As we continue to experience the Word of the Lord together, Let us Pray. Your Word, O God, is wonderful. May we be filled with wonder and awe as we approach your birth, so that we may experience Christmas. Speak Lord, your servants are listening. If these words are not Your Word, may they be forgotten and come to naught. But if they be Thy Word, may they adhere to our hearts, forever transforming us from glory into glory, into the creatures you would have us be, Thou who art our Rock and Redeemer, Amen.

Hear now The Word of the Lord as it comes to us in the gospel of John. Listen for God’s Word for you tonight. John 1.9-18. The Grass withers, the Flower falls, but the Word of the Lord endures forever…Thanks be to God.

Since we have been talking about Genesis and John, it is about time we noted this. In the 1^st chapter of Genesis, the climax is the creation of humans. In the 1^st chapter of John, the climax is the arrival of a human being, the Word become flesh. As I was saying, the Word is not merely an abstract principal, it is a person.

John 1.14, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory…” What is that glory? We find it in verse 16. “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” When the time was right, when the fullness of time had been made known, what God had planned from the very inception of creation, when that time came, God incarnate, the Word, became flesh and lived among us. Very unexpected by the human race. And the manner in which Jesus came is even more unexpected. If God is coming, and the Messiah will be none other than God, then we need a king’s welcome. Kayla’s favorite movie right now is Aladdin, the animated one with Robin Williams. One of her favorite songs is when Prince Ali Ababwa enters to try to win Princess Jasmine. He comes in with song and everything, so big and grand is the celebration that it mimics the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. That is how a king is supposed to enter. And that is how a king is supposed to rule. Not in some out of the way town, in the back rooms, not even the back rooms, in a stable. And a king is supposed to rule from on high, not associate with tax collectors and sinners, with fishers and a rag tag bunch of disciples. Jesus shows that God interacts with humanity in unpredictable manners. First off, God becomes human. That in itself is surprising. Secondly, God becomes a vulnerable baby, born to common parents, in a less than common place. If the Word is an abstract theory, then the next best thing would be for God to get mildly involved. God could appear on earth for a little while as King, and then head back into the heavens, showing us that God does care, and lives with us. But to come as a baby, in Jerusalem not Rome, to non-royal parents, shows a deeper participation, a closer connection. To be Royalty is to be in many ways separated from the people. But to be Johnny Lunchpail, the local carpenter, is to be much more engrained into the fabric of society. And that is what we’ve got here. This is the King, and not just of Jerusalem, but the King of Creation, who becomes a regular person. This is the Word made flesh, not just appearing as flesh, but made flesh, just like you and me. By doing so, God shows the world what magnificent care that the Triune Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer has for us, and has had from the beginning of time.

John writes about how the light of the world came into the world, even though the world did not know him. His own people did not accept him. But to all who receive him is given power to become children of God. We all know how well Jesus was received, especially by the religious authority of the day. They all expected something different than what they got. So, instead of letting go of their cherished ideas, they rejected the real deal of God in their midst. But to all who will forgo their cherished ideologies, who will let go of their self-importance, who will leave behind all and receive Jesus, all of those people have the power to become children of God. Praise be to God.

We have all come off the main roads of our lives. We have turned on the driveway of Christmas. Instead of finding something that we might expect, we instead find a baby, lying in a manger. Instead of finding a ruling King who will show the world our righteousness, we get Jesus who says, “See, I send you out like sheep into the midst of wolves…They will hand you over to councils…and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me.”¹ But, make no mistake, as we go down the driveway of Christmas, we can see our Friend, standing by the house, inviting us in as family. May it be so glorious for us today, and always. Amen.