The Promise: Christmas Eve

Bookmarks & Needs:

B: John 1:9-14

N: Flashlight

Welcome

John 1:9–14 CSB

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

PRAYER

The day has finally come! It is Christmas Eve, and what a joy it is for us all to be together to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for being with us tonight to worship and celebrate the infant King of Kings, whether you’re here in the room or joining us online. For the last four weeks, the church has been celebrating the Advent season, as we have remembered the powerful promises of hope, peace, and joy that were given to us in the arrival of that one small child. Tomorrow morning, we will complete the series by considering the theme of love. Advent is about anticipating the coming of the Messiah to rescue the world. As Christians today, we now anticipate the day Jesus will return and make all things right. Christmas is marked by expectation in every way, shape, and form.

It has always been about excitedly waiting, hasn’t it?

One Christmas season that was full of anticipation for me and Mel was three years ago, the Christmas of 2019. That was because just 10 days after Christmas, Maggie and Nathan were getting married. So even as we were managing all of our family Christmas traditions and gifts and church events, we were in the final throes of wedding prep. But man did we look forward to that event: gathering with so many (including so many of you) to celebrate what God had been doing in those two young lives. It was an exciting (albeit stressful) time in our life. That event added another layer to the excited wait that we experience at Christmas every year.

Christmas is so wonderful for so many reasons. The time spent with family is so sweet. The food that is shared is always so tasty. The cold weather, the lights, the snow? Maybe snow? There is so much to look forward to, and it makes it so hard to wait for it to arrive.

1: Christmas is worth waiting for.

The first Christmas ever was also an event that was a long time coming. The people of God were familiar with the promises that had been given to them hundreds of years before any manger, angels, wise men, or star. They trusted God’s faithfulness and believed that He would come through. Finally, in the tiny city of Bethlehem, a young couple named Joseph and Mary found themselves in a stable because everywhere in town was too full to accommodate even a pregnant woman. It was there, in a stinky animal feeding trough, that the Savior of the world was laid—from the God of the universe to a vulnerable baby wrapped in swaddling cloth. There is more than one account of this miraculous event in the Gospels. However, today I want to visit this moment in time from a different vantage point. I’d like to see what we can learn from an account that does not have the traditional characters involved or the familiar story line.

John 1:9 CSB

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

The way this version of the Christmas story goes, there is a light that enters the world. This light was born into a dark world full of sin and brokenness. This is not just any light, this is the true Light, the light everyone has been waiting on.

Ask to have the lights in the room turned down and have a strong flashlight.

When Jesus arrived on the scene, it was a fulfillment of promises from long ago. In fact, the book of Isaiah speaks to a day that a light would dawn on the people who were living in deep darkness.

Shine the flashlight around the room.

This light brought hope to a hopeless situation. This light brought peace to people who had lived in chaos. This light brought joy to a world that was miserable. This light brought love to the human race that had forgotten about God. Jesus was known in the Scriptures as the light of the world. Like any other light, He came into the world to accomplish certain things.

Shine the light into the corners of the room.

He came to reveal the darkness in every corner of our lives and in every corner of the world—not to shame us, but to heal us.

Shine the light down each aisle.

He also came to shine a light on the right way to live. It is hard to navigate a dark and broken world; the coming of Jesus is a light that lights our path.

One of the reasons that we see lights everywhere during the Christmas season is because it is a constant reminder that while many of us may be familiar with the story of a baby born in a manger, it is also about a great Light that has come into the world to brighten up what otherwise feels dark.

John gives a warning within the passage about the dangers of missing who this true light is.

John 1:10–11 CSB

10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

As Jesus miraculously came into the world, a world that was actually created through Him and held together by Him, the world did not recognize Him for who He really was. It is a tragedy actually, that though many were waiting for the Messiah to appear and redeem all that God had created and bring peace to the world, when the Messiah showed up, the majority didn’t recognize Him. But why? How could the signs not be clear? How could He have flown under the radar?

