God's Word at Christmas

I preached this sermon for Christmas in 2005.  I hope it speaks to you about the profound mystery of the Incarnation.  I've noticed that there are people in several nations that check in on this blog.  Wherever you are, I pray you have a blessed  and meaningful Christmas.

John 1:1-18

His is one of the nation’s best known voices, his voice may even be better known than Dan Rather’s or Tom Brokaw’s .  For almost seventy years he has been on the radio somewhere, most of that time bringing us news and commentary from the heartland.  Of course, I’m talking about Paul Harvey.  Even though Harvey is well known for his daily news show, I have to admit a certain fondness for his program “The Rest of the Story.”  Maybe it’s because I enjoy trivia but I find learning some arcane fact about a celebrated person to be great fun. 

For example, he might tell us about a “mama’s boy” whose mother was so domineering that he actually hid the fact he had a girlfriend.  This mother badgered his superiors until they finally agreed to give him a promotion, making him the youngest person around to hold that position.  Only after a couple more such tales of motherly aggression would Harvey reveal he had been talking about the youngest brigadier in WW I, Douglas MacArthur, and then Harvey would conclude his essay by observing, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

As we study the Gospel of John we should keep in mind that the apostle seemed to write with a intention to let his readers know the rest of the story.

  From the very first sentence John lets us know some things that might not have been immediately apparent to the casual observer.  “In the beginning was the Word…”

The Word Unseen

John’s opening words recall the very opening words of the Bible, “In the beginning God…”  There may be several reasons why ha chose to commit that bit of plagiarism but I can’t help but wonder if he was trying to signal his readers that what he is about to say is every bit as momentous as the story of the Creation

Here John introduces us to the Logos, the Word.  Introduces us, but not necessarily his first readers.  Many of them, both Jewish and Greek, would have been familiar with the term Logos.  Each used it as they discussed their understanding of God.

For the Greeks, the Logos had come to mean the underlying rational principle guiding the universe.   From about the sixth century before Christ the term was used to describe an expression of the divine will or thought, but it was never personal.  Some scholars argue that the notion of the Logos was widely discussed among educated Greeks and the devotees of the various religions in that culture.  John may have known of the concept but it’s unlikely he borrowed it from the Greeks.

Because the concept was so popular among the Greeks, some have suggested that John took the idea from their philosophers.  The truth is there are enough similar notions in the Old Testament that John could have easily found it there

Among the Jews, the Logos (Word) of God was highly revered.  It was the instrument of Creation. (Gen. 1; Ps 33:6)   Eight times in the first chapter of Genesis God speaks and another phase of Creation begins. 

Some Palestinian Jews, fearful of taking God’s Name in vain, actually substituted Logos for Yahweh as they read the Scriptures aloud in the synagogues. 

Then, too, John’s own observations of the One who was the Logos may have prompted him to conclude that the term was appropriate.

What’s important is not the source of John’s terminology but what he says about the Logos.  Listen to his description.

The Logos was Pre-existent. V1 a “In the beginning…”  The New Living Bible’s translation is to the point “In the beginning the Word already existed…” 

The Logos was God, fully and completely. V 1c.  “The Word was God…”  The notion here is unequivocal deity.

The Logos was in communion with God from the beginning.  This fellowship with God existed from before creation.  The Logos was not a created being, the Logos was eternally in a special relationship with God.  In both verses 1 and 2 John says “the Word was with God” or  “toward God.“  The language suggests a face to face relationship;  on the one hand is says they were on the same plane, equal;  on the other hand, it points to a profound intimacy.  This fellowship will be a theme of the Gospel.

John assumes the doctrine of the Trinity in the prologue to his Gospel.  His Gospel will have much to say about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.  The fundamental notion that God has eternally existed as three “Persons” is a profound mystery, but it also points to the reality of an eternal fellowship within what we call the Godhead.

From time to time well-meaning preachers or poets suggest that God Created humankind because He was lonely.  The Bible nowhere suggests that.

What is important here is the fact that the Logos enjoyed this eternal fellowship with God.   As Williams translates verse 2, “He is the One who was face to face with God in the beginning.”  That reality makes what John will eventually say about the Logos all the more shocking.

