The Glory of the Son

Merry Christmas! Christmas is here, the time and the moment of celebration that we have all been waiting for, the moment of celebration at the coming of our Lord Jesus in a manager for us! As you look out in the world can you tell its Christmas? What are the signs that you look for that you tell you its Christmas season? Perhaps your neighbor went all Clark Griswold this year putting up as many Christmas lights and decorations that you can ever imagine. Perhaps our favorite restaurants are closed - telling us that something special is happening today. Or maybe you are able to gather with family that you don’t see every often - so for you it is telling you that something special has happened on Christmas - that something out of the ordinary is taking place. How many of us recognize that something special is happening this Christmas season - Jesus coming into the world, but then after a day or after a half day of celebrating, we go back to our “normal” routines as quickly as possible, we go back to our homes and take our Christmas decorations down as quickly as we can - to get on with the next day of celebration that will wait for and hope for. We jump head first into the things that are waiting on the work checklist after the holidays to get ready for things we have to accomplish. But Christmas is more than just the short family, but the effects of Christmas last longer than a simple day of celebration. Jesus coming to the world, has lasting effects for you and for me; it completely changes the world forever, it completely change you and me forever. The writer of Hebrews lays out that Christmas, the coming of Jesus in the world, means that Jesus comes personally, Jesus issues as greater and fuller message, and imprints us as Sons and Daughters of God.

For us this Christmas season means that Jesus comes personally. Have you ever had the pleasure of having companies that are just starting out, or a company that is looking for new business? And they need to get the word out about the business. So one day you randomly get a generic email from a company, and it is addressed so well, it says, “Dear Reader”. You open the email and you first begin to wonder how did these people get my email account? How did the get my information to send me this email? But more importantly, as you glance and read the letter - you can clearly tell that is one of those canned messages. You can tell that these people have no clue who you are - they have no clue what your interests are, they could not pick you out of a crowd.

I think there are moments in our walk with God, it our faith lives with Him, that we think of God in these terms. We create or manufacture this same attitude when we hear God’s Word for us. We treat the Word of God as a generic message sent to all people - a generic, unspecific message that is distant from you. There is this habit to treat God, especially when we are going through difficult moments, as someone who is so far from us. There is response that we often have in our lives to treat God as someone up in the sky or heavens far from us, forgetting about the promises He speaks to us.

But this Christmas Jesus comes personally for you! For God’s grace and mercy, He didn’t deliver a generic Christmas card for everyone to hear the message, He didn’t remain far from you sending an “insert name” kind of email for people to hear His forgiveness and grace. Instead, God came to this world Himself. Jesus comes personally for you this Christmas season, that you may know the love of God! Jesus comes this Christmas season for you - that you may see the love of God on full display! He has come to show you the glory of God! God came to be with you, He came that you may have a communion and fellowship with God that has no end. And it is through the personal work of Jesus that our lives and our world is completely changed.

This Christmas season - Jesus comes personally, and He issues a greater and fuller message. Have you ever played the game telephone? You know the game where the message starts with one person and each player of the game hears the message from one person, as they whisper the message in their ear, and then that person who just heard the message, is supposed to pass the message along. And the goal of the game is to the message from the starting person to the last person as accurately as possible. If you played the game, there can be moments when the message at the end of the line becomes so different than the beginning message. You can maybe pick up bits and pieces of what the message was, but for whatever reason, whether it is lack of listening, lack of focus, difficult surroundings, the message doesn’t always remain the same. It would be so much easier in the game of telephone to hear the message straight from the source - you would never lose.

WOrd of God - SPeaking????

The writer of Hebrews starts out our text, saying, “Long ago, at many times, and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son!” God did work through the prophets, He did delivered His message accurately to His people in days of old, but the writer of Hebrews is saying now He has spoken to us by Jesus. Jesus comes now instead of other appointed people. And listen to the description of the Jesus. Hebrews says, “He is heir of all, and He created all, He is the radiance of God’s glory, exact imprint of God’s nature, He upholds the universe by His power, He has completed the work of cleansing our sins. There is no longer the need to God to piece His message piece by piece, but instead He sends Jesus this Christmas season as a messenger of God’s forgiveness and grace - as someone with a greater and fuller message.

Lastly, Jesus comes personally, Jesus issues a greater and fuller message, and Jesus imprints us as Sons and Daughters of God. Our text closes out in verse 5 & 6 from Hebrews chapter 1, where the author is cementing the authority and superiority of Jesus over the angels. The writer says that Jesus is greater than the angels because He is called a Son of God and no angel has ever received that title. Because of the work of Jesus on the cross for you and me, we have this privilege to also be called Sons ad Daughters of God most high! Through the work of Jesus - God now calls you Son, God now calls you daughter. You are now brought close to be with God forever!

My family had this tradition in Christmas where we would all open gifts - each person would only get one gift. We would open them one at a time, but you had the opportunity to take or swap gifts once throughout the night. And swapping gifts didn’t mean it was a willing trade, but often there was someone else who really wanted your gift and you would have to reluctantly give your gift up. I remember moments growing up when it would be your turn to open a gift - the best gift of the bunch and everyone was waiting for the opportunity to swap with you, or steal yours. There was this gift a party like this, that no one wanted no one had a need for, no one wanted to bring home. Until the Son of the host, said I’ll take it, its mine! Jesus comes to this world, despite your sins, despite our shame and He says you are mine! Jesus comes to this world to claim you as a child of God! Through His work He has made you His own! As people claimed by Jesus - are we reflecting that this Christmas season?

In the midst of this Christmas, as the holiday parties wind down and come to a close, may we continue to celebrate. Jesus and His arrival this Christmas season doesn’t leave the world the same, doesn’t leave you the same. It’s the through the power of Jesus that you are now made His own!

Now may the grace of God the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, may it guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.