Christmas Day December 25, 2023
John 1:1-18
Glorious Christmas Morn!
v.14 And 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.
Beloved in the Lord, Merry Christmas! What a wondrous day--a glorious Christmas morn! The snow on the ground--the crispness in the air--the delicious smells at home--the soft glow of the Christmas lights on the tree--the presents under the tree and in the stocking--the happy, smiling faces of those around us--it fills our hearts with joy.
When we think of the word "glory" we tend to think in materialistic terms since glory is generally expressed in this way. Yet the glory of God is something very different. It primarily relates to the nature and acts of God as He manifests who He is and what He does--He reveals Himself to us in these ways, particularly in the Person of Christ, in whom the glory of God has shone forth for all to see. True glory is not found in the sights, sounds, and smells of a wondrous Christmas morn, but rather in the Person and work of the Child who was born to Mary.
Jesus did not come to receive glorious treasure and earthly power--though all these things rightly belong to Him anyway as the Word of God through whom all things have been made. Recall that He was born in a lowly stable--to a poor family--that He lived an ordinary life as a carpenter's son until the time set forth for Him to publicly proclaim the Gospel to the people of Israel. Jesus' glory was found in His humiliation--in His suffering and death. He was arrayed with a crown on the cross--a bloody crown of thorns that pierced His flesh and caused Him pain--so that He might atone for your sins and mine.
The divine glory of Jesus would be glimpsed by the apostles John, James, and Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, but would then be fully revealed to all at His glorious resurrection. True glory and honour and praise is found not in our own actions or deeds--as hard as we might try--but rather true glory is found in the Child born in a stable in Bethlehem--placed in a manger--who would grow up to be nailed to a tree and placed in a stranger's tomb after dying a sinner's death.
And His death and resurrection means so much to you and me today because all the glory--the power--the majesty of God that filled the tabernacle in our O.T. reading--was found in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth. He has come from God--as God in the flesh--God with us--come to dwell/tabernacle/tent with us. The glory of God Almighty--the only Son from the Father--has wholly filled Jesus like a fully ripened grain--Jesus is full of grace and truth.
And that is good news dear friends--good news! Because you and I are not full of glory. We may be full of ourselves--we are often full of the smelly stuff that is found on barn floors around the world--but we are NOT full of glory. We are full of sin. Inherited by Adam and Eve, we are guilty before God not just because of the sin of Adam, but our very own sin--our very own rebellious acts in thought, word, and deed that bring dishonour--that bring the opposite of glory--a baseness that is lower than low. This is what fills our hearts--our minds--our bodies and souls. The baseness of our own desires--our evil thoughts and wicked ways. A baseness that has only one ultimate end--eternal suffering and death in hell.
Yet, Jesus is full of God's glory--full of His grace and truth. And He has come to dwell among us--to save us--to rescue us from ourselves and from the power of the devil and the temptations of the world. "From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." From Jesus, who was born in abject humility and lowliness--who suffered and died a cruel and horrible death--enduring the shame and just punishment for our sin in our place--because of Jesus we are recipients of God's grace--His mercy, kindness, and goodwill.
You will remember that is the song that the angels sang to the shepherds the night Jesus was born, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men with whom He is pleased," as some manuscripts put it. The angels, the church--indeed, all creation, gives glory to God in the highest for what He has done for sinners like you and me in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. There is peace on earth between God and men--there is goodwill and favour poured out upon all people--He is pleased with men--not because of our own goodness or glory--but because of Christ Jesus--because of His work to save us from our sin!
For in Christ, as Paul writes in our epistle reading today, "the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness (i.e. OUR glory), but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Jesus has come--He has appeared--you have been saved by and for Baptism--to receive the glory of Christ--His death and resurrection that is given to you in the waters of Holy Baptism as Paul states very clearly in Romans 6.
You want to enjoy true glory? You want to find glory? You won't discover it under the Christmas tree--even on a glorious Christmas morn! You won't earn it by your hard work and labour--your blood, sweat and tears--no matter what the competition may be--harmless sporting events--or power games at work--or the deadly field of battle.
True glory is yours only through faith in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. He who is the Word of God made flesh and has come to dwell with you through His blessed and holy Word and Sacraments. By His bloody death He wipes away your sin--He casts out the devil--and He delivers you unto life everlasting--carrying you into eternal glory in His nail-pierced, blood stained hands. He lifts you up out of the baseness of your sin and death and raises you to His side in glorious life and salvation without end.
For in Baptism the Lord God has called you to believe in His name, "He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." The Word has become flesh and dwells among you this day in Word, bread and wine. He is ever with you through His Baptismal Word combined with water, no matter where you may go.
Indeed, truly today is a glorious Christmas morn! For Christ the Saviour has been born--has suffered, died, and was buried--but was raised to new and everlasting life just three days later--for you--for me--for all. You are a baptized, believing Christian--the glory of the Lord is yours through faith in Jesus--the child born of the Virgin Mary. He gives you His glory through His shed body and blood--now and forevermore. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
John 1:1-18
Glorious Christmas Morn!
v.14 And 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.