The Logos was the agent of Creation.  (v 3)  Jews already understood this.  Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,  their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”

  This idea is important because later on John will let us know that the One who was the agent of creation will be the agent of the new creation.

The Logos is the source of life and light.  John speaks of a particular event.  He may be speaking on two levels.  Physical light came from the act of creation, the act of the Logos.  At the same time spiritual life has its origin in him, as well  

He not only has bathed the world in physical light, he has shown a spiritual light onto the world.  Sometimes human rebellion and sin has threatened that light but the darkness has never extinguished that light.  The theme of these verses seems to be the unconquerable nature of the Light. 

One of the things we’re going to notice as we study John’s Gospel is that John knows the end from the beginning.  He may be letting us know that there will be those who try to put out the Light;  he’s also letting us know that that “ain’t gonna happen.”

For most human history the One whom John calls the Word, or the Logos, was unseen, known only through his works.  What John has thus far said about the Logos is enlightening but hardly prepares us for his next shocking statement.

Even John postpones making that statement by briefly introducing the ministry of John the Baptist.  We’ll take a longer look as John--the Baptizer--another time but suffice it to say that John the Gospel-writer want his readers to neither think to much of John or think too little of him.  He will let John take care of the first problem.

Anyway, after introducing John the Baptizer, John the Gospel-writer returns to the subject of the Logos.  In so doing he gives us his Christmas story in only twenty-one Greek words.

The Shocking Word

Listen to the shocking thing John has to say about the Logos.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NASB)

Please understand what John is saying here.  It is at the heart of the Christmas story.  It is more significant than mangers, than shepherds, wise men, than gold, frankincense, or myrrh. 

 "The Word became flesh (a particular human named Jesus) and tented with us" or ("lived a while among us")    An incredible statement--God--the Creator--became a human being and lived for a while among humans.  Some of the religions told of gods posing a men but there is nothing like this.

The awesome truth is that for a while, in a small province under the boot heel of the Romans, God spoke Aramaic with a Galilean accent.

This is a profound mystery.  There are many questions left unanswered, questions concerning the day to day life of an Incarnate God.  In Joseph’s carpenter shop, did Jesus--whose word had created the light pouring through that shop’s windows--abide by the principle “measure twice, cut once?”  We don’t know enough to answer such questions.  We do know that when it was cold, he was cold.  When it was hot, he was hot.  If circumstance ever caused the family larder to be bare, he was hungry.  

As he lay in that manger did the God-Man, the Incarnate Deity we hail in our carols, think to himself, “Boy are you going to be surprised when I grow up!”  As he lay in his crib did he cry at the sound of a thunder clap, the thunder he had created?  We don’t know.

We do know that John thought we should know something more important than the answers to such questions.  So he shares a testimony--the kind an eye-witness would give, and offers a conclusion.

In his testimony he says,   “We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father's unique Son, full of grace and truth.” 

What did John--and the other apostles--see in Jesus?  They saw a glory which could only belong to God, a glory which was reflected in grace and truth.  That, of course, is important.  Grace without truth leaves us ignorant.  Truth without grace leave us lost.

They saw it reflected every day in his life.  Not once did sin diminish that glory.  Time did not stop the outpouring of that grace.  Writing years after his original encounter with Jesus he could still write,  “We have all received one blessing after another from the fullness of his gracious love.” (John 1:16).  Every year at Christmas we’re encouraged to give special gifts to our loved ones.  God’s gift to us  the first Christmas was one which never has been exhausted.

This led John to what he saw as the only reasonable conclusion.

1:17.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

 1:18.  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, (only begotten God) who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John invites a comparison between Moses and Jesus Christ.  He does not denigrate Moses but he does challenge his readers to weigh the impact of Jesus' coming.  Moses gave the Law ;   Jesus Christ, on the other hand, gave merciful forgiveness.  Because the Logos became flesh, our relationship with God is on a new foundation, not one of our own effort but one of grace.

Jesus--the Logos incarnate--has not only brought us grace, he has given us a clearer picture of God.

A key assertion of Christianity says, "If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus."  He reveals God's character.  How can he do this?  William's translation of “only begotten Son” suggests it is because he is "Deity Himself."  The notion of Jesus--the Incarnate Logos-- as the is a crucial part of what John says about him.

