Christmas 2015

For some people the gospel reading that we have just heard (John 1:1-14) is an essential part of Christmas. Unlike any of the other gospels John doesn’t try and give us a biography of Jesus. The nativity story as we know it from the other gospels isn’t told as John sets out a bigger picture. 

In his majestic words he talks of ‘the word’ – ‘in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God’ and later, ‘the word became flesh and lived among us…’

It’s beautiful language and it spoke to the various audiences that would read this gospel – the word was a term used by Jewish and Greektheologians and philosophers – in Hebrew scripture the word was an agent of creation, the source of God’s message to his people through the prophets. In Greek philosophy the word was the principle of reason that governed the world, and in Hebrew thought the word was another expression for God. 

As John writes of Jesus as the word he is powerfully challenging people to recognise Jesus as the Messiah – God has entered the world in Jesus and the world is transformed into a place of forgiveness, healing, mercy, grace, joy, freedom and love. On that first Christmas night, history is written… 

And so with these incredible words John begins to outline God’s plan of salvation through Jesus, but if we get lost in these words alone then we may well miss what is really important about them. 

In 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their "flying machine" off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas." Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, "How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas." 

He had totally missed the big news about them flying, and seen only part of the message. If we are missing the celebration of the birth of our Saviour and just concentrating on making Christmas fun or thinking of the incredible poetic language of the readings then we too will be missing part of the message.

This evening I want to think primarily of one verse from this passage because it would take until Boxing Day probably to think about the whole message. 

‘The word became flesh and lived among us…’

A long time ago now I went with a few friends for a holiday in the Lake District staying in a tent. We found a camp site with incredible views over one of the lakes and we noticed that many of the tents were pitched quite low on the hill, and they were missing the view. We weren’t going to make that mistake so chose the spot with the best view high up on the hill… We were quite inexperienced campers !

On our first night it was a little blustery but ok but on the second night in the early hours the tent left us with a little bit of the frame, but exposed to a windy and wet Lake District night… We had most definitely pitched our tent in the wrong place. In the darkness we packed our things and left mostly to avoid the embarrassment of facing the more experienced campers lower on the hill. 

The point of this story is that one translation of this verse ‘the word became flesh and lived among us’ could be that Jesus pitched his tent among us… It’s clearly not exactly what is meant, but I think it offers something really illuminating about Jesus because he didn’t come in a grand palace or with an army or as a political or religious leader. In effect he pitched his tent right in the middle of ordinary life… 

And that is the example he continued to set us – dealing with ordinary people with ordinary problems, mixing with people who others found it difficult to be with, enjoying ordinary things such as the party at the wedding feast in Cana, exercising compassion and love for all… 

Jesus came and lived among us to offer an example of how we might live, and to offer through his life, death and resurrection, fullness of life now and eternal life… 

John, in this gospel passage, outlines God’s constant presence, he emphasises the fact that light will always overcome darkness, and that the light of the world has come in Jesus. And we are to live as people of light….

There’s a story about a man who found himself in terrible financial difficulties. He was so desperate that for the first time in his life he got down on his knees and prayed to God for help. 'Dear God, I desperately need your help. I have no money to spend on Christmas presents for my family. Could you possibly arrange it so that I win the Lottery?'… The lottery draw is held, but he wins nothing.

And so he sends another prayer to God. 'My business has gone bust and if I don't get some money soon I'll lose my car and my Christmas will be very difficult. Please fix things so I win the lottery.'… Again, lottery night came, but again he didn’t win… And so he prayed to God again. 'Please God, I've lost my car and now they're trying to take my house. Please help me to win the Lottery or our Christmas will be ruined.'… 

When lottery night came again, he still failed to win anything. Undeterred, he prayed to God again. 'I am now a bankrupt, my house has been repossessed by the finance company and so has my car. We are now living on the street, but all I need to get my life back together and perhaps enjoy some kind of Christmas is to win the lottery.'…

Suddenly there's a flash of brilliant light as the heavens open and the man is confronted by the very voice of God himself. 'Hey, do me a favour will you, buy a ticket.'

The gospel of John reminds us, if we needed it, that God has all the power to do anything – the God who created the world, the God who raised Jesus from the dead, the God who continues to love every one of us whatever we do or fail to do, can do anything but God doesn’t impose his will on us… 

As with any good relationship God invites us to be part of that relationship and that means playing our part. ‘The word became flesh and lived among us’. Jesus lived on earth in a different age, but his example is still to be followed. He didn’t perch himself up on a hill, he didn’t live in that palace, or come as a great ruler – he came amongst his people and just showed them, showed us, what really matters… 

And that is the things that last – it’s great to have presents at Christmas, and great to give presents. It’s lovely to have all the material things that we enjoy so much, but without love and hope and peace and joy, they mean nothing… 

Christmas is a celebration of God coming into the world and pitching his tent amongst us and asking us to join in with what he is doing…

Many people expect great miracles from God in times of trouble, but the greatest miracle of all has already happened – it is that child being born to save us all. That child, weak and defenceless, ultimately tortured and killed, was powerful enough to hold up the whole world in love and offer salvation to all. That is the joy of Christmas… God is there for every one of us…

In the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus God has performed everything that is necessary for our eternal salvation, and he has done more than that… He has come amongst us to bring peace and hope and joy, not just in heaven, but here today. 

On that first Christmas as a bright star announced the arrival of a new king, there would have been other stars, not shining as brightly, and there would have been clouds obscuring some other stars.

Today in the world there are stars shining brightly for Jesus – people working to share his good news, working to share his love and his hope and his victory throughout the world. There will be people who are truly celebrating the gift of life, and enjoying their lives to the full, but there will also be others for whom Christmas is particularly difficult and there will be some who find life generally difficult – they are like the stars who are obscured by the clouds, but the great joy of Christmas is that whatever our circumstances, whatever our background, whatever we have done or failed to do, there is a bright star shining – the bright star that is Jesus Christ, and just as that bright star called people to him as a little child, so he is calling us to him today, and calling us to share his message of the most incredible, unbreakable, unfathomable love…

The light will always overcome darkness, because Jesus became flesh and lived among us… 

May Christmas be a true time of celebration and joy, because the hope and the good news of Jesus is for us and for all people. AMEN