A Love That's Understandable, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: John 1:1-14

1.  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

2.  He was with God in the beginning. 

3.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. 

4.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

5.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6.  There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 

7.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 

8.  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

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.

                               

          An excerpt from a story by Dr. Suess goes like this: "And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

          The famous Danish philosopher from the mid-1800s, a Christian theologian named Soren Kierkegaard, once related this story about how God made Himself understandable to us.  As the story goes, a prince in a far country wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father, he passed through a poor section of town and as he glanced out the windows of the carriage, his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden.  In the days that followed he found reason to often pass by the young lady and he soon fell in love with her.
          But he had a problem.  How would he go about seeking her hand in marriage?  He could order her to marry him, but even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not through coercion.  He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six horses.  But if he did that he could never be certain whether the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with all of his royal splendor.
          The prince finally came up with a suitable solution. He would temporarily give up his royal robes and position at the palace.  He moved into the village, entering not with a crown but in the clothing of a peasant.  He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language.  In time the maiden grew to love him, because of who he was and because he loved her first.
          This very simple story is what John is describing in today's scripture -- God came and lived among us, for the sake of love.  He had to reveal Himself and His great love for us in an understandable way, and this is precisely what Jesus did.  He became flesh just like you and me.  He made Himself understandable.

          What was that from the Grinch?  "It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

          The Biblical author John had a great love for his Lord, and it fairly glowed in his writings.  To him, Jesus definitely meant "a little bit more."  More than 90 percent of what  John writes is unique to his Gospel; not containing a genealogy, any record of Jesus' birth, childhood, temptation, transfiguration, appointment of the disciples, nor any account of Jesus' parables, ascension, or even the great commission. And yet of the eight miracles he records in his closeness to Jesus, six are found only in his writings, as is the "Upper Room Discourse" (chapters 14-17).

          John's whole purpose throughout his writings is to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the Son of the Living God.  For in believing, we have eternal life.  Knowing Jesus as he does, John is anxious that we understand who Jesus really is.  In fact, the key verse of his entire book of John is found in chapter 20, verses 30-31: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name." 

          This comes from the son of Zebedee, brother of James; together they were called the "Sons of Thunder."  John had an appreciation for life, and therefore who and what Jesus represented.

          Again and again we see John documenting Jesus' use of "I am," as He affirms His preexistence and eternal deity; "I am the bread of life" (6:35); "I am the good shepherd" (10:11, 14); "I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25); "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6); and "I am the true vine" (15:1). 
          John makes it perfectly clear that Jesus is the eternal son of God, not just a man.  And because He is God's son, we can perfectly trust what He says.  By trusting Him, we gain an open mind to the great love that came to us as a baby in a lowly manger for animals in the nowhere town of Bethlehem.  He came in the flesh, beginning among us as a helpless child, growing, playing, walking among us to help us understand the Father's message and fulfill His purpose in our lives.
          And yet even as He grew among us, walking where we walked, eating what we ate, Satan continued over Jesus' life span to take a run at Him, to attempt to undercut His influence with us, to remove Him as the bridge to God He came to be.  And yet such great love stood the test of power then, the power of love over evil, grew and spread and became part of the human race as God created it to be. 

          But why come into our lives as a child?  Why wait 30-some years for Jesus to grow to manhood in order to teach and heal and perform miracles?

          In growing to manhood among us Jesus left his fingerprints upon history, upon the hearts and minds of those with whom He came into contact.  He was known to those around him.  His earthly father was known, his mother was known, those with whom He grew up and played, studied, worked, were known.  Jesus did not simply drop out of the sky one day and announce, "Hi y'all, I'm the son of God."  His entire life had context.

          The God-man who willingly gave up His life amidst the cruelty of crucifixion was known.  He was somebody within the larger community.  The reality of Jesus who is the Christ has stood against unholy temptation, against assassins,  blasphemy, lies, against imposters, against mockery, against every realm of evil.

          It's also worth mentioning that Jesus did not come merely to "teach and heal and perform miracles."  True, he did all those things.  But He was very specific about why He came; such purposes as to seek the lost (Luke 19:10); to save the lost (Matt. 18:11); to fulfill prophecy (Matt. 5:17-18); to do the will of the Father (Heb. 10:9); to destroy the works of the devil (1st John 3:8); to bear our sins (Heb. 9:28); and many more.  In fact, Pastor Roger Congdon has compiled a list of 21 reasons why Jesus came to be among us, found at http://www.teachinghome.com/EM-Elements/Christmas/21reasons.cfm.

          Many times over Jesus can be found saying, "I came not to ...", citing why He did come.  And at the base of why He was here is a love at which we can only marvel, and offer ourselves as a vessel for this great love that comes near.

          I will never forget a defining moment in my life when one night when I felt led to offer a few dollars to a thoroughly dejected, rejected, disheveled homeless person who looked at the money in my hand, looked at me and asked, "Are you Jesus?"

          Then there was Julio Diaz, on his way home from work in the Bronx, getting off the subway at a different station than usual so he could go to a restaurant, mugged at knife-point for a few dollars.  But before the incident was over, Julio was sitting in that restaurant with his attacker across the table from him eating dinner, the knife in Julio's pocket.  What would Jesus do in a mugging?  Now you know.  The love of Christ really does have a power that conquers all; a love we don't fully understand in its power, but what we do understand of it comes from a Jesus we know.  We know Him because the God-man came to us as a babe born not into royalty, but into a stable, threatened and stalked, and yet survived to fulfill His Father's purpose.  For us.  It was, is, all for us.  It is all through the personal commitment of a down-to-earth Jesus in spiritual majesty; a far-reaching affection that is both beyond us and yet understandable, because from newborn babe to crucified Christ, He was here in the flesh, in love.  Amen.

Week of Worship

December 11-18, 2011

Invocation:  Thank You, my God, for the Good News which awaits my coming to You today, and always.  Thank You for the grace and mercy which promise to set me free of all the sins and disappointments of life which yet hinder me on my journey toward Your kingdom.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 80

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Mark 13:1-13

Tuesday               Luke 21:25-36

Wednesday         Revelations 1:1-8
Thursday              John 1:14-18

Friday                   Ezekiel 34:11-16

Saturday               Acts 1:1-11

Sunday                 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Luke 1:46b-55; 1st Thessalonians 5:16-24; 

                              John 1:6-8, 19-28

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "Blessed Be the God of Israel"

Benediction:  And now, my Lord, send me from this quiet place to be a living oracle of Good News for all persons i will meet who are yet lost in darkness and who cry in despair.  Amen.