Dwelt Among Us

Introduction

Welcome everyone to Christmas Feast ‘24

This is a home - whether you’re here for the first time or 100th time.

It’s insane that this year has gone by so quickly - felt like 2024 just started.

ILLUSTRATION: Conversation with friend about Christmas

You know recently I had an interesting conversation with my friend about Christmas. We were talking about how Christmas is a time of happiness and family. But the conversation suddenly took a bit of a turn when he mentioned that actually Christmas is also the loneliest time of the year for so many people. And that’s not surprising - Christmas is sometimes pictured as a bit of an idyllic time for families and loved ones getting together. So very often for people from broken families, loved ones who have passed away or people absent family, Christmas is a tough time.

And the conversation moved to him asking me about faith - what even is the point of Christmas if it just exascerbates a sense of loneliness in people? And you know I genuinely sympathise for where he’s coming from. As a child from a broken family, Christmas is a tough time for him.

Here’s the thing though - Christmas is not unrelated to loneliness. In fact Christmas addresses loneliness on a far more profound level than we may understand at first glance. I would actually go so far as to say that Christmas is all about God dealing with the loneliness of mankind.

Segment 1: The greatest step

John 1:14 (ESV)

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.

Perhaps one of the most significant passages in the bible concerning the event of Christmas.

The first few words, “The Word became flesh” describes perhaps the greatest action, the greatest step committed by God in the bible.

Perhaps we lose a sense of wonder over this simply because of how much it has been repeated every single Christmas - but, if I encourage you to grasp something - it’s that this is no small feat.

And I get it - it’s actually nearly impossible for us to grasp the significance of this step - simply because it cannot be quantified. It was a step of infinite proportions.

The Word becoming flesh, God becoming man - was a step of infinite distance- Because God is infinitely greater than us, the step down to humanity - was one of infinite value, infinite distance.

And while we couldn’t possibly fully comprehend this - we should definitely learn to appreciate it. Because this was not just any step in a random direction - it was a gigantic step TOWARD US.

ILLUSTRATION: Mum diving in the water to save me You know when I was a kid, I was a complete rat. I blame it on the fact that I was an only child. I distinctly remember this time I would have been no older than 6 years old, a tiny tiny kid. And our whole extended family (probably around 10 of us) went swimming at one of the local swimming pools. And I hate swimming because, well who likes swimming? But I remember standing there watching my older cousins diving in to the pool. And I was the youngest cousin there by a fair bit - so I couldn’t follow them because it was the deep end of the pool. But you know how older cousins are - they were bullying me and teasing me about how I didn’t know how to swim yet, and they were cannonballing on purpose to get me wet and all that stuff.

So I decided right then and there, that I would show them that I actually did know how to swim. So I took a running leap into the pool - perfect dive, hit the water and boom - immediately began to drown. Man I hadn’t had much of a life by then but whatever life I had flashed before my eyes. And I could hear my cousins screaming and swimming away from me (I was like bro I’m drowning, not exploding) and as I slowly sank into the pool I was like this is it - this is how I die. Drowning in 1m of water.

Now I didn’t see the next part but my dad told me what happened - my mum was sitting by the poolside chatting to the other adults, eating a sandwich when she heard the screams and saw me flailing around like a madman. And without hesitation she got up, ran over and jumped straight into the pool - clothes, phone, sandiwch, the works. She swam over to me, and pulled me out of the pool - saving my life. And then I got beat for it but fair’s fair.

Now that I’m older I try to put myself in mum’s shoes - what was she thinking? Did she hesitate when she saw me? Did she think - but this is a really good sandwich? Did she think - I’m wearing shoes and clothes? Did she think - oh man this is going to look ridiculous?

I think about that memory - and I think about God jumping in to save us. God didn’t hesitate. Not only did He not hesitate - this was His plan. He knew it would look ridiculous, He knew it would be the most inconceivably large inconvenice, He knew it would cost Him His dignity and so much more.

Here’s the thing - He is God, infinitely wise, and infinitely capable. If He wanted to orchestrate a plan that did not include shedding His divine nature and coming to live among us - He definitely could.

And yet He specifically chose a plan that would have Him humble Himself to the greatest extent - so that He could be near us. And that is the greatest display of love mankind will ever witness.

Philippians 2:6–8 (ESV)

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Segment 2: Dwelt Among Us

And that step alone would be significant enough to rescue mankind from how alone and helpless we were - but John goes a step further. The Word did not just become flesh but He also DWELT AMONG US.

In the original language the word says that God “tabernacled” with us. That’s a reference to the portable sanctuary in the Old Testament where God dwelled among the Israelites.

God’s intention is that His dwelling place among us be made among us.

You know what this shows? That Jesus coming down was more than just a “holy mission” - He did not just come down to tick a box, to fulfil an objective. No this was so much more than that - this was personal, this reveals God’s love for mankind.

Never again will mankind be alone ever again - God came down with an intention to stay - and He is still with us today.