.  The Incarnate Logos has a Sonlike relationship with the Father.  It is a unique and unparalleled relationship.  The church father Athanasius once said, “The Son of God became a man so men might become sons of God.” 

That is part of John’s Christmas message to us.  Still, we should never forget that Jesus Christ was the Son of God in a way that no one else ever has been or ever will be the son (or  daughter) of God.

At Christmas we have a better view of God because God gave us that better view.

Conclusion

As John reaches the end of this Prologue you can almost hear him saying, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

Much that follows in the gospel is a footnote to that story.

It is a story that gives meaning to Christmas.

Back when I was in college there was a popular Christian song which we don’t hear much anymore.  It was written by William Booth-Clibborn back in 1921.  Here are the words

Oh, how I love Him
How I adore Him
My breath, my sunshine
My all in all
The great Creator
Became my Savior
And all God's fullness
Dwelleth in Him

Down from His Glory
Ever living story
My God my Savior came
And Jesus was His name
Born in a manger
To His own, a stranger
A Man of sorrows, fears and agony

The great Creator
Became my Savior
And all God's fullness
Dwelleth in Him.

Without reluctance
Flesh and blood His substance
He took the form of man
Revealed the hidden plan
Oh, glorious myst'ry
Sacrifice of Calv'ry
And now I know Thou wert the great "I am"

It’s an old, but maybe, new way to see Christmas.

CHRISTMAS STORY

     Sorry this was not posted sooner; due to the hectic season I just didn't find time to do it.  Our choir is doing a Cantata this Sunday so I won't be preaching.  I will post something from an earlier Christmas.

Luke 1:26-38

It’s that time of year when the so-called holiday movies make their appearances.  I don’t go to many movies and, when I do, it’s usually during the holidays.  This year we have quite a variety to pick from.

While I understand how Happy Feet Two might qualify as a holiday movie, I hope no one celebrates Christmas by taking their child to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  As I understand it, the first movie is about some delightful dancing penguins; the second is not about a dragon, magical or otherwise. 

Of course, there’s also The Adventures of Tin Tin and Hugo, both described as beloved, classic children’s stories.  I’ve not heard of either one.  You could invite someone to Chipwrecked; just make sure they don’t think your speech is impaired from spiked eggnog.

I can understand how a new Muppet movie might be a good choice for your children or grandchildren.  I’m not sure a movie about vampires having children or a movie about Margaret Thatcher tweaking the British economy would be.  One would be scary, the other boring. However, it would be interesting to know which movie Hollywood considers the scarier. 

I may see some of the new movies, like Sherlock Holmes or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.  I won’t be seeing the new Mission Impossible movie.  Making Jim Phelps the bad guy sealed the franchise’s fate for me.

Most of us like a good story.  We enjoy getting to know the characters, following the plot, and waiting to see how the story will end.  You don’t have to be a child for your ears to perk up when you hear the words, “Once upon a time.”All of this has me thinking of the Christmas story.  If I were asked how I would describe the Christmas story for someone who had never heard it, what would I say?  What kind of story is it?

We May See the Christmas Story as

An Epic Story

An epic tells a complex story that unfolds over a long period of time. 

With that in mind, I suppose I could say the Christmas story is the pivotal installment of such an epic.  It is the beginning of the final trilogy of the epic. 

A la, Star Wars, we might entitle the Gospel story, Episode Four:  The Surprising King. In that episode we’d tell of the king’s miraculous birth, unparalleled life, brutal death, and unexpected victory over the great enemy Death.

Episode Five:  The King’s People Tell His Story would tell how those who came to know and love the king went everywhere telling his story.  This episode would be filled with heroes from every land and race, accounts of victories and failures, and reminders of how the King kept his promises to his people no matter how badly their acts of love were received.

Episode Six:  The Return of the King (Hey, you didn’t think Tolkein was the first to use the idea, did you?)  This final installment tells of the King’s ultimate victory over the forces of darkness and his reign with his people.

If we wanted to, we could even make a three-part prequel to bring us up to Episode Four.  We might call the first episode, The End of the World as We Knew It. 

Epic stories often have underlying themes.  I once heard an interviewer ask George Lucas what the Star Wars epic was all about.  Immediately he said, “The redemption of Anakin Skywalker.”  If you don’t know what that means, ask a twenty-something friend or relative.

