{"id":1799,"date":"2022-12-25T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-25T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=1799"},"modified":"2022-12-26T09:09:46","modified_gmt":"2022-12-26T17:09:46","slug":"christmas-day-service-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/25\/christmas-day-service-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Day Service 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Christmas-Day-12-25-22.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>John 1:1-14<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What Child is This?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>1<\/sup>In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.&nbsp;<sup>2<\/sup>He was with God in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>3<\/sup>Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.&nbsp;<sup>4<\/sup>In him was life, and that life was the light of men.&nbsp;<sup>5<\/sup>The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>6<\/sup>There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.&nbsp;<sup>7<\/sup>He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.&nbsp;<sup>8<\/sup>He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>9<\/sup>The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.&nbsp;<sup>10<\/sup>He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.&nbsp;<sup>11<\/sup>He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.&nbsp;<sup>12<\/sup>Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God\u2014&nbsp;<sup>13<\/sup>children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband\u2019s will, but born of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>14<\/sup>The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV1984)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear fellow worshipers of the Child of Bethlehem,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last Sunday as we studied the Christmas account as recorded by the apostle Matthew we noted how God the Holy Spirit led Matthew to record the birth of our Savior from the perspective of Joseph.&nbsp; We saw how Joseph was given the privilege of not only being the legal father of Mary\u2019s Child, but he was also given the privilege of raising Immanuel\u2014&nbsp;<em>God with us.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yesterday as we celebrated Christmas Eve our children\u2019s service centered on the very familiar words of Luke chapter two.&nbsp; Through the evangelist Luke God the Holy Spirit focused our attention on the \u201chuman\u201d side of the birth of our Savior.&nbsp; Luke emphasizes the proper names of real people\u2014 Joseph, Mary, Quirinius; real places on the map\u2014 Syria, Nazareth, Bethlehem; and real emotions expressed by those real people\u2014 joy, fear, amazement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today as we gather together to celebrate the birth of this world\u2019s only Savior from sin we focus our attention on John\u2019s inspired account of the birth of our Savior.&nbsp; While the details of John\u2019s account may not be as focused on the \u201chuman\u201d side of Christmas John\u2019s portrayal of Christmas is just as important and just as enlightening as the inspired accounts of Matthew and Luke.&nbsp; John does not write about the trip to Bethlehem or the swaddling clothes or the quaking shepherds.&nbsp; Today we rejoice as God the Holy Spirit has John focus our attention on the divine glory of the Child whose birth we are here to celebrate.&nbsp; With that focus in mind let\u2019s study our text by using a question that is very familiar to us:&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><em>What Child is This?<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp; Our goal this morning is to see how these words of John give us three answers to that question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>What Child is this?<\/em><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong>John\u2019s first answer to that question is found in the first three verses of our text.&nbsp; John writes,&nbsp;<em>\u201cIn the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.&nbsp; He was with God in the beginning.&nbsp; Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cIn the beginning.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Do you remember what other portion of Scripture begins with those same words?&nbsp; It\u2019s Genesis 1:1.&nbsp; In his Gospel account John takes us all the way back to the very&nbsp;<em>\u201cbeginning\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;of all things.&nbsp; Before the heavens and earth even existed there was only God\u2014 the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.&nbsp; By taking us back to the very&nbsp;<em>\u201cbeginning\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;on this glorious Christmas Day John reminds us that before time began, before God created the heavens and the earth, the pre-incarnate Word of God existed!&nbsp; With these words John is emphasizing the fact that the Child of Bethlehem is eternal because the Child of Bethlehem is God!&nbsp; John also reminds us that the Child whose birth we are here to celebrate today is the God who created&nbsp;<strong>all&nbsp;<\/strong>things\u2014&nbsp;<em>\u201cwithout him nothing was made that has been made.