Week 4 PM: Christmas Is Worth Waiting For

Scripture: John 1:9–14

Introduction

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.

Main Teaching

SLIDE - Point 1

POINT #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 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 farm shed behind an inn that was too full to accommodate even a pregnant woman. It was there, in a stinky - dingy manger, 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.

READ John 1:9

John 1:9 (NLT)

9 The one who is the true light, who 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.

Illustration: 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 birth 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.

READ John 1:10–11

John 1:10–11 (NLT)

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected 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 shows up, the majority don’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.

SLIDE - Point 2

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.

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. Receive Him into your heart.

John goes on to tell us why the gift of God in Jesus Christ must be opened.

READ John 1:12–13

John 1:12–13 (NLT)

12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

SLIDE - The Greatest Gift

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 if we receive Him into our hearts. God longs to dwell in our hearts. God came in the flesh to dwell with us. The last verse in this passage speaks to this.

READ John 1:14

John 1:14 (NLT)

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

There is something important to notice in this verse. Jesus is called something else besides the light. He is referred to as the Word. Notice it is capitalized. Jesus is the Word because 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 and truth.

SLIDE - Point 3

POINT #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.

Story: 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.

> SHOW VIDEO

(https://www.wcvb.com/article/young-elf-delivers-christmas-thank-you-note-1607555562/34923088#).

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.”

Conclusion

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. 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 the light of Christ, the light becomes powerful.

SLIDE - Overwhelm the Darkness

When each of us shine our light, we fill the room. We overwhelm the darkness.

Pray:

Incarnate Christ, we pray that you would turn our hearts toward you on this Christmas Eve. Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this season and miss out on the promised gifts of hope, peace, joy, love, that you sent to us on that first Christmas. We light these candles tonight; may they be a reminder to us that we are the very light of Christ to the world. Thank you, God, for your immeasurable gift. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.