Pastor Tim Patoka
Christmas Day: December 25, 2020 See the Enfleshed Word’s Glorious Light John 1:1-14 1) Jesus Himself is the Word Enfleshed 2) God’s Children See his Glorious Light of Life
There are some things that we quickly recognize after only hearing a few key words. If I say, “We the people of the United States of America” you probably think of our nation’s Constitution which begins with these words. If I say, “Four score and seven years ago” you think of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address where he renewed America’s commitment to liberty and a representative government during the Civil War. If I say, “I have a dream” you think back to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial where he summarized a good chunk of the Civil Rights Movement. And it’s not just with works of national significance we do this with. If I say, “Oh, come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord” you probably think of the famous Christmas hymn we sang at the beginning of our service – Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful. But there’s one more phrase I want to throw at you. If I say, “In the beginning” what comes to mind? It is how Genesis chapter 1 begins by telling us how God created all things in 6, 24-hour days? Or did you think about our verses for this morning from the Apostle John which began with these words? While it may seem strange to harken back to creation when we speak of Jesus’ birth on Christmas, that is exactly what John is trying to do as he teaches us who this babe is that was born to us on Christmas Eve. He is the Word himself, encased in human flesh, who shines the light of life in this sin-darkened world. While many in this world do not recognize Jesus for who he is, God’s children certainly do. For when they look at Jesus, they see his glorious light and rejoice all the more. And as we consider these opening verses to John’s Gospel on this Christmas Day, we again ground ourselves in the timeless joy of Christmas by seeing the enfleshed Word’s glorious light. 1) Jesus Himself is the Word Enfleshed The Apostle John uses a rather unique title when describing Jesus as “the Word.” We hear John call him this three times in our opening verse, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) This title meant many different things to the people of 1st century Israel. For the 1st century believer, “the Word” was shorthand for the Old Testament Scriptures where God had revealed himself in great clarity and fullness to his people. As a result, many of the 1st century believers treated God’s Word with the utmost respect and honor as if it were God himself. For John to call Jesus “the Word” in this way, he is drawing the connection that Jesus is the place we look to see who God is in great clarity and fullness with the expectation that we treat him with honor and respect as well. According to the Gentile thinkers, “the Word” was a philosophical idea much like our abstract concepts of “truth” and “logic.” While they are beyond our ability to fully comprehend them, we still try to wrap our minds around them. For the better we understand them, the better handle we have on life’s foundational components. For John to call Jesus “the Word” in this way, he is drawing the 1
Pastor Tim Patoka
Christmas Day: December 25, 2020
connection that Jesus is this abstract concept that is far beyond us yet behind so much of our lives. It’s all these things and everything else included in this unique title that John has in mind when he calls Jesus “the Word.” And where do we find him on this Christmas Day? In the flesh in Bethlehem’s lowly manger. Yet not everyone sees the baby Jesus as the Word enfleshed. There were some ancient heresies that were beginning to spook around when John wrote these words. False teachings which said that Jesus was not truly enfleshed, that is, was not truly human. One called Docetism specifically claimed that Jesus was too divine to be human. He simply appeared to be human. Another called Gnosticism, on the premise of hidden knowledge, claimed that all earthly things are inherently sinful. Therefore, Jesus could not take on human flesh. They end up saying that what the Apostle John tells us about Jesus cannot be true, he is not the Word enfleshed. What’s more common today is the ditch on the other side of the road – to say that Jesus cannot be the Word. So many academics today look at our Christmas celebrations as essentially no different than the special days found in other faith traditions. To them, it ultimately doesn’t matter if Jesus’ divinity is fact or fiction – assuming he existed at all – because all religions are supposedly equal. There are also problems within Christianity where so many confused Christian church bodies either confess or strongly emphasize Jesus, not as the Word, but as a glorified trailblazer – live like him and you’ll be blessed too! Or perhaps our own doubts these past few months have had us wonder if Jesus truly is God. With so much of our lives being cancelled, put on hold, or upended, might we wonder if Jesus is no more than a helpless babe? Although enfleshed, is Jesus the Word? Yet Jesus is exactly who John says he is – the Word enfleshed and nothing less. He is the Word in its every sense. In line with the Gentile thinkers, Jesus is beyond us as evidenced with his joint work of creation with the other persons of the Triune Godhead where they got everything right the first time around. Jesus is also behind so much in our lives like any good philosophical concept. If you try to answer life’s biggest questions and leave Jesus out of the mix, you’re always going to come up short. But when we include him, then we’re well on our way to understand what life is about as designed by God. In line with the 1st century believers, Jesus is the best place to look in order to see our God in great clarity and fullness. If you were to try to learn about God on your own, you wouldn’t get too far. You’d certainly conclude that God is powerful, holy, and much better than we are! But that’s about it. But when we look at God through the lens of Jesus, we learn so much more: his many names, his qualities of grace and mercy, his gift of forgiveness, and his promises of so much more. Jesus is also the other half of what John says – the Word enfleshed. Listen to the accounts of multiple eyewitnesses, angelic messengers, and the Bible’s trustworthy words. Not only did Jesus become truly human, he visibly dwelled among us for 33 years. Jesus’ true human nature has also made him the one-of-a-kind substitute we need for our sins whose price he paid with his death on the cross. Jesus is much more than a trailblazer to better times; he is our Savior from sin. And for we who are going through so many struggles right now, Jesus’ true human nature also brings us comfort. As Jesus suffered, so will we. As God worked good through the evils that Jesus endured, so will God do so through our evils. As Jesus now enjoys a life free from sin’s effects, so will we. 2
