Sermon for Christmas Day --- The Festival of the Nativity of Our Lord -- 25 December 2016

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 in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 And 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.

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

·        The readings for Christmas are so familiar, they could be recited by almost any of us here. The figures and symbols of the story are so well known that we expect to see them in a certain way and in a certain place and even in a certain light.

·        And then there’s the beginning of the the Gospel of John.

·        Again the words are familiar, so familiar that we know them by heart. What they mean is a different story. Without going into a lot of background, we’ll just say that John was writing to deal with a specific issue within the church of his day.

·        His writing is poetic and powerful. It is also hard to understand for many. The beginning of the Gospel of John may even have been a quotation from a hymn used in worship at the time. In any event, it is a sort of high theological poetry, expressing what mere words could not.

·        The Word, by which God made the world and all that exists, expresses God and exists with God always. That same Word became flesh in such a deep mystery that our minds cannot comprehend it nor can our minds wring all the meaning out of it.

·        John writes of light and life. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

·        This festival we celebrate today – the birth of Jesus Christ – is a celebration of that life and light. In John’s understanding, life and light are inseparable.

·        In our worship today, we see light and life joined together again in Word and Sacrament. In this service, we have baptized Katarina Marie and she now carries within her the same light of Christ as we all do. All of us here also renewed our Baptismal vows and that same light is renewed in us.

·        Some of us might wonder if celebrating a Baptism on the day of such a festival as Christmas is appropriate. In truth, there is no such thing as a bad day for a Baptism. A Baptism on Christmas Day reminds us all that Jesus came among us as one of us, and that his first experience of earthly life was that of an infant – small and helpless.

·        I think that our National Bishop, Susan Johnson said it well: There are many times in my life that I have taken great comfort in the knowledge of the humanity of Jesus: that God truly understands the joys and the sorrows of human existence.
I hope that, as I do, you can continue to take comfort and strength from the promise that Emmanuel, our God, is with us.

·        The eyes of our faith will see the heavenly light that overcomes all darkness, no matter what the situation. In the same way, our eyes of faith see the light that Katarina carries… and the light that we each carry.

·        As the Word became flesh in the Child of Bethlehem, the Word may be found in each of us as children of God, born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. In this, we are bearers of Christ. John is right; And the Word became flesh and lived among us… Emmanuel remains with us and his presence among us is the light that no darkness can overcome.