Through His Son
Aggregation may be seated.
What is prey?
Heavenly Father we pray that you would Pour Out Among Us a full measure of your promise. Holy Spirit The Blessed now both the speaking in the hearing of your word on men. Oh dear friends in Christ. Let me Begin by saying Merry Christmas.
It is a good day a festival day in exciting date when we get to celebrate the God Has Come. What is today when I have to admit I had to I had to pray for Robert just a little bit as he began that Hebrews reading where it begins a long time ago. In a galaxy far far away with us. It was a long time ago far far away. The God spoke to us, but he spoke those first few times at not directly through himself as a representative to us as much as he spoke one-on-one to his people. Adam and Eve had the luxury of Walking with God in the garden. I don't know what that was. Like I long to know that's one of the questions I have of Heaven. How did you know God was with you. Did he take a physical form? Was he right there? How did you recognize his presents? Later, he would speak through the prophets and he would tell them great things. He speak to Abraham and he make promises to Abraham about the number of descendants. He would have the stars of the sky. Imagine that the Magi when they looked at the stars of the sky without all the light pollution that we have today in our world and they saw the Myriad of stars that were there and they watch them so closely. They must have been amazed when they saw that one grade STAAR. Stars that have been prophesied of of old. In fact, this is the year 2019 ad. Agnus Dei in the year of Our Lord Is birthmarked time for us wherever we now record every year as the year of Our Lord. Now when the calendar was put in place in the begin numbering the years Unfortunately, they were off just a little bit at this probably it should be if we were counting correctly and we want to say that Christ was born in year 1 or in year zero then this probably would be at 2021 or 2022 but we're not going to split hairs on a year to the good news is that it is in the year of Our Lord? But what about BC? before Christ Before Christmas life was different. But now the writer to Hebrew says something has changed because now all of the sudden rather than speaking through prophets speaking through intermediaries Christ himself has come. Many times and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets but in these last days. Spoken to us by his son. And then the description of this one a Christmas we described him as an infant infant Holy Infant lowly. Will you picture him as the the Sweet Child that cries not at night in the arms of Mary not sure how real that is. Are we see him as this sweet little baby? And yet the writer to the Hebrews declares more about him. He says he appointed him are of all things.
my son Noah always likes to talk in Grand terms. Everybody says that I always say. Oh really and then you say well maybe not everybody but some people say Put in the writer of Hebrews. He's not just exaggerating when he says that he is appointed the heir of all things. everything There's nothing outside of his control. In fact, one of the readings a sign for today that we didn't use the psalm is Psalm to an enzyme to the Samus records the words about the humor of God as he looks at this earth and the Samus sites. Why do the nation's rage in the people plot in vain and the king take their stand against the Lord and against his anointed one? And then the Simon Says and God looks from heaven and laughs at them and he scoffs at them in his anger. I can recall a number of years ago being in them Saint Petersburg Russia and this elderly woman came up to us as we were I'm cleaning this staircase. And she was probably in her 90s and she told us there the great history of the cathedral in what has happened and how for 70 years. It had been taken away from the church. And then she said these words that I will never forget and I repeat often. He said my mama told me if the Lord needs his church will take it back. And then with a grin on her face, she said Mama was right Mama was right. The lord of the church is the lord of the church despite circumstances and despite oppression. This last Sunday. We prayed for the for the family of one of our Pastors in Venezuela. after a tragic murder the clergy and our church is under persecution around the world. We can hear almost every day of Christians being killed for their faith and yet the lord of the church is still the lord of the church. And on this day. We remember that he was made heir of all things this little Sweet Child of a manger and he created all things as the writer to the Hebrews says And then he gives us this beautiful picture. He is the radiance of the glory of God. the exact imprint of his nature he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
I got someone I want to get to know. I want to know the one who upholds this universe by the word of his power. And if she comes to us, he says you can know me. That's why he took on that form so that we could know him so that we could recognize him so we could say he is one of us.
He also had to take on that form because of who we are. Is it broken? Is it bar sin? He had to come into this world and take on Humanity so that he could in fact pay for our sin. I want her to do that. He had to live a sinless life.