Beloved in the Lord, Merry Christmas! What a wondrous day--a glorious Christmas morn! The snow on the ground--the crispness in the air--the delicious smells at home--the soft glow of the Christmas lights on the tree--the presents under the tree and in the stocking--the happy, smiling faces of those around us--it fills our hearts with joy.
When we think of the word "glory" we tend to think in materialistic terms since glory is generally expressed in this way. Yet the glory of God is something very different. It primarily relates to the nature and acts of God as He manifests who He is and what He does--He reveals Himself to us in these ways, particularly in the Person of Christ, in whom the glory of God has shone forth for all to see. True glory is not found in the sights, sounds, and smells of a wondrous Christmas morn, but rather in the Person and work of the Child who was born to Mary.
Jesus did not come to receive glorious treasure and earthly power--though all these things rightly belong to Him anyway as the Word of God through whom all things have been made. Recall that He was born in a lowly stable--to a poor family--that He lived an ordinary life as a carpenter's son until the time set forth for Him to publicly proclaim the Gospel to the people of Israel. Jesus' glory was found in His humiliation--in His suffering and death. He was arrayed with a crown on the cross--a bloody crown of thorns that pierced His flesh and caused Him pain--so that He might atone for your sins and mine.
The divine glory of Jesus would be glimpsed by the apostles John, James, and Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, but would then be fully revealed to all at His glorious resurrection. True glory and honour and praise is found not in our own actions or deeds--as hard as we might try--but rather true glory is found in the Child born in a stable in Bethlehem--placed in a manger--who would grow up to be nailed to a tree and placed in a stranger's tomb after dying a sinner's death.
And His death and resurrection means so much to you and me today because all the glory--the power--the majesty of God that filled the tabernacle in our O.T. reading--was found in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth. He has come from God--as God in the flesh--God with us--come to dwell/tabernacle/tent with us. The glory of God Almighty--the only Son from the Father--has wholly filled Jesus like a fully ripened grain--Jesus is full of grace and truth.
And that is good news dear friends--good news! Because you and I are not full of glory. We may be full of ourselves--we are often full of the smelly stuff that is found on barn floors around the world--but we are NOT full of glory. We are full of sin. Inherited by Adam and Eve, we are guilty before God not just because of the sin of Adam, but our very own sin--our very own rebellious acts in thought, word, and deed that bring dishonour--that bring the opposite of glory--a baseness that is lower than low. This is what fills our hearts--our minds--our bodies and souls. The baseness of our own desires--our evil thoughts and wicked ways. A baseness that has only one ultimate end--eternal suffering and death in hell.
Yet, Jesus is full of God's glory--full of His grace and truth. And He has come to dwell among us--to save us--to rescue us from ourselves and from the power of the devil and the temptations of the world. "From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." From Jesus, who was born in abject humility and lowliness--who suffered and died a cruel and horrible death--enduring the shame and just punishment for our sin in our place--because of Jesus we are recipients of God's grace--His mercy, kindness, and goodwill.
You will remember that is the song that the angels sang to the shepherds the night Jesus was born, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men with whom He is pleased," as some manuscripts put it. The angels, the church--indeed, all creation, gives glory to God in the highest for what He has done for sinners like you and me in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. There is peace on earth between God and men--there is goodwill and favour poured out upon all people--He is pleased with men--not because of our own goodness or glory--but because of Christ Jesus--because of His work to save us from our sin!
For in Christ, as Paul writes in our epistle reading today, "the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness (i.e. OUR glory), but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Jesus has come--He has appeared--you have been saved by and for Baptism--to receive the glory of Christ--His death and resurrection that is given to you in the waters of Holy Baptism as Paul states very clearly in Romans 6.
You want to enjoy true glory? You want to find glory? You won't discover it under the Christmas tree--even on a glorious Christmas morn! You won't earn it by your hard work and labour--your blood, sweat and tears--no matter what the competition may be--harmless sporting events--or power games at work--or the deadly field of battle.
True glory is yours only through faith in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. He who is the Word of God made flesh and has come to dwell with you through His blessed and holy Word and Sacraments. By His bloody death He wipes away your sin--He casts out the devil--and He delivers you unto life everlasting--carrying you into eternal glory in His nail-pierced, blood stained hands. He lifts you up out of the baseness of your sin and death and raises you to His side in glorious life and salvation without end.
For in Baptism the Lord God has called you to believe in His name, "He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." The Word has become flesh and dwells among you this day in Word, bread and wine. He is ever with you through His Baptismal Word combined with water, no matter where you may go.
Indeed, truly today is a glorious Christmas morn! For Christ the Saviour has been born--has suffered, died, and was buried--but was raised to new and everlasting life just three days later--for you--for me--for all. You are a baptized, believing Christian--the glory of the Lord is yours through faith in Jesus--the child born of the Virgin Mary. He gives you His glory through His shed body and blood--now and forevermore. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.