What is the Christmas epic all about?  We might say “The redemption of Adam’s family,” but instead I’ll use these words from a sixteenth century carol to sum it all up: 

Sin brought us grief, but Christ relief

When down to Earth He came for our salvation

That’s one way to look at the Christmas story.  There are others.

We May See

The Christmas Story as a Mystery Story

William Shakespeare suggested this mysterious element in the Advent story in Hamlet.

Some say that ever ’gainst that season comes

Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated,

The bird of dawning singeth all night long;

And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad;

 The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,

No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,

So hallow’d and so gracious is the time.

A great mystery was revealed at the first Christmas, a mystery which the best of minds have not been able to unravel.  Many have tried to explain it but have been unable.  Matthew’s Gospel expresses the mystery in these words, “he will be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’.”  John uses these words, “the Word became flesh and lived a little while among us.”

Theologians have written countless volumes and councils have hammered out authoritative creeds but the mystery remains.  We haven’t been able to get too far beyond the conclusion of one of the greatest of those theologians:  “The Son of God became a man so men might become sons of God.”  Still, we try to solve the mystery.     Don’t feel bad, we all want to understand and we ought to pursue understanding but there comes a point when sometimes the best we can say in the face of such mysteries is a confident, “This is how it all worked—maybe.”  So, we do not know how that tiny, red, wrinkled boy-child in that straw-filled manger could have been the God of Creation, the Second Person of the Godhead, and the Savior of the world; but that truth is at the very heart of the Christian world-view.

The Christmas story presents a mystery which you and I may spend our lives exploring.  The mystery should call from us the greatest wonder, humility, and praise.

And is it true? And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,
A Baby in an in ox's stall?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Became a Child on earth for me?

• Sir John Betjeman (1954)

We May See

the Christmas Story as an Adventure Story

Carols like Silent Night have an enduring place in the celebration of Christmas.  Yet, we must be careful that we do not come to think of that silent night as a dull night, a calm night, a tranquil night.  The birth of Jesus was just as much an invasion as the Allied assault on Normandy.

And, you may be sure, the enemy tried just as hard to repel that invasion.  Very soon after his birth—after the beachhead was established—the vain, jealous Herod tried to destroy the Child.  He was thwarted but his attitude and actions prefigured a coming conflict with the world.

This adventure story tells of a King who comes to liberate his people.  We love stories of liberation.  Whether the movie is Independence Day or Braveheart we love that moment in it when an oppressed people realize their chains have been broken, when the enemy is soundly defeated.  The Christmas Story is such an adventure story. 

That the adventure should begin in a Judean stable seems incredible, but from the very moment the angel announced what the Child was to be named the excitement began.  “You will call Him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

The story of how Jesus saved people from their sins it a great adventure.  The story is filled with conflict, inspiring challenges, and even includes an account of a seeming defeat.  But, of course, it ends with the greatest escape in history, the Resurrection.  That story which ends in kingly triumph begins in a humble stable.

In the end the Adventurer who came to Bethlehem that first Christmas would inspire other adventures.  These men and women traveled the world to tell the story of the liberation Jesus offers. 

We May See

The Christmas Story as a Love Story

Much of the Christmas story is told in an atmosphere of love.  Only the innkeeper and the murderous Herod detract from that picture.

When we consider Christmas as a love story we must first think of the love of a couple.  It’s evident that Mary and Joseph loved God, loved children, and loved each other.

Consider Mary’s quick, unhesitating surrender to God’s purpose.  In Luke’s account of the angel telling her that she, though a virgin, will bear a child we first see Mary as a bewildered young girl but soon her bewilderment becomes commitment.  I find Phillips’ translation of Luke 1:38 to be appealing.  Mary says to the angel, “I belong to the Lord, body and soul, let it happen as you say.”  This was a story of people who loved God.

It is a story of people who loved children.  Sad and strange as it may seem, sometimes children suffer at Christmas.  I was walking through a mall and heard several parents yelling at their children.  One child, fascinated with the lights and the decorations, wasn’t keeping up with her father.  He yelled at her, “We’ve got things to do.  Stop wasting time.”  She looked to me like she might have been four.  He thought she was wasting his time.  In truth, he was wasting his time—his time with her.

