Christmas in the Gospels

Good morning, Cornerstone Church. It is my pleasure and joy to be joining you all this morning. My name is Lawson Campbell, and before we get rolling this morning, I thought it might be helpful for you to have a frame of reference for who it is standing here in front of you all.

So, again, my name is Lawson, and I’m currently serving as the Associate Director of Reentry Services for a faith based non-profit in town called Damascus Way, where we work with men who are navigating the challenges of addiction and incarnation, sharing the transformational power of the Gospel along the way. I would say that’s my “day” job, however that’s not technically true, as you’ll usually find me there working overnights.

Besides what I do for work, I’m also enrolled in a ministry program with Hope International University, pursuing an education and opportunities in the field of pastoral ministry. This was made possible by the work of Crossroads Church Partners, which is actually the remnant of the old bible college that used to be here in town.

I’m here with my wife of nearly 12 years, Sam, and our 5 kiddos. And quick tangent here (yes, already) I think it’s important to note that “Who I am” is so much more than “What I do.” for my occupation.

I think too often we identify as ourselves as “what we do” rather than truly “who we are”...That is to say my Family is so much more important to me and speaks much more to who I am than my occupation does …but for the sake of making a smoother transition…I tell you about my family last because, they are in no small part the reason why I’m here with you all this morning.

Let me explain what I mean by that…In a sort of roundabout way, I'm here today because of a school field trip one of my kids went on. Several years ago, I signed up to chaperone my daughter Reyna’s 5th grade class trip to Whitewater State Park.

You know those team-building exercises companies do? Well, try supervising 40 some 5th graders full of energy who've all just been let loose in the middle of the woods.

That’s a team bonding experience if I’ve ever heard of one, and the kind of shared memory that usually ends in either friendship or therapy. That is the “Origin Story” of how I met Pastor Trevor and as I was reflecting on our “origin” story, it reminded me of some movies and tv shows I have seen. Have any of you ever watched a TV show or Movie that starts with that dramatic "In the beginning..." text scrolling across the screen or title page? Maybe something like this perhaps?

(Insert “In the Beginning” Slide here?) “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away…” It immediately tells you something big is about to happen. And if you’re like me, it immediately brings something to mind. I probably didn’t have to tell you what this was from, you were already thinking about Star Wars.

And it’s in that same style, that the apostle John choses to start his Gospel. He wasn’t just being dramatic - he's intentionally taking us back, drawing our minds to Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created..."

If you have your Bibles with you, I invite you to turn with me to John 1, because that is in fact where we will be beginning this morning

While you're turning there, let me set the stage for where we're heading. We’re in week 3 of our Advent series (I guess technically week 4…), and typically this time of year, our minds go straight to the manger scene - the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the shepherds.

When I first began contemplating what a message titled “Christmas in the Gospels” might entail, it’s immediately where my head went. But John... John does something totally different.

Instead of starting with the details of Jesus' birth, he pulls back the curtain to show us something profound about who this baby really is. He takes us behind the scenes of Christmas, if you will, to help us understand not just what happened, but why it changes everything. So, let’s read together starting in verse 1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

(Slide(s) for Scripture)

Join me in a word of prayer before we begin unpacking these words: (Opening Prayer)

One of the greatest privileges of my work at Damascus Way is the opportunity to just sit and talk with the men residing there. I love getting to hear their stories and hear their hearts…and these conversations frequently circle back to one central question: IDENTITY - who we really are at our core.

And that's exactly where John starts here when revealing Jesus - his true identity. He goes straight for the deepest truth about Jesus - "the Word was God."

The Greek word John uses here is "Logos" – which means just what it says, the word. (Slide with Greek?) In our modern world, words are cheap, aren’t they? We're bombarded with them - texts, emails, social media posts. But in ancient times, someone's word was everything. It was their bond, their promise, in some ways it was their very character.

When John says Jesus is "the Word," he's telling us something profound - Jesus is God's ultimate self-expression. If you’re a note taker, I have 4 main takeaways for us today, and here’s number 1: The Word Reveals God's Identity (John 1:1-3) (Slide)

Think about it this way - when you want to know what's in my heart and mind, what I’m thinking and feeling, what do I have to do? I have to speak. I have to use words to communicate what’s inside. Jesus, The WORD, is God speaking himself to us. He's not just delivering a message - he is the message.

And then John adds another detail - "the Word was with God, and the Word was God." At first glance, this might sound like a contradiction, right? How can someone be God and with God at the same time? But the phrase "with God" in Greek actually implies a face-to-face relationship. It's intimate. Personal. Like two best friends in deep conversation. What John's telling us is that Jesus has always been in perfect relationship with the Father, and the Spirit, revealing his divine nature.