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why is this important for us to know as we celebrate Christmas?&nbsp; Where do we begin!&nbsp; Knowing that the Child of Bethlehem is the eternal Word who created all things is not only a testimony to the almighty power of this Child, but it is also a powerful testimony to the amazing love that the Child of Bethlehem has for you, for me, for all people!&nbsp; Think about it, my friends.&nbsp; This Child is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.&nbsp; This Child has the ability to say,&nbsp;<em>\u201cLet there be light\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;and there is light!&nbsp; This Child knows each and every star by name!&nbsp; And yet, this Child loves you so very much that He was willing to be born as your true Brother in the most humble of circumstances\u2014 all to save you from your sins!&nbsp; Keep that glorious truth in mind.&nbsp; We\u2019ll come back to it in just a few minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>What Child is this?<\/em>&nbsp; John goes on to reveal to us that this Child is&nbsp;<strong>the&nbsp;<\/strong>Source of life-giving light.&nbsp; John writes,&nbsp;<em>\u201cIn him was life, and that life was the light of men.&nbsp; The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.&nbsp; There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.&nbsp; He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe.&nbsp; He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.&nbsp; The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.&nbsp; He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On this glorious Christmas Day John reminds us that the Child whose birth we are here to celebrate is the life-giving light that each and every human being\u2014 including each and every one of us!\u2014&nbsp;<strong>needs<\/strong>!&nbsp; When Adam and Eve sinned against this Child\u2014 the One who created all things, including them!\u2014 they brought down a dark shroud of sin and death, a shroud that blinded&nbsp;<strong>all&nbsp;<\/strong>of humanity.&nbsp; The darkness and the blindness of sin is so deep and so thick and so pervasive that we human beings don\u2019t even realize how lost we are because we have nothing to compare it to.&nbsp; Then the Child of Bethlehem was born!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This Child is the light that pierces the darkness of death and the blindness of sin.&nbsp; This Child is the light that enables us to see.&nbsp; This Child enable us to see the truth about ourselves as well as the truth about our God.&nbsp; This Child enables us to recognize that our Creator was born of a virgin, laid in a manger, nailed to a cross (Pointing to the cross) and rose from the dead all to give us life\u2014 true life, eternal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John emphasizes the life-giving light of the Child of Bethlehem when he says,&nbsp;<em>\u201cYet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God\u2014 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband\u2019s will, but born of God.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Through faith in what this Child came into this world to do, through faith in what this Child has now accomplished (Pointing to the cross) we are born again as the dearly beloved adopted children of God.&nbsp; This is&nbsp;<strong>not&nbsp;<\/strong>something what we could have ever achieved on our own.&nbsp; This is&nbsp;<strong>not&nbsp;<\/strong>something that we can choose or decide on our own.&nbsp; This is a&nbsp;<strong>gift&nbsp;<\/strong>that has been given&nbsp;<strong>to&nbsp;<\/strong>us by the Child of Bethlehem\u2014 the One who is the life-giving light of the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>What Child is this?<\/em>&nbsp; John\u2019s final answer to that all-important Christmas question is found in the closing verse of our text.&nbsp; He writes,&nbsp;<em>\u201cThe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.&nbsp; We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On this glorious Christmas Day John reminds us that the Child whose birth we are here to celebrate is the most wonderous Christmas gift we could every possibly receive!&nbsp; This Child was born in a manger in Bethlehem\u2014 yet He existed from all of eternity!&nbsp; This Child was born small and defenseless and completely dependent on His mother\u2014 yet He is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth!&nbsp; This Child was born in poverty and humility\u2014 yet He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.&nbsp; This Child looked like any other Jewish baby\u2014 yet He is the&nbsp;<em>\u201cglory\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;of God Himself because He is&nbsp;<em>\u201cthe One and Only\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;Son of the heavenly Father!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How is this possible?&nbsp; It is possible, my friends, because of what God the Holy Spirit has John assure us!&nbsp; This Child is&nbsp;<em>\u201cthe Word who became flesh and made his dwelling among us.