Also had to be divine. And so today begins that mystery that we wrestle with through the ages of a God who is both human and divine all at the same time. He is both God and man. holy man, born of the Virgin Mary fully God conceived of the Holy Spirit
And in that one package we have hope. poop It's a word that our world really doesn't understand. And to be perfectly honest, I think I often slip into the world definition of Hope because he the world's definition of Hope. Is that perhaps someday maybe if we're good if we're lucky. Things will work out. Yeah, that's not Christmas. Hope. Christmas hope is that sure certain thing? It's the hope that made the Magi load up there camels in head out of town and follow that star in the hope that they would find the child for they said we have seen his star in the east. Notice, they didn't say you don't we saw this big star and we're thinking maybe maybe this is something we should check out and we thought is we travel but maybe just start my TV mean that a king has been born know they came and they said the King has been born we've seen his star in the east we've come to worship him. There was certainty in their voice as they came. So is we come to worship on Christmas Day? We don't come with the worlds. Hope that maybe this was the Messiah. No, we coming we sing Joy to the World. The Lord is come. We have that certain. Hope that despite everything else. Whatever is going on in our world. We have that certain. Hope that God has come Among Us. What does that mean for us? It means that we have a God who not only walks with us who has taken on our form, but even more than that and the writer to Hebrews would talk about this later in his book. This is a God who understands us.
He's lived this life on this Earth as a human. He's suffered the pain of rejection.
Watched and understood weight loss. Felt sorrow when his children are in pain in agony. Reeves with those who grieve he Mourns with those who mourn celebrates with those who celebrate and so our God gets us became to be among us. He is our sure and certain hope and he gets us He understands us. And it means that because of this day we don't have to pretend anymore. You don't have to put on that Christmas face, you know, the one the one that has soon as you get out of the car in the parking lot at the argument that you've been having in the car on the way here comes to an end and you all put on that Christmas face when you walk in the door and you say Merry Christmas, and we're so excited. They were smiling and we're happy we don't have to pretend anymore. Bad has come. And he's come to handle all of it. He's come to handle those bad mornings. When we snap at one another. He's come to handle all of our sin the sin that we can't even publicly confess to anyone. We can hardly even stay at ourselves. In fact, we don't even verbalize it. We just stuff it inside. He's come to handle all of our weakness. all of our sickness Everything that would seek to ruin us is come take away. And the ranger to the Hebrews understands this even as he describes this one who has come. He says he is the radiance of the glory of God the exact imprint of his nature the upholds the universe by the word of his power and after making purification for sin. Sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High having become as much superior to the angels as a name. He is inherited is more excellent than theirs.
That's shorthand for after he died on the cross. And after he conquered sin and death and heroes Victorious on Easter morning, he ascended and sits at the right hand of God that we put this all together and we have a God who comes among us to be like us so we might recognize him and he is the exact representation of the glory of God and then we have this God who understands us gets us because he was one of us and we can come to him and we don't have to be fake anymore and then just got goes further and he dies for us. He sacrifices himself for us he lives for us and he Comforts for a sin death and the grave and he says now there is nothing that can come against you and then is it that wouldn't be enough to your son's back to heaven and he was given the name and the place that rises above everything.
No it the day of the Hebrews as much today. We consider angels to be these glorious beads. We love the concept the idea of thought of there being Majestic Angels and the writer to the Hebrews says that's great. Think about the angels with Majesty think about him with power think about him as glorious. But let me tell you there's one who goes above them way above them who's not even close to them. And that's this one who has come this little bitty, baby. Who has now brought all things, right?
long time ago in many and various ways he spoke to us through the prophets but now but now Here's the hopeful part that the Hebrew says but now in these last days.
It's good to be in the last days. Remember what a relief it was to finally get the Christmas going to get Duke to put all that other stuff behind you intend to finally arrived at today. Here. We are. It's Christmas and we go.
And so we can have that same rejoicing that the days are coming when the Lord will return. That's the rest of the story. So the writer of Hebrews goes on and he talks about this fact that this one who has come is coming yet again. this time Is it the picture? He's already painted about this little baby. We realize that he's not coming the same. and with certain and sure hope we await his coming as the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. Coming to rescue us once and for all and today. On this day, we get to celebrate that he has come Among Us in a few moments. We are going to dine at his table and he's going to remind us once again. I have come into your very presence.
I am here.
Old I have come. May the joy and the hope and the certainty of Christmas be yours today and always amen. and I made