Jan. 4, 2015
***
In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing
came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe
through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he
came to testify to the light. 9The true
light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world
came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his
own people did not accept him. 12But to
all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become
children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the
will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14And 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.15 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.’” 16From his fullness we have all
received, grace upon grace. 17The law
indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God
the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
***
Before I started writing my sermon yesterday, I spent about a half hour
writing cards for members of our congregation celebrating birthdays and
anniversaries this week. I enjoy this part of my ministry—reminding people how
much God loves them and wants to bless them, and assuring them that their
church and their pastor love them and want to bless them, too!
Sometimes, I have missed birthdays by accident. I get really upset if I
miss someone’s birthday—especially if the person having the birthday is a
child! I feel like I have really dropped the ball—and I have—if I have missed
an opportunity to tell people how much they are loved—by God, their church, and
me!
People tell me that I don’t need to send
cards or worry about remembering people’s birthdays and anniversaries, that
other pastors may not bother with such things. I always say, “I know I don’t
have to. But I want to. And I feel the Lord wants me to do it.” I know this
because I feel such peace and joy when I do.
As I was writing cards yesterday, I was excited to notice that 13 of the
29 birthdays being celebrated this month in our church are for people younger
than 30! That’s pretty cool—that this small, country church still has so many
young people in our flock! We are blessed! Some small churches have no young
people at all.
With this blessing comes our responsibility to reach out to them and
minister to them personally. For the Lord has a special place in His heart for
children. He has a plan for every child! He wants to bless them. His Word tells
us so!
In Psalm 147:13, we read that the Lord blesses our children within us; before
they are even born, He is already blessing them! In three of the gospels we
find the story of Jesus scolding his disciples when they are shooing away the
children that parents are bringing to the Lord for a blessing. The disciples
think they are doing Jesus a favor because these children are bothering Jesus;
they are keeping him from doing real ministry! But in Matthew 19:14 and Luke 18:16, Jesus says, "Let the
little children come to me! Do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven
belongs to such as these." In Mark 10:14, we read, “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let
the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God
belongs to such as these.’”
Jesus goes on to tell us that if we want
to spend eternity with Him, we need to become more like children. Jesus says in
Luke 18:17, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
***
In our gospel reading today, we have laid before us the foundation for
our faith. These 18 verses tell us who Christ is, who we are and who we will become
because of God’s grace! This passage is meant to stir us to want to testify,
like John, to the “true light.” For all who believe, who accept and receive
Jesus as their Savior, are not born of “the will of the flesh or of the will of
humanity.” They are born of the will of God. And they have been given “the power to become children of God.”
John
writes around 100 A.D.—more than half a century after Christ’s crucifixion. The
Church is beginning to lose its way. It is quarreling over who and what Jesus
really was. Was He God? Was He human? Was He just a spirit or emanation? These are
important questions of the day—talk not just in the churches but debates in
town squares and marketplaces.
John wants to set the record straight. I love how he begins, “In the
beginning.” His language intentionally carries us back to Genesis, when, “in
the beginning,” God creates the heavens and the earth—the plants and animals
and his favorite of all Creation—human beings. By taking us back to Creation, John
reassures the Church, which by 100 A.D. consists of more Gentiles than Jews,
that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the same that Christians worship
and serve today. And John’s point in going
back to Creation is that Christ is not a created being because He was there
with God from the very beginning—when God created through His Word. When He
spoke into the darkness and said, “Let there be light. And there was light. And
God saw that it was good.”
For John, Jesus IS the Word of
God with a capital “W.” John isn’t just talking about God’s speech; nor is he
referring to the Bible, which we call, “God’s Word.” The Greek word logos translated “Word” also means
“reason or logic.” John is saying that Jesus has the mind of God. And this Jesus,
who was fully divine, was also fully human and sent by God. For “the Word
became flesh and lived among us.” He is also the “life” and the “true light”
for all people. That means salvation has been opened up to everyone. But the
world that owed its existence to Him, “did not know him.” His own people
rejected Him—just like so many people reject Christ today.
In dwelling with us and becoming
one of us, Jesus reveals to us who God really is—a loving and merciful God, who
knew that human beings could not and would not ever find their way back to Him—so
He came down to us as a humble babe, laid in a lowly manger. His Spirit
continues to reach out to us right where we are. This loving and generous God
lavishes upon all who believe in Him “grace upon grace!” “We have seen His
glory,” John says. “The glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
***
The gospel of John speaks to me this week as I consider my heart for ministry
to children and youth. And I ask myself, “Are we teaching our young people the
truth about Jesus Christ? Do they know who Jesus really is?”
More than anything, I hope that not just our words but our lives testify
to the love and grace of God’s Only Son. He is still the very Word or mind of
God, through whom all was created. He is the one who became flesh and was sent
to dwell among us—to be one of us so that we would see and know the glory of
the Father.
Our Sunday school, youth and confirmation programs are an important part
of our nurture of the children in the faith here at Ebenezer. But the blessing
of our youth also requires each one of us to be authentic and transparent in
our faith, to share our hearts with our young people personally so they may come
to know the Lord and the fullness of His grace and love.
I worry, though, about the young people we rarely see in our midst—the
ones who have slipped quietly away. Did we miss opportunities to reach out to
them? Did we fail to communicate God’s love and our love for them? And I have
to admit, sometimes I wonder, “Was it something I said—or failed to say?”
Still, I trust that God can and will use all things for His glory and to
accomplish His purposes. When it comes to serving the Lord and seeking to be
used by Him, we walk by faith—and trust God to lead us in the way He wants us
to go. God promises to complete the good work that He has begun in us. He will
do it! He will mold us into the people He wants us to be.
I am more determined than ever to reach out to our young people, to
share my joy in the Lord and encourage them in their walk with Him. I want to
encourage you to do the same.
Please join with me in 2015 in praying for and seeking out new
opportunities to reach out to the young people in our community, to share His
love and reveal Christ’s glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of
grace and truth.
For we are God’s beloved! A forgiven people, born not of the will of the
flesh or humanity, but of the will of God.
We can walk with the joy and confidence
of those with the power to become God’s
children, who, each day in faith, receive “grace upon grace.”
Let us pray.
Lord, we are so grateful for our
Savior, Jesus Christ, the true light of the world. Thank you for sending Him to
dwell with us and suffer and die for us so that we may be reconciled with you. Thank you for the gift of our faith and the
power you have given us to become Your children. May your Spirit strengthen,
guide, and change us into the image of Your Son. And thank you, dear Heavenly
Father, for the young people in our flock and community! Help us to nurture
them in the faith and encourage them in their gifts. And we pray for the young
people who may have quietly slipped away from us—and from You. Forgive us,
Lord, if we’ve been neglectful or haven’t cared enough to reach out to them. Protect
them, Lord, from harm and lead them back to You. Build up our faith, Lord, so
we have courage to speak Your Word, so that others may come to know the
fullness of your love and grace. Stir us to testify like John to the “true
light,” and shine for all the world to see. In Christ we pray. Amen.
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