Despite Mary’s youth we may be sure she not only accepted God’s role for her, but she accepted the child as a blessing.  While many today see their children as burdens or as detriments to their careers, saw the child as the gift of God.

This is the story of people who loved each other.  Think of the questions that must have been in Joseph’s mind.  Mary was going to have a child; they had maintained a chaste relationship so he knew he couldn’t be the father.  What did that mean?  At first, he believed the worst, but even then he loved Mary so much that he would not see her embarrassed or hurt.  He would release her from the obligation to marry him.

But an angel appeared to tell him that what was happening was God’s doing, was a miracle.  After that angelic explanation his love showed its true maturity by accepting Mary and any ridicule which might have come to them.  The story reminds us that one of the best memories of Christmas we can pass on to our children is the memory of parents who love each other.

But, above all else, we may see the Christmas story as a love story because it presents a Savior who loves the world.  The love of God for a lost world is the great theme of Christmas.  John’s Gospel does not contain the Christmas story but the apostle could have used his most famous line to introduce the story.  You know it; “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die…”

Love motivated the eternal Son of God to forsake his heavenly throne to live among men and women.

Christina Rossetti captured the idea in this little poem.

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
Star and angels gave the sign.

Such love should capture us and draw us as a magnet draws steel shavings.  We allow its attraction to change our lives and put our lives in order.

Conclusion

C. S. Lewis tells about riding a bus one Advent season.  The bus went past a small church that had a Nativity scene on its lawn.  Lewis overheard a woman complain, “Look at that, they’re trying to bring religion into Christmas.  When will they stop?”

Apparently that woman, living in 20^th century England, living in the land of carol writers like Charles Wesley, hadn’t heard the story.  Around the world there are many who haven’t heard it.  Chances are you know someone who hasn’t. 

Christmas Quotes

 

Here’s the deal.  Because some have been so materialistic at Christmas, we spurn the holiday, talk of how it is ruined.  Because some have been so sentimental about Christmas, we have become cynical.  Because some have taken Christ from Christmas, we have demonized Santa.  Because the ACLU has removed a manger from the courthouse lawn, we believe the song of countless saints and angels can be silenced by a few liberal lawyers.

I like Christmas.  I like the bright lights and  the colors.  Most of all I like the opportunity to retell the story of that first Christmas—an event that changed the world.  

So, here are a few quotes about Christmas I happen to like.  Check back from time to time since I may add more as I find them.

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? ~G.K. Chesterton

In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!' ~Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide"

Some say that ever ’gainst that season comes

Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated,

The bird of dawning singeth all night long;

And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad;

 The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,

No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,

So hallow’d and so gracious is the time.

--William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas. They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal."
-- Lenore Hershey

And, as if to prove her point….

My first copies of Treasure Island and Huckleberry Finn still have some blue-spruce needles scattered in the pages. They smell of Christmas still.
--Charlton Heston, American film actor.

Were I a philosopher, I should write a philosophy of toys, showing that nothing else in life need to be taken seriously, and that Christmas Day in the company of children is one of the few occasions on which men become entirely alive.
--Robert Lynd (1892-1970), American sociologist

"Some businessmen are saying this could be the greatest Christmas ever. I always thought that the first one was."
(Art Fettig)

And, finally, some words from an insightful man we lost recently:

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney

THE ADVENT LOOK

Matthew 1:18-23

After I sent my sermon title to be printed in the bulletin, it occurred to me that some of you might assume “The Advent Look” is some sort of fashion trend.  You might have imagined a look resembling Dad’s old bathrobe or something involving red and green lights in your hair.  It’s not that at all.

The Advent Look is a way of seeing.  In particular, it is looking at human events from the perspective of Christmas.

Before I go on, let me explain an important term.  At its simplest the term “advent” means “coming” or “appearing” and it refers to the coming of Christ.  It also refers to that season of the Christian year that includes the four Sundays before Christmas.  It is a season when Christians focus on the meaning of the Incarnation.  The Advent wreath, with its four candles, is designed to help us mark the season.

For centuries the church has had a twofold emphasis during Advent.  Believers were at once called to look back at Christ’s First Advent and to look forward to Christ’s Second Advent.  This is what I have in mind when I speak of the Advent Look.

