Christmas Eve 2019

“What is the price of a smile?” That is the question of Alton Thacker, the man who started Tiny Tim’s Foundation for Kids, often asks people when they wonder why he founded his charity in 1996.

“When a child plays with a toy,” Thacker says, “it sparks their imagination. They learn to think for themselves. They begin to explore the possibilities around them. Unfortunately, there are 500 million children around the world who have never had a toy; and many of those children will likely never have a toy.

So as a long-haul truck driver drove through West Jordan, Utah and asked for a box of toys, Mr. Thacker freely gave him nearly 700 toy cars that he would deliver to children’s hospitals along his route, bringing smiles to many children along the way.

Tiny Tim’s turns out between 80,000-100,000 wooden toy cars every year, made possible by their volunteer workforce with an average age of 80. Come December, these workers are tired, but after a few days and the reminder of how many smiles they were able to put on faces at Christmas specifically, well they say that’s all the motivation they need to begin again in January.

“What is the price of a smile?”

Smiles communicate, don’t they. Someone once said, “Everyone smiles in the same language.” And there are 43 muscles in the human face. So if you put those muscles to work and add to that smile a furrowed brow, or eyebrows in any number positions and now a smile can communicate so much more.

General happiness and contentment

Embarassment

A fake painted on smile (forced family photos)

Arrogance or haughtiness

Joy

Love and care

But with all that smiles are able to communicate, they still communicate more effectively with words. For example, if I’m incredibly grateful that someone gave me a gift, my smile communicates that the gift makes me happy, but the words, “Thank you,” send a strong, clear message that the gift makes me happy, and that I am deeply thankful.

When we want to communicate well, clearly and specifically, we use words. God also communicates to us with words, but also with the Word (capital W”).

John 1:1–5 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

john 1:1-

Jesus, is the second person in the tri-une God. There is God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit. And the Bible teaches that they are three distinct persons in one unified being called God.

In the beginning, when there was nothing, Genesis tells us, there was God. Here, John calls him the Word and says the Word was with God and the Word was God.

Jesus is the creative force expression of the Godhead. As everything was spoken into life, it was done so through Jesus, because in Him, Jesus was life, and light.

When we move down a few more verses we see that this Word, this communication became flesh.

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.

We hear the word, Immanuel alot this time of year. Immanuel means God with us.

God came to dwell with us, to live among us so we can see His glory.

I remember being a child, coming downstairs to look at the tree. Sometimes waking up in the middle of the night, and walking down. It was quiet and dark, except the light of the Christmas tree. And it looked so big - that star so high up in the tree.

When you and I step outside at night, and it’s dark - our surroundings only lit by the magnificent stars that the Lord hung in place we’re instantly reminded of the enormity, of God. And we wonder - as life happens. As life throws us curveballs, as we realize that we’re not as much in control of things as we’d like to think - we wonder, “God, where are you? God, what are you like?”

Well the Gospel of John, and Hebrews help us with that.

Hebrews 1:1–4 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory.

When you’re outside on a hot, sunny day and get a sunburn you don’t comment on the rays of the sun, you comment on the sun itself.

Everything you and I need to know about God we find in Jesus which is told to us in God’s Word. The Word of God is expressed to us in words. Specific words, measurable words, clear words.

Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature.

Colossians 1:15 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 1:19–20 ESV

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Col1:

tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God…and that (19) in Jesus the fullness of God was pleased to dwel

So what does Jesus, the exact imprint of God’s nature communicate to us?

Often life throws us curveballs, hardships and other confusing circumstances.

The perfect beauty of God. Holiness.

No crack or imperfection anywhere.

Kids you’ll open some toys tomorrow and some of them may even break in a day or two.

But not God. There’s nothing imperfect about God.

Secondly, he communicates

The great love of God.

When God came to dwell with us, he came to live for us.

Jesus God with us came to communicate God’s smile, but as the human face has only 43 muscles to animate it, Jesus animated God’s great love to us for 30-years, ultimately living every nanosecond of every day with the perfect beauty of God.

To give us life.

Close and pray