God wants a Word with you! It is a word quite different than what the boss
might mean when he says, "I want to have a word with you". The Word that
God has for you is not the kind of word that you find in the dictionary; it is a
unique Word, and God is offering it to you now.
I refer to Christ Jesus, the Son of God from all of eternity. The Gospel calls
Jesus "The Word". (John 1:14) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth”. These sums up to us what Christmas
is all about, and tells us that the Word, Jesus, has chosen to become human.
Think of how astonishing that is for a moment. This may sound ridiculous but
it gives us an idea of what it means when we say God became human and
made his dwelling among us. Imagine the most powerful and prestigious
person in the world, let's say the president of the United States, of his own
free-will becomes a mouse – small, furry, insignificant, extremely helpless,
and vulnerable. He chooses to become a mouse because he wants to live
among all other mice. He leaves the White House and the prestige and honor
that go with his office. He becomes a mouse in order to help all other mice.
You see there are mousetraps in kitchens all around the world. The people
who own these kitchens are determined to kill every last mouse, and one after
another the mice are killed. The President shouts at the mice until he is
hoarse to warn them of the danger and shoos them away from the traps, but
the smelly cheese on the deadly mousetraps is just too inviting. The most
powerful man in the world, the President, happily became a mouse. He
wanted to do something to warn them, to save them from death, because he
loves all mice.
In a similar way and in a more radical way the all-powerful and eternal God
has chosen to plunge himself into the arena of human life as you and I live it,
and take on the flesh and bones of our humanity. Let us look at it another
way. The Creator of the universe with its countless stars and planets is born
in a stable in Bethlehem . As John himself said: From the very beginning the
Word (that is, Son of God) was with God. Through him God made all things; …
The Word (the Son of God) became a human being and … lived among us.
This is the special time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our
Saviour in Bethlehem. We enjoy the story about Mary and Joseph, their trip to
Bethlehem, the birth in a stable, the visit of the shepherds (Luke 2:10-12)
and wise men; We enjoy seeing the children present the nativity play and
delight in their very simple understanding of the events of Christmas.
However, too often we don't go any further than the simple story. We miss out
on the real significance of these events. Christmas is the celebration of God
becoming one of us, a fact that we can never fully grasp. He lived on this
earth, with all the pain, the suffering, the human tragedies, the sin, and then
died a horrific death for you and me. Jesus came into the thick of everything.
The point of this verse, The Word became a human being is that in the midst
of our agonies in this life we are not alone.
Through Jesus, God is with us: When we are depressed and hurting and sick.
Through Jesus, God is with us: When we are hit with bad news.
Through Jesus, God is with us: When we feel guilty and ashamed.
Through Jesus, God is with us: When we are worried about someone we love.
Through Jesus, God is with us: When we are caught up in a chain of events
that we are powerless to prevent.
The good news of Christmas is that God has not kept himself separate from
all of the troubles and pain, but he has come right here into the middle of all
of it. He truly is Emmanuel - God is with us. In plain and simple language
Jesus has come and lived in our world; He has become part of our life of
confused priorities, of aching bodies, torn and bleeding spirits, of heartbreak
and loneliness. Christmas tells us God is not aloof and separate from our
world. He is in the world with us. He has come to hug us and hold us tight
even though sin makes us unattractive and unlovable.
We look to the cross, as it overshadows the whole Christmas event. Jesus
was born to show us the heart of God. It is a heart that throbs with love for
every one of us. Jesus doesn't come with vague, abstract descriptions of love.
Jesus is love. Jesus came to bring "peace on earth to those with whom He is
well pleased". He is truly God. He gives Himself to us and for us freely – "full of
grace and truth" - "full of unfailing love and faithfulness". He is the only way to
God the Father and eternal life. Jesus is the only source of "inner peace". In
this baby of Bethlehem, born to Mary and Joseph, we shall see as much of
God as we shall ever hope to see in our earthly life. This baby is God in
human flesh.
God has a special Word for you. This Word is Jesus who came to give His life
for us in the shame of the cross, His suffering and dying for the sins of all
people. It was for this reason that we have Christmas and continue to
celebrate it to this day. The angel made it quite clear to Joseph, "...you are to
give him the name Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins".
What difference will this Christmas celebration make in your life? Is it just
another Christmas here today and gone tomorrow, that is, gone except for the
pain of the credit card? You should all know that our real gift can’t be bought
at Wal-Mart or some mall, but came from God in the way of His Word, His Son
Jesus Christ.
Christmas invites you to trust Jesus. Christmas challenges you to take
Jesus seriously not just today but every day. Christmas reminds you that you
have a heavenly Father who loves you so much that He will "become a mouse"
– become one of us – so that He can help you in whatever way you need help
all the year through. Christmas reminds you that just as the baby Jesus was
given life in that dirty little stable, Jesus wants to make your life new, and
refresh your daily existence in the dirtiness of life in this world.
God has a word for you today. God has become a human being because of you
let Him be with you today. Let us pray:
| By Rev. Mark E. Vatcher |
| The Lords Church.org Ministries Website All Rights Reserved 2005-2008 |
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