The Advent Look calls for us to look back.

If we’re going to look back properly, we have to look back beyond that stable in Bethlehem, beyond a megalomaniacal emperor’s decree, beyond a confused virgin’s visit from an angel.  We have to look all the way back to a perfect garden where there was harmony and joy we can’t imagine.  The residents of that garden had the privilege of exploring a world that was pristine, unspoiled.  It was a perfect world where the man and the woman could even walk with their Creator.

Then, in a moment of blatant rebellion, it was all over.  In one sense, the act of rebellion was a simple act but it contained all the key elements that might mark the most notorious sin:  Disregard for God’s character, distrust of his word, self-centeredness, and an uncaring attitude toward the well-being of others.  The consequences were immediate and devastating.  Fear replaced peace in the human heart, discord replaced harmony, despair replaced hope, and shame replaced innocence.  But most significantly the relationship with the Creator was gone, broken.  Something died inside the man and the woman and, in time, that death would claim their bodies.

Just as the future for the man and the woman and their children seemed as bleak as possible, God offered a word of hope.  He made a promise, actually a promise in words that were a threat to Satan (in the guise of a serpent):

I will make you and the woman hostile toward each other. I will make your descendants and her descendant hostile toward each other. He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel.

Centuries later, some Christian writers would dub this verse “the protevangelium,” the first gospel or good news the fallen race had received. 

As the centuries past the promise became more and more complex.  Details were added so the picture would become clearer to those who longed for the promise to be fulfilled.

This Offspring of Eve, this One born into the human race, it was promised that he

--would be born into a particular nation, and

--into a particular tribe of that nation; and

--as a member of a particular family within that tribe; and

--as descendent of the royal branch of that family; and

--be born in the hometown of that family’s most famous member, and

-- would perform wondrous acts and speak wondrous words that would inspire such awe and such ire that some would see him as the embodiment of God’s Promise while others would see him as a threat; and

--since those who hated him had the greater power, they would attempt to destroy him; but

--God would overrule their actions and vindicate his Anointed One, his Christ.

For hundreds of years the people of Israel had waited and waited for the promised Redeemer, the Messiah, who would be born into the family of David, the royal family.  They were waiting for the One who would undo the curse of the Fall.  At last, the promise was fulfilled in Bethlehem.

God had been working, sometimes behind the scenes, sometimes before an amazed world, to prepare for the birth of his Son.  Then, as Paul would write to the Galatians, “When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, that he might redeem those under the law.”

1.  God had kept his promise despite the barriers his own people placed in his way.

Jeremiah ministered to a nation with a lifestyle far different than God had intended for his people.  The nation was in rebellion against the God who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt.  The nation was committed to idolatry and to the sensual activities associated with the worship of idols. 

Although the people claimed they were God’s people, their claim was a mockery of their heritage.  In response, God brought disaster upon the nation in the form of an invasion by the upstart nation of Babylon. 

Out of a seventy-year experiment in humiliation and slavery, came a remnant of people determined to be faithful to God.  They would be the people who would cradle the Messiah when he was born.

2.  God kept his promises despite the barriers religion seemingly placed in his way.

Although there was a remnant of faithful Jews who longed for a vital relationship with God, official Judaism had lost much of its vision.  For many it had become a religion of rules and ritual.  It had lost sight of the Old Testament vision of becoming a blessing to other nations.  Among those who waited for the Messiah, there was a predominant expectation of a Leader who would free the nation from Rome and restore its political glory.

The gospel of Jesus brought a message of grace which transcended the law, hope which looked beyond the circumstances of life, peace which reached beyond the borders of one small nation.

Outside of Israel there were the many religions of those who made up the Roman world.  Some of these gods were worshipped in temples which far outshined the temple in Jerusalem, a building which was magnificent in itself.  Often they were the established religion of a locale. 

As entrenched as these religions were in society, many yearned for a deeper spirituality.  They found the worship of gods whose personal lives were filled with the same weaknesses as theirs to be unsatisfying.  The message of the gospel came to satisfy that longing for something more.

