Christmas Day/Year A - 12/25/22
Isaiah 52:7-10, Psalm 98, John 1:1-14
“What has come into being in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.”
John 1:4
What an incredible gift we were given again this Christmas…..a divine gift…the gift of life….the life which was offered to us as a light for all the people….
The gift… the life… Is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ….the source of all life….the focus of all our hopes….A gift given to us, because of God’s incredible love for his people…A gift that was given to us for eternity…it is this life that both creates us and redeems us….
“What has come into being in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.”
John 1:4
We have something to celebrate today….the good news that God came to be among us…we have seen his glory through the birth of his Son, Jesus, who came into the world as the true light….a light that enlightens everyone…we have been given life, so that we may have it more abundantly….a life abundant with love, joy, hope and peace…
So, let’s reflect for a moment on our celebrations at Christmas time… We love to celebrate…We love to give and receive gifts…
Max Lucado writes in his book, One Incredible Moment…about Divine Gifts…
Oh, the things we do to give gifts to those we love.
But we don’t mind, do we” We would do it all again. Fact is, we do it all again. Every Christmas, every birthday, every so often we find ourselves in foreign territory. Grownups are in toy stores, dads are in teen stores, wives are in the hunting department, and husbands are in the purse department.
Not only do we enter unusual places, we do unusual things. We assemble bicycles at midnight. We hide the new tires with mag wheels under the stairs. One fellow I heard about rented a movie theatre so he and his wife could see their wedding pictures on their anniversary.
And we’d do it all again. Having pressed the grapes of service, we drink life’s sweetest wine – the wine of giving. We are at our best when we are giving. In fact, we are most like God when we are giving.
Have you ever wondered why God gives so much? We could exist on far less. He could have left the world flat and gray; we wouldn’t have known the difference. But he didn’t.
He splashed orange in the sunrise and cast the sky blue.
And if you love to see geese as they gather, chances are you’ll see that too.
Did he have to make the squirrel’s tail furry?
Was he obliged to make the birds sing?
And the funny way that chickens scurry or
the majesty of thunder when it rings?
Why give a flower fragrance? Why give food its taste?
Could it be he loves to see that look upon your face?
If we give gifts to show our love, how much more would he? If we - speckled with foibles and greed – love to give gifts, how much more does God, pure and perfect God, enjoy giving gifts to us?
God’s gifts shed light on God’s heart, God’s good and generous heart. Jesus’ brother James tells us, “Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light (James 1:17 MSG).
Every gift reveals God’s love…(end of Max Lucado book excerpt)
Let us be reminded this day, of God’s gift to his people…a gift that revealed his incredible love for his children….The Gift of life and light in this world….God’s only Son, Jesus…. Jesus is the light of all his people…a true light….who came into the world to enlighten all people….
“What has come into being in him was life,
and the life was the light of all people.” John 1:4
So let us “Sing to the Lord a new song…for he has done marvelous things!” Psalm 98:1
Let us celebrate the gift of life given to us on this blessed Christmas Day… Jesus, our Savior…Emmanuel…God is with us…God is always with us…
Hymn after sermon: Love came down at Christmas (recording by Shawn Colvin)
1
Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, love divine;
love was born at Christmas:
star and angels gave the sign.
2
Worship we the Godhead,
love incarnate, love divine;
worship we our Jesus,
but wherewith for sacred sign?
3
Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine,
love to God and neighbor,
love for plea and gift and sign.
Words: Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)