Thursday, December 24, 2020

Sermon Dec. 25, 2020 Christmas Day 10:00 am

Title: The radiance of the glory of God is given you in Christ!
Text: Heb. 1:1-6
Readings - Isaiah 52:7-10, Heb.1:1-6, John 1:1-14 (ESV) 

Facebook live: The radiance of the glory of God is given you in Christ!

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

What child is this, who, laid to rest,
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the king,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary!

Dear friends - God has come!

The radiance of God’s glory is seen in humility and weakness. In this child, this Jesus and in this time God has come.

Isaiah writes in the in Chapter 52:

7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

To publish peace, happiness and salvation in the Hebrew is to bring and to cause you to hear. To proclaim the Good News, “Your God reigns.”

The Prophets of old spoke to the people “at various times and in various ways” NKJV,

Publishing the word of God and proclaiming the Good News so that the people might hear and prepare for God’s redemption to come. When and in what way they were not sure. But in these last days God’s final revelation and revealing is made known in his Son – the word made flesh and born of Mary.

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,

In this child we see God, all glory, honor and power, in weakness. God he is, who has taken on flesh and become man this Son, who is the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

This child, this Jesus, this God!

Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear; for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you;
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The babe, the son of Mary!

The joy of the child will lead to the death of the man. The creative word of God, his heir and the radiance of God revealed in human form …

… upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, by his death on the cross sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

As we proclaimed last night from the Prophet Isaiah in chapter 9:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

The prince of peace in swaddling clothes has come for you and me and all who look for his arrival!
8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the Lord to Zion. Isaiah 52:8

Today though, we see the effects of sin in a world broken and decimated, life marginalized, families torn, from pandemics to politics our world is bathed in the effects of our sin-filled, prideful world with the little hope that remains placed in those who govern and promise much only to deliver crumbs when a banquet is required.

To deliver a feast in a life of famine one must be the author of life, the first and the last, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. The one who speaks and brings all things into existence and the one who in humility becomes what we are yet without sin, so that in him we might have all that he restored from original sin to original righteousness.

The babe the son of Mary has become flesh for you! The Gospel of John proclaims this very fact.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God; 3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

Sin remains our human condition. We see it in our lives and in the brokenness of our world. We suffer and die and at times evil seems to prevail.

4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God's angels worship him.”

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
Come, peasant king, to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby;
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The babe, the son of Mary!

Isaiah concludes our reading today.

10 The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God. Isaiah 52:10

What child is this?

God in the flesh, Christ the Lord!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen

No comments:

Post a Comment