You know the Tabenacle was God’s presence with the Israelites in their wilderness - a sign of guidance, leadership and most importantly - presence.

I actually think it’s so symbolic - because God’s same presence is with you today in your wilderness.

If you find yourself in a wilderness season today - things are tough, they don’t make sense, you’re lost and you feel like you don’t even know where you’re going - God is still here. He didn’t leave, He wants to dwell with you today.

Just as he made His home with the Israelites in their wilderness - He still makes His home with us today.

Christmas is not about God coming and then leaving once the mission was accomplished - God came down, and He STAYED. This is personal to God - because He LOVES us. He chooses to make His dwelling place with us.

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

ILLUSTRATION: Sitting with someone (dwelling with someone)

For those of you who have heard me share a part of my story - you’ll remember that around 7 years ago I went through a season of pretty severe depression where I lost my job, community, health etc. It was the lowest point in my life by quite a margin on multiple levels. I actually stepped out of church during this time as well because it all just became a bit too much for me - and since church was one of my primary communities back then I really did lose most of my friends.

But I’ll never forget this one friend who took me out to eat one day. And that was no easy feat - I didn’t even want to leave the couch let alone the house, but he somehow convinced me to come out for a meal. And I remember at the meal that it was just a bit awkward because he had never dealt with anyone going through this before, so he didn’t know what to say - and he definitely didn’t know how to act. It was kinda cute, he kept like topping up my water whenever I would take even a small sip - like bro I don’t think you can pee out depression.

But around halfway through the meal - he just blurted out something, something that has stuck with me since. He said something along the lines of, “I don’t know what you’re going through, and I can’t promise to understand. But whatever you’re going to go through - I’m here for it. I’m not going anywhere.”

Man, I felt that. There’s something so powerful about a person who is just willing to sit with you at your worst and not budge. Someone who’s in it for the long run - regardless of where the journey may go.

And yet this is exactly what God intended when He came down to dwell among us. It’s PERSONAL - he’s in it for the long run, regardless of where you’re going, regardless of where your journey takes you, regardless of where you’re at. He’s in it for you - and He’s not going anywhere.

Segment 3: The full revelation of the Father

You know one of the reasons loneliness is such an epidemic nowadays? It’s because we’ve given relationships the fast food treatment. We may be more connected than ever, but we are also more alone than ever. We have more relationships than ever before but they are more shallow, superficial - they are not deep. We do not KNOW people anymore.

And this doesn’t just apply to people - this applies to God. We can feel alone and isolated from God because we just feel like he’s completely unknowable - He’s so distant from us, He’s so large that He can’t possibly care about me. I don’t KNOW God.

But do you know that John addresses this in that passage as well?

John 1:14 ESV

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.

Jesus IS the revelation of who God is. The fullness of God was revealed in Christ Jesus.

What an insane thing to think - that God actually REVEALS Himself to us through Christ Jesus.

John 14:9 ESV

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

We don’t worship some mystical God who has not been seen and cannot be known - Jesus coming to us IS God revealing Himself.

If you want to know about the character of God, then look no further than the person of Jesus.

Segment 4: Full of Grace and Truth

And that’s what I love most about how John ends this verse - with a two word summary of who Jesus is, who God is.

John 1:14 (ESV)

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.

You know the stigma around God in our world today is that He is so full of hate for sin and so full of judgment.

But that’s simply not true - as John says, Jesus is full of grace and truth.

And it’s important to know that the word Truth does not mean objective truth, it actually is better translated as faithfulness.

Full of grace and faithfulness.

Jesus came down - as the ultimate revelation of God’s character, and that revelation was: full of grace and faithfulness.

Think about that for a second - of all the things that God could have come as, of all the attributes He could have listed - glorious, holy, powerful, mighty - John wrote that the ultimate revelation of God in Jesus Christ was grace and faithfulness.

That’s so beautiful, don’t miss it. Catch it.

Whoever you are, listening today - wherever you are at in your life. God desires to know you and have relationship with you; but more than that He wants to be known by you as well. He has made Himself knowable to you.

And don’t listen to what the world says about God - listen to what the Bible says about God. He is not a scary judge looking for every opportunity to punish us - He comes full of grace and with faithfulness.

ILLUSTRATION: Is God Really Like Jesus?

T.F. Torrance was one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, but prior to that, he served as a chaplain during World War II. One day, on a battlefield in Italy, he attended to a dying nineteen-year-old soldier. The dying man asked him, “Padre, is God really like Jesus?”

For Torrance, this question captured “the deepest cry of the human heart”— is the God that we’ll meet on the other side of the death the same God that came to earth as a lowly babe?

Torrance assured the dying man with these words: “God is indeed really like Jesus. There is no unknown God behind the back of Jesus for us to fear. To see the Lord Jesus is to see the very face of God.”

Because of Christmas, man will never be alone again. God has come down, revealing Himself, making Himself known - full of grace and faithfulness - and He is here to stay.

Altar Call

Everyone pray together (holding hands etc.)