INCARNATION

Dr. Richard J. Henderson January 3, 2010

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Jeremiah 31:7-14
John 1:1-18

Introduction

Are you suffering from the "after Christmas blues"? It is a let down. All the festivities are over, the gifts have been opened, and the tree is starting to lose its needles. We bought all those gifts and now the bills are coming due. We have to take down the decorations and all the lights, we have bags full of used wrapping paper to put in the garbage, and soon we'll be hauling the Christmas tree to the curb.

It can be a difficult time emotionally, too. Many people feel let down after Christmas. It's like you've had an enormous party and now you're left with the clean up. It can be a depressing time.

Although for some it's a relief. They feel like, "It's over now and we can get back to our normal routine."

Yes, Christmas is to be celebrated for the full "Twelve days of Christmas," but in our culture it is really centered on December 25. We stop singing Christmas carols after December 25.

We come to this time after Christmas Day with mixed emotions. Some people will say it was this was the most meaningful and moving Christmas in years. Others have gone through it and ask, "What was that all about?"

I

Maybe you recognized the similarity between the passage we read from John this morning and the first words in the creation story. Genesis begins, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..." John 1 begins, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." They are both written in poetic language and both have to do with beginnings.

John does this on purpose. He wants us to think of creation, because he is saying that the arrival of Jesus is a new beginning; it is a new creation. What God has done in sending Jesus into the world is as dramatic as the original creation was at the onset of time. The creation was brand new. God sending his son into the world is all new. So for those who ask, "What was that all about?" It is about a whole new world.

II

Most religions talk about concepts, ideas, and theological abstractions. Only Christianity tells us that God became a human being. Only in the Christian faith are all the ideas brought to life in a particular person who was born in real time in an actual location - in fact, a location you can go and visit today. This new thing that God has done is not abstract theology but a living faith that God has come to us in a real person.

Our faith says that God loved us enough to come to us in flesh and blood.

The theologians call it "incarnation." Most theologian's words put people off, but this is a good one. The "carne" of incarnation means "flesh" or "fleshy," so that when we talk about incarnation we are really talking about the infleshment, or the embodiment of God: literally, God taking on human flesh.

That is the incredible claim of Christianity: God, the powerful spirit who created the world, came to Earth as a human in flesh and blood. And not only that, but he came to us as a powerless baby born in a remote village.

Christianity is not so much about abstract concepts and dogmas as about a person, named Jesus, from Nazareth.

III

In the person Jesus, God brought light to our darkness. The light of Christ helps us find our way. It also exposes our real intentions and motives.

The amazing thing is that as the light shines, the darkness can't overcome it. Even a little light will brighten the darkness.

Think about darkness. You can't pack it up and move it out of a room, for example. You can't remove it with pressure, you can't force it out with strong winds, and there isn't a chemical that will take out darkness. But all you have to do is light a flame. Just a tiny flickering match will light up a room filled with darkness.

We go camping each year at a place we call "The Farm." It actually was the farm that my father grew up on in central Ohio, and it's still in our family. Now it's all woods and lakes and a few open fields. It is about ten miles from the nearest signs of civilization: You take the freeway and then get off at the exit and take a two lane road and then turn on a one lane road, which eventually becomes a gravel road. Then you turn off that onto a dirt path and drive back in through the woods. There's a little opening with a rustic cabin nobody sleeps in because of the snakes and bats and spiders. We camp outside not far from the fire pit in a small clearing among the trees.

At night it's really dark. Even if the moon is out, the canopy of trees blocks its light. If you are out at night you can't go anywhere unless you have a flashlight or a lantern. In the darkness you would trip over logs or walk into trees or even fall off a cliff (strip mining was done back in the days before they had to reclaim the land). So if you don't have some light, you can't go anywhere after dark.

And yet, all you need is a flashlight to find your way. If you happen to have a lantern you can have a big party. A little light goes a long way in total darkness. The only way to get rid of the darkness is to light a light.

No wonder John says that Jesus is the light of the world. "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can not overcome it."

IV

It isn't just that Jesus lights up the world; he gives this powerful light to you and me. The Light of the World gives each of us that light. As this passage from John says, "To all who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God..." Christ came to bring light to our world, and he gave us the ability to share that light. We can shine Christ's light through our own lives. We as a church, filled with Christ's light, can shine brilliantly in our community and even in distant parts of the world. Each of us can be a flashlight in the dark. Together we can fill the world with light.

I read recently about the Christian church in communist China. Because of limitations in some parts of China nobody can have regular gatherings of more than 25 people in their homes. The Christian church there is primarily a house church, where people gather for worship in the homes of people with larger houses.

Christianity is growing rapidly in China, so when a house church has more than 25 people attending regularly, they divide and become two churches of 13. Then those churches grow until they become larger than 25, and then they split again. The process has been going on for quite a while.

The amazing fact from all of this is that on Sunday mornings there are more Christians in church in China than there are members of the Chinese communist party. Those small lights, gathered together in groups of 25, create a brilliant light in that nation.

Conclusion

You and I can be part of the light that Christ has ignited in the world. Every time you help a person in need, every time you stand up for what is fair and just, every time you pray for healing in another life, every time you witness to your faith, every time you advocate for peace - whether in your own community or in your nation - you share the light of Christ. You help bring the light that shines in the darkness. The darkness cannot overcome it.

The Light of the World wants nothing more than to have the whole world lit up with his light. You can shine a bright light where you are and make a difference.

Amen

© Richard J. Henderson 2010