3.  God had kept his promise despite the barriers history had seemingly placed in his way.

While God’s own people were striving for but never quite succeeding in bringing about the restoration of the nation’s former glory, another nation was being born on seven hills in far-away Italy.  Rome would become a powerful force in all subsequent history.  The title “Caesar” would eventually become a synonym for absolute ruler, whether it was taken by the German Kaisers, the Russian Tsars, or underworld crime lords.   In time, the Caesars would claim to be divine.

How could God use a Baby born to a peasant woman from a backwater country to challenge the might of this empire?  That Baby changed the way we think of other races, taught us that love is more powerful than the sword, and demonstrated that God may use ordinary men and women to change the world.

God even used the Roman passion for good roads, a uniform legal system, and secure borders to create an environment where the gospel could be quickly spread

So, the eyes of faith allow us to see how God used the Roman army, the Roman engineers, and the Roman Senate to keep his promise that the first Christmas.

When we exercise our Advent Look and look pack at the first Christmas, we know God keeps his promises.

The Advent Look calls for us to look ahead.

During the Advent season Christians remind themselves that if there was a First Advent there will be a Second Advent, a Second Coming.

Some people begin to get a little nervous when we talk about the Second Coming.  I understand that.  So let me make a couple matters clear.

There are those who know more about what the Bible teaches regarding the future than I know.  At the same time, there are those who know more about the future than they can possibly know.  The most confident of these make headlines from time to time.  But many are content to believe they know what’s going on behind the headlines or to occasionally share a story you aren’t going to read about in the regular press and not even in the denominational papers.

When it comes to talking about the Second Advent, a little humility is in order.

Having said that let me make a couple more observations about the Second Advent.

Remember, you are exploring a legitimate facet of the Christian tradition.

The return of Christ is not fodder for kooks.  The great creeds of the Christian Church all concur that God will bring history to its end through the Return of Christ.  The Apostles' Creed: "He [Christ] ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead."

 These creedal statements are rooted in Scripture.  Jesus predicted his return. Read the Gospels and you’ll be surprised how often He mentions his return—even in the Sermon on the Mount.   Every New Testament writer mentions the Second Coming.  In fact, some have said his Return is mentioned ever four pages of the New Testament.

Despite differences of opinion regarding the sequence of events surrounding the Second Coming, Christian writers have generally affirmed the promise of Christ's coming.  There is a certain logic to the hope of his return for we all can see that his work is not done:  wrongs need to be righted, justice has not prevailed.

2.  As you talk about the Second Advent, do your best to derive your conclusions about the future from Scripture rather than imposing you conclusions on the Scripture.

This principle applies to all Bible study but I think the temptation is greater here. 

3.  Remember we can take hope in the Second Advent even though honest Christians differ in their understanding of what the Bible teaches about the future.

A few years ago, a series of novels about end of the time appeared.  They were very popular and I hope they inspired people to look into the Bible for themselves.  The problem was, many outside the church looked at the novels and concluded this was the Christian understanding of the future.  The novels reflect one way Christians interpret what the Bible has to say about the future.

Good Christians disagree about what the Bible has to say regarding the future.  They disagree about what will happen immediately before and immediately after Christ’s Return.  They disagree about the role of Israel in the future.  They disagree about details but agree that Christ’s Return will change everything.

4.  Above all, if you are exercising the Advent Look, you will look ahead with hope.

The Second Advent will change everything. 

The Bible uses a variety of terms to describe what will happen at the Second Advent.  We will be changed, transformed, renewed, made alive, glorified, to use just a few.

Christians don’t always agree about the details of these changes but are agreed that the one bringing about the changes will be the same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem that First Advent.

If we exercise the Advent Look, as we anticipate the Second Advent, we will recall the lesson of the First Advent:  God keeps his promises.

Conclusion: In a sense, the Advent Look not only invites us to look back and look ahead, it invites us to look around. 

It invites us to look around for God at work in unexpected places, surprising places.  It invites us to join God in that work.  It invites us to be as willing as Mary, Joseph, and the shepherd to do be part of his keeping his promises, especially his promise to bring good news of great joy to the world.

With that in mind, let me share one final story.

During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy occasionally told about a Colonel Davenport who served in the Connecticut Assembly. One day in 1789, the sky over Hartford darkened, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand.  Many wanted to adjourn.   Davenport rose and said, “That Day is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment.  If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought.”

As you exercise your Advent Look, keep busy.