Sermon 2nd Sunday of Christmas
Sermon:
Text:
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who speaks the word of life into us.
There is an old playground nursery rhyme I’m sure you’ve all heard, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. It’s very old, one of the earliest recorded uses of the phrase in a printed form is from 1862, and there it is referred to as an Old Adage.
It, of course, is a teaching tool to Children, and maybe adults as well, that just because someone calls you a name or makes fun of you, you shouldn’t try to retaliate because of that. If Johnny calls you dumb, don’t go off and punch him.
It’s a good teaching tool to show that retaliation is not the answer, but as we all know, try as hard as you like, words can indeed hurt you. Words are powerful and they hurt us and hurt many people all around us. But they are powerful beyond insults, they convey things beyond mere language. Saying I love you to someone elicits emotional responses, just as I hate you, or you’re worthless. Will you marry me? Four words can change someone’s life.
Many of the worlds most important events centered around words, “When in the course of human events,” “I have a dream” “Here I stand” “I came, I saw, I conquered” “Four Score and seven years ago” “one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind.”
Our Gospel text for today is the very beginning of John’s gospel and it also centers around words. But, it’s not a word, or even a selection of words. It’s the Word, capital W.
It goes back to Genesis 1:1 in it’s form. “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.”
A quick side story, my former pastor from my parents congregation Andrew Rogness, told me a story about having some Jehovah witnesses come visit his house one day when he was still in Seminary, and when they asked him if he knew the bible, he started to quote the beginning of John to them in Greek.
So, John’s talking about not words, or ideas, but the Word, not something describing the world, but the Word that created the world.When God says, “Let there be light.” That’s not words that create, but the Word that creates. And this Word is not just some other thing, the Word is God. The very Word of God speaking Creation into being. “Let there be light”, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters”, “Let the dry land appear”, “Let the earth put forth vegetation”, “Let there be lights in the heavens”, “Let the waters bring forth sea creatures”, “let the earth bring forth every kind of creature that walks.” “Let us make humankind in our likeness”. “And it was good.” That is the Word, which created us, and sustains us.
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us.”
The Word, which spoke creation into being, is born for us in Christ Jesus.
That’s why I love John’s beginning, Luke and Matthew are great, the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, but it’s John that really tells us who Jesus is. John tells us of the importance and grandeur of what happened that night in Bethlehem, the stars up above, it’s a child born to us, a child who is the Word that spoke creation into being. And the Word then lives among us, continuing to speak creation into being. “Your sins are forgiven” “Get up and walk” “Your faith has saved you.” “Lazarus come out” “This is my Body” “This is my Blood” “baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and remember I am with you always until the end of the age.” That is the Word, continuing to work in creation.
And then John shows us what the Word will do, how the Word will fully complete creation. In his fullness, we receive, grace upon grace. In his death, his fullness, the Word gives us life. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Luke 23:43: Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. John 19:26–27: Woman, behold your son. Son, Behold your mother. Matthew 27:46: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? John 19:28: I thirst. Luke 23:46: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. John 19:30: It is finished.
That is who the Word is, Christ come into the world for us, into our life for us, to show us how to live, and to show us how to die, not for ourselves, but for others. And to show us the power of his words, whichchanged the world and continue to change the world. But, as I said on Christmas Eve and to the kids here now, it’s not done.
Now is the time for us to go out and add our own quotes to the world. To add our own words to the world the Word created. But, that can be hard can’t it. I find I have trouble figuring out where to go and what to say, and I'm sure you do as well. But, I remember that I’m not doing that on my own.
I saw a funny, but in a way profound quote this week while working on this sermon. It was from comedian Steve Martin. He says, “Some people have a way with words, and other people, .. oh, uh, not have way.”
We don’t all speak like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Neil Armstrong, and certainly not like Jesus. But, that’s not why God calls to us, that’s not why God tells us to go out to speak words of good news to our neighbor. When God called Moses, Moses said, I cannot speak, and God gave him Aaron his brother to speak for him. When Jeremiah was young and God called him he said, I am but a child. But God told him,Do not say I am just a child, I will put my words in you.
We can go out and make our own quotes, put our own words into this world, because the Word has come and dwelt with us. Because Jesus the Word has given us his body and blood, we are filled with his grace. It’s never us that has the words, it’s the Word that has us. Let's go out and share that.
Amen.
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