself. The truth that we have a Savior who has won for us the 3
Pastor Timothy Patoka Christmas Day: December 25, 2018 forgiveness of sins. And because we have forgiveness, we can be sure that we will also have eternal life in heaven. And I would like to encourage you to continue coming to God’s Word so that you can ground yourself in the glory, grace, and truth of our Savior in the days following Christmas. The joy that we have because of our Savior is not a seasonal joy, it’s a never-ending joy. It was completed for us in the past so that we can be sure it will ours in the present and the future. And where do we find it? Here, and only here, in God’s Word. The Bible is more than a best-seller book or a historic document. It is the very Word of God which has so much more to tell you in addition to the wondrous birth of our Savior. For it is in here that we have the joy that never ends, the light that casts away the sin’s darkness, the assurance that God love even the wretched and depressed, and the promise that gives us hope for what is to come. It’s because of the Christ’s birth in Bethlehem that we ultimately celebrate Christmas. As we prepare for the following festive days, let us remind ourselves that Christmas’ never-ending joy consists of the Word who became flesh so as to dwell among us. While there are many other fun things to enjoy this time of year, let them be what they are: blessings that accompany the birth of our Savior. As our Savior would show us in the 33 years following his birth, he gives to us the light that casts away sin’s darkness. This light is the good news of our Savior and what he has done for us. And while there are many who reject Jesus, there are those who have the privilege to walk in Jesus’ light and rejoice in his glory, grace, and truth. And the best part about it is that this enlightening joy is not a seasonal occasion. It’s one we always can find in God’s Word so that we can keep sin’s darkness at bay. May the Lord lead us to celebrate in the coming days, weeks, months, and years the blessings we have from the Word who became flesh. Amen.
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