Just to expand on that idea Jesus’s divine nature, let’s check out what Matthew 1:20-21 says: But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Slide(s) for Scripture)

Again, we see Jesus - “The Word” - having his divine nature revealed. That's why the angel told Joseph, “you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Only God can save us from sins. The baby's very name reveals his divine identity.

A few weeks ago, Pastor Trevor talked about Christmas in the beginning. He touched on what John says here in verse 3 - "All things were made through him." Let that sink in for a moment. The baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas? He's the one who put the star in the sky that would later guide the wise men to him.

The hands that Mary would wrap in swaddling clothes are the same hands that formed the universe. This isn't just poetic language - this is who Jesus really is.

And John didn’t stop there. He goes beyond telling us who Jesus was to revealing what he did. “The word became Flesh” (Slide) John says in verse 14. And that’s our second point for this morning:

The Word Enters Our Reality (John 1:14, Luke 1:31-35) (Slide)

There’s a churchy theological word that gets thrown out around Christmas time - "incarnation." Everybody say Incarnation…

If you look up the word Incarnate in Webster's dictionary, you'll find two fascinating definitions. First, it means "invested with bodily and especially human nature and form." Second, it means "made manifest or comprehensible." (Slide)

I understand you've been journeying through Luke's gospel in a series called "Mercy Made Manifest." That second definition of incarnation - "made manifest" - that's exactly what happened at Christmas. God's mercy didn't just remain a concept or a promise; it took on flesh and bone. It became tangible, touchable, and visible.

Listen to how Luke describes this incredible moment. The angel tells Mary: And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God (Luke 1:31-35) (Slide)

I'm struck by Mary's very human response. "How will this be?" she asks. It's such an honest question, isn't it? What the angel was describing seemed- well - impossible - the infinite God taking on finite human form.

Which draws us back to that first definition of incarnate for a moment - "invested with bodily form." The God of the universe became invested in humanity. He didn't just dip his toe in the water - he dove all the way in. Think about that word "invested."

When you invest in something, you put yourself into it. You have skin in the game, as they say. Literally, the word became flesh.

Think about what this reveals about God's heart. The all-powerful creator didn't just send us a rulebook from heaven. He didn't just write us a letter telling us to do better. Have you ever had a supervisor do that to you? Give you a long list of everything you should do, but never once stopping to walk alongside you through that list, explaining what they actually meant? Maybe it came in the form of a lengthy email detailing all the ways you need to improve, or a manual dropped on your desk with a sticky note saying "Figure it out."

I wonder if you can relate to that feeling? It's frustrating. Overwhelming. Maybe even a bit demoralizing. Because what we really need isn't just information - we need someone who's willing to roll up their sleeves and show us how it's done. Someone who says "I'll work through this with you" instead of just telling us what to do.

That's what makes Christmas so remarkable. God didn't just send down a list of commands from heaven. He didn't just give us a spiritual employee handbook and say "Good luck with that."

No - he became one of us. The infinite God stepped into our world, walked our streets, experienced our struggles, felt our pain. He didn't manage us from a distance - he moved into the neighborhood.

Rich Villodas captures this beautifully when he says this in his book “The Deeply Formed Life” - "The incarnation tells us that God doesn't keep his distance from our broken world but enters right into the middle of it." (Slide)

That's exactly what John is telling us - God didn't stand at a safe distance from our darkness. He stepped right into the middle of it, bringing his light with him. That actually brings us to our next point this morning:

The Word Brings Light and Life (John 1:4-5) (Slide)

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

You know what's amazing about light? It always changes the environment it enters. When you flip on a light switch in a dark room, the darkness doesn't get to vote about what happens. It doesn't get to negotiate.

It doesn't get to hold onto its favorite corner. We often talk about darkness as if it's something, but darkness isn't actually a thing at all- it's the absence of something. It's the absence of light. When you walk into a dark room, you don't have to figure out how to remove the darkness - you just have to turn on the light. The light comes in, and everything changes. It's not a gradual process - it's immediate, it's transformative, it's complete.

Let’s look at Luke’s Gospel and see how this idea fits…Luke 2:15-17 says this:

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.(Slide)

When the shepherds hurried away, they found more than just a baby - they found the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. They found light breaking into their dark world.

That's what happened on the first Christmas. The eternal Word, the one who spoke galaxies into existence, entered our dark world as light. Think about that first Christmas night - a dark stable in a small town, in a world covered in spiritual darkness. And then, light breaks through. Not just the glory of angels in the sky over shepherds' fields, but the Light of the World, crying in a manger. And just like you can't separate light from its ability to illuminate, you can't separate Jesus from his power to transform.

This is why Advent is so much more than just counting down to Christmas. You know, it's actually a part of the reason the early church chose to celebrate Christ's birth during what is literally the darkest time of year in the northern hemisphere. While we don't know the exact date Jesus was born, there's something profoundly meaningful about celebrating the Light of the World when the nights are longest and the darkness feels heaviest.

