"Christmas And Children Of God"
John 1:12
Posted December 23, 2000
Crib and cross are made of the same wood
"Any who did accept Him He empowered to become children of God"
No one has ever surpassed John's powerful description of the Incarnation Event -- the miracle of the infinite God who comes to us and reveals Himself to us in the Person of a tiny, vulnerable human Child. "In Him was life and the life was the Light of men" (Jn. 1:4). John is telling us that in and through the Lord Jesus, God has made it possible for us to experience His Power and Love in the depths of our existence so that we may have fullness of life. But did you notice the unexpected turn John makes in the middle of his description? Turning from this scheme of grace and light and life, John suddenly says, "To His own He came, yet His own did not accept Him" (Jn. 1:11). Then just as suddenly, John returns once again to the scheme of Grace, saying, "And we have seen His glory. The glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love" (Jn. 1:14). John is emphasizing the miracle of the persistence of God's Grace. In spite of the rejection, in spite of the resistance, He keeps coming, He keeps returning, He keeps trying to break through to offer us His love. And, as John says, those who finally say "Yes," those who receive Him, "He empowers to become the children of God" (Jn. 1:12). No more beautiful or important Christmas story has ever been written.
In a large retirement home, a group of residents were in the recreation room doing their daily, supervised exercises. The program included a number of breathing exercises. While one such exercise was in progress, the door opened and a man looked in. "Do come in" said the supervisor. "No need," the man replied, "I was just wondering what was going on." "We're breathing," the teacher said. "Thank God!" said the man as he closed the door. Thank God for the miracle of breathing! Thank God for the miracle of life! Thank God for the miracle of His Divine Presence in Jesus Christ we celebrate on Christmas day.
A daughter, back home from college for Christmas vacation, was standing with her mother at the checkout counter of a discount department store. Mother had selected a toy for the dog, an artificial wreath for the door and a package of "logs" for the fireplace. "Do you realize what you're doing?" the daughter asked. "You are buying a fake bone, a fake wreath and some fake logs." And, as the mother presented the clerk with a credit card, the daughter added, "But that's all right since you're paying for them with plastic money." The wonderful thing about our Christmas awareness is that everything takes on new meaning -- even the fake logs and the plastic money. We can see the Christ Presence in every sparkling ornament on every tree; in every flicker of every candle; in every sprig of holly; in every red poinsettia bloom; in every note of beautiful Christmas music; in every "Merry Christmas" wish; in every pair of hands offering and receiving gifts. And together now, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we can see Him in every blessed moment of this worship experience.
Martha and Henry, both in their seventies, had just gotten married. On the first night of their honeymoon, as Martha prepared to retire, she took a bottle of pills from her purse and swallowed one with a glass of water. Seeing this, Henry said, "You didn't tell me you are on medication." "I'm not," Martha replied, "these pills are just to make me feel young." "In that case, I think I'll try some," Henry said, and he promptly swallowed several of the pills. When Martha awakened the next morning, Henry was nowhere to be found. After searching the entire house, Martha opened the front door and saw Henry sitting at the curb crying his eyes out. "What's wrong dear?" Martha asked anxiously. "I missed the school bus," Henry replied.
"Let the little children come to Me," Jesus said. "The Reign of God belongs to such as these. Trust Me when I tell you that whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God as a child will not enter it" (Lk. 18:16-17). The cold, hard facts of life include the experience of human suffering. Our Christmas celebration is not an escape from this reality. We have gathered together today in our joys and in our sorrows, both. We cannot deny the presence of trials and tribulations in our individual lives and in the world at large. Some of us are grieving. Some of us are lonely. Some of us are depressed. Some of us are in physical pain. Some of us are in financial trouble. Some of us are questioning the very meaning of our existence. Nations are at war. People are hungry. Terrorists are striking. The nuclear dilemma keeps threatening. But in the midst of it all, the incredible Christmas announcement of God's persistent Grace reminds us once again that God will never ultimately be defeated by evil. Never!
Sometime within the next few hours, let it come to you. Sometime within the next few hours, let yourself become like a child again. Sometime within the next few hours, say your unconditional "Yes," to God. God will do the rest. He will cleanse you and heal you and give you new hope and new life and new direction. He will empower you and sensitize you for your ministry of love in the world.
Christ climbed down from His bare tree this year,
and ran away to where there were no rootless Christmas trees
hung with candy canes and breakable stars.
Some of you may recognize these words as the opening lines of a poem that is often repeated at this time of year. It expresses concern about the superficiality of the Christmas celebration. The poet is trying to remind us that God's Love is given to us in the Christmas Event not on some superficial level but in the very depths of life. The poet is reminding us to consider the Gospel story of Christmas. It is full of hope, full of joy, full of wonder, full of the promises of God, but there is also a great deal of pain, and even bitterness. When Mary was told she was to have this Baby, she responded with words that are not all sweetness and light. She spoke of "Scattering the proud; of putting down the mighty from their thrones; of filling the hungry poor with good things; of sending the rich away empty-handed; of turning society around." Mary was reflecting the time in which she lived and, interestingly, the time in which we live.
As the story unfolds, we find the pregnant Mary riding a donkey over the rough roads from Galilee to Judea. When Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, we are confronted immediately with the fact of poverty. It was true in Bethlehem then just as it is true today: if you have enough money you can always find a place to stay, even when the "No Vacancy" sign is out. Joseph and Mary did not have enough money and the only place available to them was a manger in a stable in the back of the lodging place. The story goes on to tell of King Herod, lying to the Wise Men in his effort to find the newborn King and murder Him. And when Herod could not find Him, he murdered all the young male children in Bethlehem. As a result, Joseph and Mary became displaced persons in Egypt. Injustice, deceit, murder, pride, poverty -- they are all there in the Gospel story of Christmas. And this is why we should heed the poet's warning that merely to celebrate a superficial sweet and sentimental Christmas is to miss the whole point of Christ's coming. The Gospel writers want us to know that the Christmas event is not a superficial, temporary escape from the reality of life. On the contrary, God comes down into the depths of our life. His love is at the center of our human situation, in the pain as well as in the pleasure, in the sorrow as well as in the joy, in the failures as well as in the victories. In the life of Jesus, the Cross and the Crib are made of the same wood.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... to all who received Him, who believed in His Name, He gave power to become children of God." Receive Him now! Believe in His Name now! And He will give you the power and the strength and the will to make your life a gift of love to one another and to the world.
Children of God, have a blessed Christmas!
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