Christmas 2: Sacrifice

01/02/2022

Scripture: John 1:1–18

John 1:1–18 NRSV

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 came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

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What it Cost God

In the beginning, there was just God against the chaos and darkness. I can't imagine what that was like. Everything I've known my entire life, everything I've learned about the history of the world is filled with God's creation, overflowing over the brim with more than I will ever fully understand. None of that was there in the beginning. What was it like? It was terrifying. When you read Genesis 1 speak about God hovering over the waters, the shapeless, nameless, void, it is portrayed as only a desert dweller could envision. Drowning in the dark, stuck in the middle of the ocean under a starless sky, fighting the waves for survival, and fearful of what might be in those waves to swallow you whole. There is little more terrifying to a desert dweller than being stranded at sea in the dark of night. But God was not fearful. He was walking on the waves. Our God has always been the peace in the midst of the storm. Suddenly God spoke, and there was Light. That very first day of creation was the day that God began giving of Himself and defeating the Darkness surrounding Him. And it came at a cost. It may be difficult for us to wrap our minds around an all-powerful God and how He could give in a way that we could ever understand. There are times when I think about God as if He was a giant cosmic genie who just existed to grant wishes, both His own and sometimes mine too. After all, doesn't the whole universe just do whatever He says? Yet, in my more somber moments I know that is not true. God is not a Genie. He does not grant wishes. And the whole Universe does not simply obey Him. I know that as well as I know anything else, because I am part of the Universe, and there are many times I do not obey Him. There are too many times, I side with and slide back into the darkness instead of shining with His light. J.R.R. Tolkien, famous for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit books, wrote a deep, mystical, almost mythical recount of the creation of his fictional universe, and he based it on Genesis 1, where God, instead of just speaking, brought creation into existence with music. Even with the added chorus of the angels though, there was a brokenness and a deformed darkness that marked the music of heaven. Regardless of how God specifically created the universe, the end result was the same. For the all-powerful God we worship, speaking and singing were not enough, just as speaking and singing our faith is not enough. From the very beginning, there was Jesus, God's Word, God's Son, ready to be made flesh. He was prepared to give up the power of God to be safe, and to plunge into the darkness with God's light on a rescue mission for us, who were made in God's image, created to bear God's light, but who chose darkness instead. To win us back, it cost God everything, in a way we will never fully understand. Because of God's sacrifice, the Light overcomes the Darkness in Christ.

The Light Shines in the Darkness

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not seize it.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not possess it.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. No, the darkness sat there like a toddler throwing a tantrum in front of her father, slinging hurtful words, swinging fists, screaming, shouting, stomping, slamming doors, and scowling all the time at a parent who would win in the end. Not because He cannot be hurt, but because that parent sees something worth loving, in spite of the circumstances. Many of us have dealt with difficult people, endured insult and injury. Sometimes we handle those encounters well and other times we get defensive and become return fire, an eye for an eye. When we do not use the light that God gives us, we spread the darkness instead. Because of those experiences we all face, I think John put John the Baptist in these very first verses of the Gospel. This most treasured bible passage shows us so clearly that God is the source of that light, that Jesus brings that light into the world. That is all God's part of the story and God's responsibility. But we have a role ourselves. Like John the Baptist, we are not the light, but we have the choice to carry and share it or to drop it and share the darkness instead. How does the light of Christ help you see others differently?

The Word Became Flesh

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. Eugene Peterson has famously paraphrased this as: "The Word became flesh and blood,     and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes,     the one-of-a-kind glory,     like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out,     true from start to finish." God practices what He preaches. We know we can sum up the 10 Commandments and know that, because Jesus was without sin, He did not break any of the 'Thou Shalt Not's'. How did He practice the positive commandments though? You will learn a lot reading through the Gospels and looking at those stories where Jesus was challenged to "Honor His father and mother." as we learned about last weekend, or how He "Remembered the Sabbath and kept it Holy." Some of you read through the Sermon on the Mount last month with me, trying to find ways of living out that preaching of Jesus. How did He practice what He preached? As you read the gospels: How does Jesus respond to Anger, Lust, and Adversary? How does He pray, give, fast, and handle the worries of life? How does Jesus judge others? Did He practice what He preached? Do you? Does the light of Christ stop with you, or do you give it new flesh to live through?

What it Costs Us

Jesus was the Lamb of God, who was sent to take away the sin of the world.

God's light and love, are a gift to us in Jesus Christ. Without God's work creating and redeeming us, we would be entirely without hope and may not even exist at all. His sacrifice is why we gather together today, celebrating what is sometimes called The Great Thanksgiving. I want to read a few lines for you from this liturgy we share: "Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood." Jesus invites us to follow Him, made Holy through His sacrifice, to give of ourselves following His example. We may not know exactly what Jesus looked like, but we recognize Him in every cross we see. In the same way, people may not recognize Jesus in us until they see sacrificial love. When we see with God's light, recognizing and loving more in others than they see in themselves, we act as the redeemed Body of Christ and we show others what Jesus is like. Working with God costs us though. To stand with Jesus, who gave everything for us, calls us to give everything for Him, and we cannot, and will not do that until we trust Him completely. We measure our faith, in part, by our willingness to sacrifice. The Church, our church, is born when we say with Jesus, "Oh Lord, not my will, but Yours be done." Please join me as we gather to become the Church anew this year.

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING FOR NEW YEAR, EPIPHANY, BAPTISM OF THE LORD, OR COVENANT REAFFIRMATION

This text is used by the pastor while the congregation uses A Service of Word and Table II (UMH 13–15) or III (UMH 15–16) or one of the musical settings (UMH 17–25). Either or both of the bracketed sections may be omitted, depending on the occasion. The pastor stands behind the Lord's table. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. The pastor may lift hands and keep them raised. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty (almighty God), creator of heaven and earth. Before the mountains were brought forth, or you had formed the earth, from everlasting to everlasting, you alone are God. You created light out of darkness and brought forth life on the earth. You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained steadfast. You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God, and spoke to us through your prophets. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn: The pastor may lower hands. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. The pastor may raise hands. Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ, in whom you have revealed yourself, our light and our salvation. You sent a star to guide wise men to where the Christ was born; and in your signs and witnesses, in every age and through all the world, you have led your people from far places to his light. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the bread, or touch the bread, or lift the bread. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the cup, or touch the cup, or lift the cup. When the supper was over he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." The pastor may raise hands. And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the bread and cup. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. The pastor may raise hands. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father (God), now and for ever. Amen.