Think about those December days when the sun sets so early, when we find ourselves driving to work in the dark and driving home in the dark. But, as darkness set’s in, it’s that much easier to notice all the bright twinkling street lights, headlights, and Christmas lights. It's a physical reminder of a spiritual truth: light shines brightest against the darkness.

We're not just remembering a historical event - we're celebrating a present reality and anticipating a future promise. Through this advent series You’ve all been journeying through, we've traced the story from Genesis through the prophets.

We've seen how God was weaving this master plan from the very beginning. The same Word that was with God in the beginning, the same Light that entered our darkness on that cold winter's night - It’s still shining today.

And He promises to come again, not as a baby in a manger, but as the King who will make all things new. You see, that first Christmas night was just the beginning. The little light that had only just broken into the darkness will one day flood the whole world with its glory. As we read in Revelation, in the New Jerusalem, there will be no need for sun or moon, because the glory of God will be its light.

This Advent season, as we see Christmas lights twinkling in our neighborhoods, as we light candles in our worship services, let each light remind us of this threefold truth:

The Light has come - When humanity sat in darkness, the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He didn't just describe the light - he brought it personally. (Slide)

The Light is here - Right now, in this moment, he continues to shine in our darkness. Every time someone turns from darkness to light, every time hope breaks through despair, every time love overcomes hate - that's his light still shining. (Slide)

The Light is coming - One day, He will return not in humility but in glory, not to a manger but to a throne, not just as Savior but as King. (Slide)

And that bring us to a conclusion: The Word Transforms Our Identity (Slide)

As I mentioned, Quite often I have the privilege to sit with men who are working through deep issues, often wrestling with their identity. They look in the mirror and all they can see is their past - inmate, addict, failure. Maybe you've been there too. Maybe the label is different for you, but I imagine that weight feels just as heavy. The voice in your head keeps saying "This is who you are, and you can't change it."

This is why what John is telling us becomes absolutely life-changing.

The same Word that spoke galaxies into existence, who has existed in perfect relationship with the Father for all eternity, chose to enter our world. Why? To redefine who we are. To speak a new identity over us.

This should transform everything about how we understand Christmas. That baby in the manger isn't just a sweet story to tell our kids - He's the eternal God who chose to be born in a feeding trough.

As C.S. Lewis put it in his work “Mere Christianity”-"The Son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God." That's the stunning reality of Christmas - Listen to these words from Paul in Galatians 4, which show us exactly what that means: (Slide)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Friends, please do not miss this. If you take anything from my message today, remember this. Adoption is about so much more than just changing someone's legal status. It's about belonging. About being chosen. About being wanted. It’s about Identity

Some of us have spent our whole lives trying to earn love, trying to prove we're worthy of belonging. Maybe you grew up feeling like you had to perform to be accepted. Maybe you've lived with that constant pressure of trying to measure up - never feeling like you were good enough - at home, at work, at church, even with God. Maybe you’ve missed the mark in the past, and have spent years trying to prove you were better than those mistakes. Or maybe you’ve just never really understood the possibility of a new identity through Christ.

Here's what's revolutionary about what Paul is telling us - God doesn't adopt us because we've finally become good enough. He doesn't wait until we've cleaned up our act or proven our worth. He adopts us precisely in our brokenness, precisely in our unworthiness.

And then He does something even more remarkable - He gives us His Spirit, enabling us to cry out 'Abba, Father.'

That word 'Abba' - it's not a formal, religious word. It's the intimate cry of a child who knows they are perfectly loved, perfectly secure, perfectly accepted. Not because they've earned it, but simply because they belong to their Father. It’s like the shout my 2 year old daughter lets out when I walk in the door from work.

That's why this baby in the manger changes everything. The eternal Word didn't just come to give us a new religion - He came to give us a new identity. To transform us from spiritual orphans into beloved children. From outsiders into heirs.

So when the darkness tries to define you - remember, the Light has come to give you a new identity. Just as he spoke light into existence at creation, he can speak new life into your story.

This time of year can be a difficult one for many, but when that darkness of your present circumstances feels overwhelming -

Remember, the Light still shines in the darkness. He's not a distant memory or a future hope only - he's a present reality.

When the darkness of uncertainty clouds your future - remember, the darkness has not, cannot, and will never overcome him. The victory isn't in question; it's already secured.

I wonder if you all will indulge me for just a moment as we close. Let’s sing these lyrics aloud together, and prayer is as we do you will hear them afresh..and please join in with me…(Slide) Silent night, holy night - Son of God, love's pure light - Radiant beams from Thy holy face - With the dawn of redeeming grace - Jesus Lord, at Thy birth - Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

(Closing Prayer)