The world did not know him

 

We’ve arrived at a new year – Christmas seems a little way back. Lots of decorations have been taken down and put away and there are a lot less houses decorated with pretty sparkling lights as I travel around. 

I hope Christmas was good and I hope you have a great new year. Some of you may have made new year resolutions, some may have made them and already broken them!! But with God’s grace, we are constantly given the chance for something new and something lasting. 

At Christmas so many people celebrated and it was wonderful to hear so many churches talking about encouraging attendances at the Christmas services and in the lead up to Christmas. Lots of people will try to say that Christianity is an outdated message, but time and time again we’re reminded that isn’t true! 

But this morning I want to think of some verses from the gospel (John 1: 10-18) which began, “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”

They’re powerful words which are often repeated at Christmas, but they have a deep meaning now as we begin the new year. At Christmas we, and so many others, may have enjoyed singing the carols, listening to readings and worshipping with others but we are still faced with the fact that so many acknowledged the existence of Christmas without recognising Jesus at the heart of it – ‘He was in the world…. Yet the world did not know him… He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him…’

As a church today we are faced with a big challenge to tell people about Jesus – to let people know that this festival that has been so widely celebrated is about something worthy of celebration every day of every year – Jesus, a Saviour born for all the world. 

I saw a post on facebook in the week which said, ‘God does not just love you; he abounds in love for you. He loves you as if there were only you to love.’ (repeat)

Yes, as a church we are faced with a big challenge today, but what an incredible opportunity we have. We have an opportunity to share a message that is life transforming and filled with hope for today and for the future…. 

I don’t think people come to church at Christmas time just for the sake of tradition – it may be true for some, but I think for most there is a feeling where they are longing to know Jesus, to know that this isn’t a sentimental message of pretty Christmas cards, but a message that says there is light in a world where so often darkness seems to prevail; that there is hope in a world that seems hopeless for some; where there is peace even amidst the conflict that is raging in some places at the moment, as well as in the hearts of so many people; and of course, there is joy because Jesus did come to say lots of things about hope and peace and about love and joy and about you and me and about all those people who are wondering whether Christmas is enough or whether there is something more? 

And if there’s something more, what might it be? Will it be Easter? Or will it be sooner, or later? Christmas reminds us that there is more because the story of Jesus was only beginning and we’re invited into that story, to live as part of it every day… It’s a response we’re invited to make and a response we’re invited to share… 

Jesus came into the world and the world didn’t know him… how can we let that fact continue without trying to change it? Christmas reminds us that we have an incredible story of great joy, good news, that is to be shared, confidently! 

As we look around at the world today though, it isn’t just those who partied away Christmas without knowing or perhaps caring why Christmas exists… There is a message in Christmas for them, but there is also a message for those who are struggling, those who are living in any kind of darkness – the darkness of suffering, of poverty, disease, conflict, addiction, isolation. Christmas has a message to speak to them as well and not just at Christmas time! 

Because Jesus was born for anyone and everyone…. And when we think of the people celebrating Christmas now with seemingly no consideration of Jesus, we sometimes get tempted to get sad that people aren’t interested any more! But then we remind ourselves that Jesus was born in a small town, with no internet and no media to announce the birth. He was born with no political power or great wealth. 

In his earthly life he touched the lives of a relatively small number of people in a particular area – and even in that area there were many who did notice him but didn’t appreciate him. There were the people he spoke to in Nazareth, his hometown, who just dismissed him as the son of the carpenter and Mary and chased him out of the town (Matthew 13: 55,56 & Luke 4: 14-30). There were the people who worried about the disruptive message he was giving such as the religious authorities or the Roman rulers, and so many others – Jesus came to what was his own, and people didn’t know him or want to know him. 

And yet, 2000 years later, here we are. Christmas is still celebrated whether people know the real reason or not. Christmas is still here, because Jesus is still here, and maybe we’re not as different from that time 2000 years ago as we sometimes think, or different from many other times in the years that have followed where people have dismissed Christianity… 

And that’s where we are called to consider the second part of what I read earlier, the bit after we’re told that Jesus came and some people didn’t know him or want to know him. It says,  ‘But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God…’

That is the verse that explains why we’re still worshipping today, because a small number of people did share the good news about Jesus with others. A small number did believe that this message had to be shared as Jesus had told them… 

And they believed in the power of God, the power that made them children of God… And sometimes we lose sight of that and it’s really easy to do. In our daily lives we get caught up with all kinds of different things whether domestic or work, organisations or social things or family commitments – we can lead busy lives. Or we can become distracted in church life by those who suggest, sometimes even from within the church, that there is no real future, and that the main function of our churches is to keep going for as long as we can…. 

2000 years ago those early disciples didn’t get sidetracked and they certainly didn’t believe that they couldn’t get over a message that needed to be heard even though the odds looked stacked against them. They knew that with God’s power they could do anything… and, nothing has changed in 2000 years for the disciples of Jesus… 

We are at the start of another year, and we can still think about what might be different this year. The author Charles Dickens wrote, ‘The most important thing in life is to stop saying, ‘I wish’ and start saying, ‘I will’’

Well, it’s not the most important thing – that, I think, is to look afresh at Jesus, to think of our commitment to him when considered against the incredible gifts that he gives to us; and when we consider the possibilities we have of using his power to tell others that there is a really important message they need to hear, and it’s a good news message as well! Let’s not wish this message was shared, but share it today! 

Tomorrow in the church calendar, we celebrate Epiphany. It’s the day when traditionally we celebrate the visit of the Magi, sometimes knows as the Three Kings or Three Wise men, to Jesus, bringing their gifts. But it’s even bigger than that, because it’s the day when the arrival of Jesus was highlighted as something transformational, something wonderful for all people… All were invited to approach Jesus… 

And that is our invitation today as well – to approach Jesus again and think what difference he is making in our lives. We’re invited to think of the wonderful promises of new life, of the ultimate assurance of everlasting peace and of the absolute recognition that every one us is loved by the creator of the world… The one who made all kinds of dramatic scenery and seasons and incredible human beings counts you and me amongst those incredible people…. And he asks us to tell others that he loves them too and has a message of hope and peace and joy for them too. 

Jesus came and there were people who didn’t recognise him, just as there are today. But his disciples knew the power that was being offered and they shared a message that has changed the whole world, and continues to do so today… As Jesus’ body on earth, let’s put aside our fears for the future of the church, and know that with God as our strength, we can truly believe that this message will still change us and other people today. AMEN