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; If Genesis 3:15 is the \u201cGospel in a nutshell\u201d then these words are \u201cChristmas in a nutshell\u201d!&nbsp; In fulfillment of the promise that God made in the Garden of Eden, the eternal Son of God became our true flesh-and-blood Brother and&nbsp;<em>\u201cdwelt\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;among His Creation.&nbsp; The word which is translated here as&nbsp;<em>\u201cmade his dwelling\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;paints the picture of&nbsp;<em>\u201ctenting,\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<em>\u201ctabernacling.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the original readers of this letter this word easily reminded them of how the Lord, the God of Israel,&nbsp;<em>\u201ctented\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<em>\u201ctabernacled\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;among His people as they journeyed through the wilderness.&nbsp; Try to imagine yourself in their place.&nbsp; If you were restless and could not sleep at night, you could step out of your tent and look at the Tabernacle.&nbsp; There you would see the pillar of fire and say, \u201cAh, God is still among us.&nbsp; All is well.\u201d&nbsp; In the daytime if you wondered whether you should stay put or get ready to travel, you looked to the Tabernacle.&nbsp; There you would see the pillar of cloud and say, \u201cEverything is okay.&nbsp; God is still leading us.\u201d&nbsp; And now?&nbsp; Now as you and I journey through the wilderness of this life whenever we have any questions, whenever we have any doubts, whenever we have any concerns of any kind with the eyes of faith we peer into the cradle in Bethlehem.&nbsp; There we see Mary\u2019s Child, there we see Immanuel,&nbsp;<em>God with us,&nbsp;<\/em>there we see the&nbsp;<em>\u201cWord who became flesh and dwelt among us\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;and say, \u201cAll is well.&nbsp; My Savior is still dwelling with me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why?&nbsp; Why was the eternal Son of God willing to leave the glory and perfection of His heavenly home to&nbsp;<em>\u201cdwell\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;among us mortal sinful human beings?&nbsp; It was all so that the One who is&nbsp;<em>\u201cfull of grace and truth\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;could give to us the&nbsp;<em>\u201cfullness\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<em>\u201cgrace and truth\u201d<\/em>!&nbsp; The&nbsp;<em>\u201cfullness\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;of God\u2019s&nbsp;<em>\u201cgrace and truth\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;assures us that the One who was wrapped in cloths and placed in a manger would one day exchange that manger for a cross (Pointing to the cross)&nbsp; On that cross He would willingly stretch out His hands so that through Him we could receive the priceless gifts of the complete forgiveness of all of our sins, eternal life and salvation.&nbsp; Yes, my friends, the&nbsp;<em>\u201cfullness\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;of God\u2019s&nbsp;<em>\u201cgrace\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<em>\u201cfullness\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;of God\u2019s&nbsp;<em>\u201ctruth\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;is embodied in the greatest Christmas gift we will ever receive\u2014&nbsp;<em>\u201cthe Word who became flesh and made his dwelling among us.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The world may have the outer shell of Christmas, but we treasure the true meaning of Christmas.&nbsp; The world may reject the majesty of the miracle of Christmas, but to us who believe in the majesty and the miracle of Mary\u2019s Child, we have been given the glorious status of being the children of God.&nbsp; May God grant that the mystery and the majesty of Christmas will lead us to bow before the Child of Bethlehem and rejoice in knowing John\u2019s answers to the question,&nbsp;<em>\u201cWhat Child is this?\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;&nbsp;This Child is the eternal Word who created the heavens and the earth!&nbsp; This Child is the life-giving light who came here to lead us out of the darkness of sin and death and into the light of eternal life!&nbsp; This Child is the greatest Christmas gift of all\u2014 the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us so that we could dwell with Him forever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May you all have a very blessed Christmas!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To God be the glory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John 1:1-14 What Child is This? 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.&nbsp;2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.&nbsp;4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.&nbsp;5The light shines in the darkness, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-worship-service-podcast"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1799"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1801,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799\/revisions\/1801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}