Unfortunately, the main reason was because Jesus did not look like the kind of savior they were hoping for. They thought they were being promised a military warrior who would come and overthrow Rome. They thought they were being promised an activist who would lead the Jews in protest of oppressive powers. Instead, what God had promised was even better. More powerful than military might and activist rallies was the humble birth of God in the flesh and a sacrificial life that would free the world from sin. That is the Light that came into the world in Bethlehem. The moral of this for us is our next point:

2: Don’t miss the gift of Jesus.

Jesus came to rescue His fellow Jews and to take that hope to the ends of the earth, but they did not accept Him. His life was a gift that was never received.

When I was probably twelve, I had what is perhaps my most regrettable Christmas moment. My uncle, my godfather specifically, had come to a saving faith in Christ, and that year for Christmas he sent me a book about the life of Jesus, wanting to share the hope of the Gospel with me. I rejected that gift. I didn’t want to read a book about Jesus. I wanted something cool. Something better. Something more important. Boy was I wrong. My uncle had offered me the best that he could give me: he had offered me Jesus, and I missed Him then.

Likewise, I do not want you to leave today without being offered the greatest gift that could be received this Christmas season. Not only that, but I would love for you to receive this gift. Don’t miss it. Jesus was born into the world for all people. That means you. He came to rescue you. He came to free you from your sin. He came to shine the light of hope, peace, joy, and love into your life. Don’t miss Him. Surrender to him in faith, and you will receive the gift of eternal life.

John goes on in chapter 1 to tell us the result of receiving the gift of Jesus Christ by faith:

John 1:12–13 CSB

12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

To those who receive Christ as the greatest gift of God, they are given the right to become children of God. Different from children who are born to an earthly father and mother, they become the spiritual children of the divine. God becomes their Father, and in love and mercy, He forgives them, He provides for them, He guides them, and He protects them. If they are children of God, that means they are spiritual siblings of Jesus, who is the Son of God. They inherit the same thing as Jesus. They inherit an eternal home. They inherit a resurrected body. They inherit joy unspeakable.

So, this Christmas, don’t miss the light that has come into the world. Jesus has come to offer us fullness of life through faith in His sacrifice for our sins. God longs to live in us by His Spirit. God came in the flesh to dwell with us. The last verse in this passage speaks to this.

John 1:14 CSB

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

There is something important to notice in this verse. Jesus is called something else besides the light. He is referred to as the Word. Jesus is the Word, the Logos, because He is the very truth of God incarnate. He is the fulfillment of all that was written about Him. All the prophetic promises are made true in Him. We get to see God’s Word in the flesh. We see all the glory of God in one man. If you want to know what God looks like, you don’t have to look any further than the incarnation. Jesus is the perfect representation of God, and He came full of grace, truth, and glory. And those who are in Christ have a special calling in the world: to shine out that glory that lives within us.

3: Shine the glory of God.

Jesus meets us with such grace, and He reminds us that we are loved for who we are and not who we should be. Jesus also meets us with truth, which tells us that we can be more than we are right now. The truth of Jesus reveals the sin within our hearts, and the grace of Jesus removes it. As He shines into our lives, He makes us new. The beauty of Christmas is not just that Jesus shines into us, but also that He shines through us.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the pain and suffering of the world. The key is believing that Jesus can help you to spread the light of hope. A couple of Christmas seasons ago, in Duxbury, Mass, Joan Sulliven’s video doorbell captured the image of a small child dressed as an “elf” leaving something on her door. It was a card that said "Thank you for spreading Christmas joy! We love your lights!" On the video the homeowner could hear someone shout “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” as the elf scampered away. Joan said, “It filled my heart with love and joy.”

Sometimes we don’t even realize the kind of hope, peace, joy and love we are giving the world by the light we shine as a follower of Jesus. When we love others, serve others, encourage others and live our lives like Jesus, the world will notice. They too will say, “We love your light.”

As we close our service today, we are going to sing the old Christmas favorite “Silent Night.” As you entered the service today, you received a candle. As we sing this closing hymn together, there will be a time when I will invite you to lift your light into the air. When we do that, I want you to look around at all the light that is shining around you. Though one light in the world may seem like it does not have the power to light up the dark, when each of us are filled with and shining the light of Christ, the darkness cannot overcome it.

Merry Christmas to all of you. Let’s pray together.

PRAYER