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John 1:1-14 – The Gospel According to John

Sermon – December 25, 2022
I am pretty certain I am not the only one here who has seen our reaction to Christmas morning
transform over the years. As a child, it wasn’t uncommon for me to struggle to sleep at all on
Christmas eve. Or I would wake up really early on Christmas morning, filled with anticipation for what
was waiting for me in the living room.
As a teenager, my little brother or my parents would wake me up, but once awake I still approached
the morning with some anticipation. That anticipation was redirected to seeing the anticipation and
the reaction of my children when they came along.
Now? There is still a sense of anticipation, not so much for what the day will bring, but more that
today, Christmas is here. And a reflection on what the day means. I am grateful that I have a loving
family to share this day with and am part of a community that also finds value in the holiness of
Christmas.
But what does today mean? We can’t say with any historic certitude that December 25 is the actual
birth date of Jesus. The earliest Christians had their reasons for choosing this day; and no, it wasn’t
tied to appropriating other cultural celebrations. But there are certainly no records to say, yes,
absolutely Jesus was born at this time of year.
But, the recognition that Jesus, who we see as the son of God, the revelation of God’s love alive and
amongst us, was born in the humblest of circumstances is a profound statement for me. Our faith
tells us and declares to the world that God is found walking amongst us, living next to us, and
sharing a meal with us.
We tend to focus on the story of Mary and Joseph in the stable when considering the birth narrative
at Christmas. It is a powerful image; God entering our world in the form of an innocent and
powerless infant, far from any seat of power. An infant being attended to by barnyard animals and
shepherds alerted to the presence of divine.
We might take time to reflect on the narrative from the gospel of Matthew which focuses on the
choices and actions, or lack of actions by Joseph. It culminates in the violent, fearful actions of Herod
and a family fleeing for their lives and becoming refugees.
But there is this other narrative that tends to sit in the background. We are aware of it but rarely
include it in our readings. I get it. It is not much of a narrative when you are trying to put together a
drama or pageant. There aren’t a lot of characters or actions.
John is about light and darkness. The light has always been there overcoming the darkness.
So, while we may not get the characters or the humble images of birth in a stable; we are told very
clearly that through Jesus, God enters our world in human form. Jesus is the word of God. The word
has always been with us, but we struggle to actually comprehend what that means, and so God
breaks into our world as a human being to live amongst us and offer that sign for all of us.
God desires to live amongst us, to be in relationship with us. God may know us fully and love us fully,
but to be in relationship demands a give and take, so to speak. God knows us but God also wants us
to know God; to recognize God and to love God.
And so, God comes to us in the form of a human being; a form we can recognized and understand.
God approaches us so that we can relate to God in amore personal and intimate manner. Jesus
reveals God’s love and God’s desire to meet us face to face.
On top of that, God comes to us as a human and endures the joys, the pains, and the heartbreak
that all of humanity experiences and endures. We are assured of God’s compassion; God’s love as we
can look at the life and death of Jesus and see our experiences reflected in his life.
Jesus is God’s word. Who God is, how God loves, can sometimes seem beyond our comprehension,
or at least beyond our capacity through language to describe adequately. And yet, in the person of
Jesus; through Christ’s life, his teaching, his healing, his death and resurrection, we are able to
witness and appreciate the extent of God’s love. God’s desire to be in relationship with us; God’s
creation.
And so, we awaken on this day, hopefully filled with joy. Joy at the anticipation of this day of
generosity and blessings. Joy at witnessing the excitement and anticipation of those we love and
hopefully the peace of knowing we are surrounded by the love of family, friends and community and
of God. And hopefully our perception of the world shifts a little. Hopefully we see the world from a
slightly different angle – an angle that makes God’s presence in and around us a little more apparent
and that in turn helps us relate to the world with more compassion – driving us to pursue justice with
a greater urgency and fills us with a greater sense of assurance that God is with us and guiding us
towards a world of peace and justice.
And in that realization, may we rejoice and sing, Hallelujah! God is with us! Thanks be to God.

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

Music provided with permission through licensing with CCLI License number
2701258 and One License # A-731789