Dwelling Among Us

These are famous words and perhaps you are familiar with them already. They also cover a huge amount of ground: they manage to say a lot in a few brief sentences. We’re going to explore them in just under ten minutes - so hold on to your hats. We can only scratch the surface - but even that reveals some pretty amazing things.

- they also cover a huge amount of ground, they say a huge amount in a few brief sentences.

We’re going to explore them in just under ten minutes - so hold on to your hats. We can only scratch the surface - but even that reveals some pretty amazing things.

Since we have all ages together as a church family this morning, we’re going to keep things interactive too - so, first question, for anyone under the age of eight; if you’re under 8, stand up. It’s time for a bit of detective work. Let’s start with something easy. There’s no names in what we just read, but it was talking about a person: someone it called “the true light ” who was “coming into the world”? who is talk talking about? Hands up!

[Jesus] good, good - but that really was a bit too easy. That’s always the right answer isn’t it? What’s brown and furry and collects acorns and climbs trees? Jesus, see? Ok ok you can sit down.

So Jesus is coming into the world. Now let’s try something a bit more difficult. Here’s another question. Age eight to twelve? Stand up! Jesus was coming into the world at Christmas - how does this bit of the bible tell us people would respond? What does it say about the reaction to him coming?

[not recognise] [not receive]

When we say people didn’t recognise him, what does that mean? What does it mean not to recognise someone? Let me show you a picture - do you recognise this person? who is it? Me - back when I was an epic hunk! But a bunch of you didn’t recognise me. When we read he was in the the world, but the world did not recognise him, that’s what it means. When Jesus showed up, the world - all sorts of people - they saw Jesus, they met him, but they didn’t really know who he was. Not like that time you forget the name of your distant relative that you only ever meet at the Christmas family thing; ‘cause even though you don’t remember their name, hopefully you still know who they are, right? The world didn’t know who Jesus was at all. They didn’t recognise him.

But there’s a second group of people here: the text calls them “his own” - “his own did not receive him.” It means: God’s people, the Jewish nation. See, Jesus showed up in the middle of God’s people. He should have been among friends, among family. It should have been a hero’s welcome, landing in friendly territory. But instead, they didn’t receive him - that means they didn’t welcome him, they didn’t accept him.

Ever felt like you weren’t welcome somewhere? Have you ever walked into the wrong loos? That’s the sort of response that Jesus was going to get. We lived in New York city for a while and I remember going into shops and feeling SO unwelcome. Like all the staff were looking at you and thinking “what are you doing here?” And you know you’re thinking “well, I have some money and I want to buy something. And this is a shop and that’s sort of what you do, right?” But all you’d get was a scowl and “what do you want?”

When Jesus came into his world they didn’t know who he was.

When he came to what should have been his home, he wasn’t welcome.

Aged thirteen to eighteen? stand up! How would you respond to that? Let’s say you arrive at a party, a whole crowd of people who should know you. Hey, in fact, let’s say it’s your party. It’s your birthday. And yet no-one recognises you. “who’s that?”. Then one of your friends turns to you and tells you you’re not welcome here. What would you do?

[leave]

I think that’s what I would do too: leave. [sing] “go, walk out that door, don’t turn around now, no you’re not welcome anymore” would be my soundtrack. I think that’s what most of us would do. Perhaps there are some who are more strong-willed and might fight, but most of us would leave.

Here’s the first thing I want you to see this Christmas morning: when Jesus shows up, people who should know him don’t recognise him, and his own tribe, his family, don’t welcome him, he doesn’t walk out. Want to know what he does instead? [popup tent] Pitches his tent here.

, - think of the kids he grew up arounddidn’t know who he was.

“The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” - famous words - and that “made his dwelling” literally is he “tented”. He came to camp out among us. Unrecognised, unwelcome, but he pitches his tent here with us anyway. Now there are some groovy connections back to the Old Testament here, to the portable temple of God’s people, the tabernacle. But that’s for another day. The first thing I want you to see and celebrate this morning is that he didn’t leave - he stayed.

Kids, who’s stayed in a tent? What’s good about it? What’s bad?

Adults, what about you: who hasn’t camped? what’s good/bad?

He came. Unrecognised, unwelcome, but he pitched his tent anyway. Let’s keep thinking tents for one last minute. One more question for you: what’s the longest you’ve ever stayed in a tent? How long? where was that?

He came. Unrecognised, unwelcome, but he pitched his tent anyway.

what’s the longest you’ve ever stayed in a tent? How long? where was that?

Here’s the thing about tents: they’re not permanent - at least not for most people, not now - and not in Jesus’ day either. Jesus came, Jesus stayed - but only for a while. I expect many of you will know an outline of Jesus’ story - you can read it here in the bible if not. He came, he stayed - but ultimately he left again - he died on the cross.

When we go camping, if we’re good campers, when we’re done and we move on, we don’t leave a trace. Once the grass grows back, no-one should ever know we’ve been there - we were just passing through. But that’s not how is it for Jesus. He comes. He pitches his tent with us here for a while. And then he leaves - but he leaves everything changed rather than nothing. That’s right in the middle of the passage we read. Jesus opened the door to us becoming children of God.

See, Jesus doesn’t just come, hang around a while, take in the sights, and then go. Jesus came for a reason, he came with a purpose. And he left saying “it is finished” - mission accomplished. Did what he came for.

think of the kids he grew up arounddidn’t know who he was.

The New International Version Chapter 1

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

He came to give those that receive him, those that welcome him; to give those that believe in him the right to something where we have no right at all.

Last question for you kids: What does it take to become a princess, a real-deal princess, not just a Disney one?

[born to a king, or marry a prince] Can just say I’m a princess? Ok, ok, a prince? Do I have the right to become a prince? What about if I put a tiara on? No - not by myself. And we have no right to become children of God either. Not in ourselves. But that’s what Christmas is about: Jesus coming, unrecognised, unwelcome, coming to die in our place, so we could live in his place - and live in his family, live as children of God. That’s the only way we have the right to become children of God - through this Jesus.

And that’s worth celebrating at Christmas.

We have no right to become children of God either.

Let me pray

[pray]

Thanks for listening. Let’s sing our final carol together - and it’s a belter: Hark the herald angels

This carol finishes, telling us Jesus was “born to raise the sons of earth; born to give them second birth” - that’s what we’ve been thinking about today: he gave those who believe the right to a second birth - to become children of God.