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"CHRISTMAS IN A NUTSHELL"
Christmas 1B
December 28, 2008
John
1: 14
Martin Luther described John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that all who believe in him may not perish but have eternal life,” as the gospel in a nutshell. So thinking in terms of “Christmas in a nutshell” I was wondering if you might have a verse that you think might fit that description. Perhaps it might be the verse wherein the angel Gabriel appears to Mary to give her the good news. Or maybe a verse describing Mary going in haste to her kinswoman Elizabeth to share the good news and to rejoice with her. How about the angels appearing in the sky to the shepherds? The angels tell the shepherds that a savior has been born in the City of David. I have a different verse in mind. It’s from the Gospel of John, the first chapter. It happens to be the 14th verse, and I translate it like this: “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” To me this sums up the Christmas story, this is the message of Christmas, the meaning of Christmas. Think of it! The Word who was with God in the beginning, who was God, without whom nothing was made that was created. The Word we call Jesus Christ. When I translate this verse from the Greek, I like to translate “dwelt” as “tabernacled” or to put it another way, “pitched his tent among us.” It puts me in mind of the Exodus, God overshadowing the tent, the tabernacle – the bright cloud of the presence of God settling on the tabernacle and glory of God filling it. God leading his people through the wilderness, out of bondage in Egypt. And here the Word becomes one of us for 33 years, tabernacling among us still, leading his people through the wilderness out of bondage to sin. The Word became “flesh,” a word that I think the Apostle John used quite intentionally. Jesus didn’t just take on the appearance of a human, looking like one of us but being quite above us and unable to sin, unable to suffer. Instead Jesus became a human being, just like one of us, subject to thirst and hunger, temptation, anger, despair, friendship and love. Flesh that despaired in Gethsemane, that was angry in the temple, impatient upon occasion, that loved always. And John writes: “and we…” that not the “royal we.” It signifies that John and others, the rest of the disciples, those who followed Christ, saw his glory. They saw it in the miracles he performed, raising the dead, giving sight to the sightless, healing the sick and more. But they also saw the glory of God in Jesus’ steadfast love. And the glory of God was made manifest in the cross – steadfast love, suffering and dying for us. Full of grace – undeserved, unearned, steadfast love – and truth. Jesus is the truth, the only way to the Father. And this, my friends, is the true meaning of Christmas, this is the reason I celebrate. AMEN. Rev. Bruce Hannum, Associate Pastor
Lutheran Church of the Cross, Nisswa, Minnesota |
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