Pastor Tim Patoka
Christmas Day: December 25, 2020
Who do we see when we look at Bethlehem’s manger? The Word enfleshed and nothing else. While that may sound simple, it is indeed deep and wonderful as we ponder all the more about what it means for this baby born in Bethlehem to be both true God and true man. 2) God’s Children See his Glorious Light of Life And as we look towards Bethlehem, we see something else – his glorious light of life. Our Christmas joys don’t just come from knowing who Jesus truly is, but also from seeing what he has come to bring. The Apostle John speaks about this when he says, “In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 5The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5) As light shines in a dark place, so Jesus’ light of life shines in sin’s darkness. We see the Apostle John use this illustration of light and darkness throughout his Gospel to describe Jesus’ saving work. Light is a good thing. Those who have faith in Jesus have his saving light shining upon them. And what makes this illustration so comforting is that the darkness can never overcome the light. Light a candle or turn on the Christmas tree lights and you’ll see for yourself – the light always wins. So it is with God’s light of salvation – it will always beat back the sin from which it comes. But not everyone see Jesus’ light of salvation when they look towards Bethlehem’s manger. Despite the actions of Jesus himself or people who bore witness to him – like John the Baptist who’s briefly mentioned in these verses – there are plenty who remain in sin’s darkness. Those in the world who, despite being jointly created by this same Jesus, did not recognize him. Then there are those who came from God’s own people who lived around Jesus and knew the Old Testament Scriptures but did not accept him as the Promised Savior. For how many people in the world today is Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem simply an excuse for sinfully good times or complaining against everything and everyone instead of rejoicing in the light of his salvation? How many of us, who are counted among God’s own people, wish that Jesus’ light consisted of good news for the here and now instead of salvation for eternity? How many of us have sin’s darkness pulling on our hearts, even on Christmas Day? Most, if not all of us, have had our celebrations today altered in some way. Gatherings with loved ones have yet again been reduced, postponed, or cancelled. Even our worship services aren’t all what we’d prefer. While we still have God’s Word at the center of our words and songs – which is the most important thing! – we’re not surrounded by all our brothers and sisters in Christ as we typically are. For those of you who are worshiping with us online, this probably wasn’t your first option. It can be hard to see the light of life that streams forth from Bethlehem’s manger in a 2020 Christmas. Yet God’s children, even in these darkened times, can still see Jesus’ wondrous light of life. The Apostle John explains how this is, “But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 13They were born, not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) It is those who are born of God that believe in Jesus’ name and are counted among his children. And it’s a good thing that this cannot happen in any normal or natural way. If it depended on us being born in a certain family or way, who knows how many would be eternally banished to sin’s darkness before they even heard about their Savior. If it depended on a person’s right motives or living, we could never be sure if we were truly in Jesus’ light 3
Pastor Tim Patoka
Christmas Day: December 25, 2020
or just seeing it from afar. But because it depends on God who gives us faith through the message about Jesus Christ, we can be certain about our life everlasting. If we look to this baby born in Bethlehem as our Savior, then we have his light of salvation shining in our sin-darkened souls. And that light can never be overcome. It is with this light of life shining in our souls that we rejoice on this Christmas Day. For as we look at Bethlehem’s manger, we see Jesus’ glory, grace, and truth. Glory in the Word enfleshed so he could be our Savior. Grace in our God who shows us undeserved love in the Christmas gift of his Son. Truth in the promises given to us by God – how we are saved from our sins, have peace in our hearts, and hear the guarantee of life in heaven all because of the one born to us on Christmas Eve. We still have reason to rejoice, even in a 2020 Christmas. Despite the stresses and unexpected changes we’ve had to make, our Savior’s birth still stands and can never be undone. Despite the saddening headlines and the polarizing news we’ve had to sift through or ignore, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem still promises you the same as it always has – your Savior has come to bring you God’s light of a forgiven and everlasting life. The Apostle John begins his Gospel with the famous words, “In the beginning.” As he brings our attention to creation, so John also teaches us who this baby born in Bethlehem truly is. He is the Word enfleshed and nothing less; Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man. And as we look towards Bethlehem, we also see his glorious light of life that shines on all of God’s children. While we may be tempted to think that Jesus is less than the Word enfleshed or his light is hopeless against sin’s darkness, that will never be. For even in a 2020 Christmas, we have every reason to rejoice in our Savior who was born to us on Christmas Eve. And as you leave here today, let your Christmas celebrations be joyful in the coming days and let them be grounded in what you see in Bethlehem – the enfleshed Word’s glorious light. Amen.
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