Sermon Index
December 31, 2017
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were1 born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
On Christmas Eve we read the Christmas Story from the Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter Two, and last Sunday we read the Christmas Story from the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Today I want to look at the Christmas Story from the Gospel according to St. John. The first chapters of Matthew and Luke look very different from the first chapter of John, but one theme is in all four Gospel books. That theme is that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus is God. Even the first verse of the Gospel of Mark which has no infancy narrative says: “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The Book of John says that Jesus is God in this way: (In this passage, the word “Word” with a capital letter “W” means “Jesus Christ.) “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” and “14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So, Jesus Christ, the Second Member of the Holy Trinity” became a flesh-and-blood human being in order that people might have grace and truth and light and faith and life.
I think it is interesting to compare the Gospel stories.
Matthew and Luke: the Angel announces the coming of Jesus. In John, it is John the Baptist.
Matthew and Luke: Shepherds and Wisemen come to visit. In John, Jesus comes to us.
Matthew and Luke: Mary and Joseph. In John, they appear later. By the way, in John Mary is never called by her name, but rather always as the “mother of Jesus,” maybe because there are other women also named Mary. Joseph is named because that is part of Jesus’ name, as in 1:45, Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Matthew and Luke: Jesus is born in Bethlehem. In John, it seems to be assumed that the readers know about the Birth of Jesus, and so we know that Jesus is the Christ, and so we understand the true meaning of the following dialog: JN 7:40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." JN 7:41 Others said, "He is the Christ." Still others asked, "How can the Christ come from Galilee? 42 Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"
Matthew and Luke: Jesus is worshiped. In John Jesus is rejected. That is the part of the John’s Gospel that I want to look at today, verses 9-13. 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
I want to look at this passage from three different standpoints.
1. At the time of Jesus, when he came to this world, many people did not accept him. “11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” He came to his own people, the people of Israel; they did not believe that he was the Savior Messiah promised by God. Even though they knew the Scriptures and heard Jesus’ preaching and saw his miraculous signs, still they rejected him and crucified him. However, those who did receive him and his message and believed him to be the Christ were given a new birth. They were reborn as children of God, and that means eternal life.
2. At the present, Jesus still comes into the world. This past week we have been celebrating Christmas, and the people of the world also celebrate the feast with his Name, but yet the world does not know him. Jesus is the creator of the world, he came to his world, and yet the people he created do not know him. “11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” This is not just the Jews, it is all the people of the world today who are lost in the darkness of unbelief and ignorance. And so this is a call for evangelism. Like St. John we need to write a book or something to tell the world the wonderful Good News. We tell it to our children and family and invite them and our friends to church where the Gospel is proclaimed in word and song and prayer and sacrament. We invite them to receive him with faith and baptism.
3. At the present, Jesus comes to us. Since we are believers, he truly has “come to his own,” and “we have received him.” In Baptism we have been made children of God. We walk in his light. And yet, we have to admit that there are times when we want to choose the darkness. There are temptations that come to all Christians. The temptations come from the devil, this fallen world and our own sinful hearts. To choose the darkness is to reject Jesus. If we do not receive Jesus then neither do we receive forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. But if you have a guilty conscience, if you know you did something wrong, then remember that the Gospel message is that Jesus comes to us who are his own and receives us so that we can receive him. It is a new birth. It is the daily washing of baptism.
We said that the core of the Christmas message is that Jesus Christ is God Almighty who was born as a human into this sinful world in order to save it. And so we can say that the Christmas message is proclaimed in John 3:16 & 17. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Let’ conclude with the prayer of the day. “Almighty God, You have poured into our hearts the new Light of Your incarnate Word. Grant that this Light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.”
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church