Immanuel: God With Us

John’s prologue = beautiful, glorious, poetic retelling of God’s creation. He reminds us that just as God was at work in creation, he is at work now in the re-creation of humanity in Jesus Christ:

The self-giving of God links creation and redemption because he has been giving himself to humanity from the beginning; in the incarnation he does what he has always done, only more clearly. (B. A. Gerrish, writer and theologian).

The Word was in the Beginning

Gateway to understanding this:

John 1:1 M:BCL

The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God,

Does that sound familiar?

Genesis 1:1 M:BCL

First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see.

The Story of God

John is clearly opening the gateway on a story not just of one man in one place and time. He is opening the gates on the story of God and the world from the beginning of time.

The Word was and is God.

The One through whom God created all things.

The One who gave life to everything created.

The One who contains life and light.

This story is about our creator God acting in a new way within his beloved creation. It’s a long story beginning with Genesis and climaxing:

Explanation (5m)

Jesus is God in the Face of a Child

John 1:14 M:BCL

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

Best chord picture

Couple of weeks ago, saw this picture on Twitter. Best chord of Christmas. Courtesy of Sir David Willcock’s arrangement of O come, all ye faithful. Something about build up into the chord on Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing ...

If you don’t know it or don’t see what I mean, then watch the tenors of St John’s College Cambridge enjoy the moment:

Video: The Best Chord of Christmas

That’s what Christmas is all about. The Word, God himself, our Creator, the giver of life, the Light shining in the darkness, became human. He moved into the neighbourhood.

If you want to know who God is and what he is doing, then look into the face of the Christ-child.

God Became Flesh

God became human.

He did not cease being God.

He didn’t merely attach a human body to himself.

He became human. He became flesh.

He entered personally and intimately into our human existence.

He wrapped the gift of his love in the stuff of mankind.

And this is no temporary situation.

For those who know the rest of the story, neither death, nor resurrection, nor ascension ever undid Jesus’ incarnation.

God Moved into the Neighbourhood

He made his home among us. He moved into the neighbourhood. He pitched his tent among us, reminding John’s readers of the Tabernacle, the place where God’s Shekinah glory and presence dwelled:

1 John 1:1–4 M:BCL

From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!

The glory of God, once restricted to the tabernacle, is now visible in Jesus. It can be seen. It can be heard. It can be touched.

He came to bring us light and hope which can never be extinguished

John 1:5 M:BCL

The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.

The language used here is forceful. It literally means the darkness cannot lay hold of the Life-Light. It cannot take possession of the Life-Light.

Whatever happens, John is saying, nothing will ever extinguish the Life-Light. Nothing will ever kill the hope we’ve waited for.

The story of Jesus is that no matter the mess, no matter the scandal and social stigma, no matter being poor and marginalised, no matter the sadness, no matter the lost hope and disappointments, no matter the death and decay around us, no matter the overbearing world superpowers, no matter the chaos and hardship, the hope we’ve waited for is here in the form of Immanuel: God with Us.

Christ has come and God is seen in the face of a child.

Application (5m)

Will We Make Room for Him this Christmas?

John provides hope in the dark.

We Can All Become Children of God

Despite the chaos, despite the mess, God empowers you and me to be transformed and become his children:

John 1:12 M:BCL

But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.

To whoever wants Jesus.

Not just the privileged few.

Not those born into a particular family, or born in a particular part of the world, but everyone.

Whosoever will.

God wants every one of us to look into the face of this child and be born into his family begun in Jesus.

Welcome King Jesus

All we have to do is welcome him in to our homes.

Welcome him into the neighbourhood.

Welcome him into our hearts.

Christmas 2022, whatever your circumstances, could be a miracle in the making.

It could be the year when you see the face of God.

It could be the year when Immanuel: God with Us becomes Immanuel: God with Me.

What Do You Need to Do to Make Room?

Some of you will have friends or family staying with you this Christmas. No doubt you have had to make room for them.

You may have put stuff in storage - the loft, the garage, the box room - in order to make room?

We need to make room for Jesus, for Immanuel: God with Us too.

If we’re going to gaze into his face and see the face of God, we have to make room for him to move in.

God is hidden no more, he has spoken his mind;

Wrapped the gift of his love in the stuff of mankind.

Now his nature is known.

God is love undefiled.

And his love is revealed in the face of a child.

Will you slow down and see his glory?

Will you pause and see God’s love revealed in the face of a child and affirm again the Hope We’ve Waited For is here?

Next Steps

Video: In the Face of a Child

Video: In the Face of a Child | 5:00

All the stars sang together on that first Christmas day,

And the stars are still singing.

Can you hear what they say?

Angels join in the chorus, maybe ten million strong,

Can you make out the meaning and the sense of their song?

God is hidden no more, he has spoken his mind;

Wrapped the gift of his love in the stuff of mankind.

Now his nature is known.

God is love undefiled.

And his love is revealed in the face of a child.

Shepherds too come to wonder, moved to tears by the scene

Of a child in a manger.

What on earth can it mean?

And the wise come to worship; go away with great joy,

Have they learned a new lesson from this new little boy?

Words: John Gowans; Music: John Larsson

Related Media

Related Sermons