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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
The Book of Acts Bible Studies
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
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2nd Sunday of Christmas (B) Text: John 1:1-18 January 4, 2009 In the Name of the incarnate Word of God – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace, mercy, and peace be with you. Amen! Today is the 11th of the twelve days of Christmas. For most people, however, Christmas has already long been over. Although the decorations in this church are still up, it somehow does not seem quite right. To most of us, Christmas is something which was celebrated on December 25th in 2008 – LAST YEAR – and now it is time to get on with focusing on something else. But Christmas means much, much more than just celebrating the birth of Jesus. And perhaps now, after we have finished our festivities and after we have finished listening to all of the stories surrounding his birth, we finally may be ready to focus upon the real, ultimate message of what Christmas is all about. And that ultimate message of Christmas is that GOD – the all-powerful creator and sustainer of this entire universe – became a human being. And still is!! We as Christians believe in the INCARNATION (literally - "in the flesh") of God. That somehow, at a definite moment in time, God (as we will say in the Nicene Creed today) “became truly human” – and has remained truly human ever since! This is what our gospel lesson for today proclaims. Unlike the Christmas story from Luke’s gospel, today’s gospel from John does not have any details about Jesus being born in a manger or of angels appearing to shepherds in a field just outside of Bethlehem. Instead, it tells us that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And it goes on to tell us that "the Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth." And finally, that even though "No one has ever seen God, the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, has made him known." There is a story which I may have told before, but which bears repeating. Once upon a time there was an old farmer who looked outside of his window on the dawn of Christmas Day. The ground was covered with a deep snow and it was bitterly, bitterly cold. As he looked, the farmer saw some birds who obviously were cold and starving. Perhaps they had gotten lost when they tried to fly south for the winter. But whatever, the farmer's heart went out to those birds, and he decided to help them. He got up, got dressed, and went out to open the door of his barn - and then invited the birds to come inside. To come inside where it was warm, and where he had set out plenty of food and water to minister to their needs. But of course, the birds did not understand. They were frightened of the farmer and refused to come into the barn. They could not comprehend that he only wanted to help them. As the farmer thought about this situation, he realized that the fundamental problem was that he and the birds were failing to communicate. Because he was a man and they were small birds, they could never understand and trust his good will. The only way that could ever happen was if somehow, HE could actually become a bird himself. As he was thinking about this, he began to hear the ringing of the church bells from the nearby village, proclaiming the good news that Jesus Christ was born. And suddenly, in a flash of insight, he understood what it was all about - and he knelt down in the snow and prayed. For just as he had wanted to become a bird to communicate his love for them, so GOD had become a human person in order to communicate his love for us. It is because God became truly human in the person of Jesus Christ that we know how much He loves us. No other religion understands the essence of God's love in the way that Christianity does. Other religions may understand and proclaim God's power and God’s wisdom, but Christianity first and foremost understands and proclaims God's LOVE. Because we believe that God, like the farmer wanted to do with the birds, became one of us. And because of that, now we can see and experience God’s love through Jesus. Because God has become “truly human”, now we can trust and love God in return! Verse twelve of today's gospel tells us that "to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God..." That "power" is the power to love God and each other in the same way that God loves us. Through Jesus Christ, the deepest love of God is made visible and becomes a part of our lives. It is this "power" which enables us to endure and overcome all of the trials and tribulations which we have to face in this life. This does not mean that they are not present. Evil is still in our world in many ways, as we certainly know. And each of us also certainly have trials, tribulations, and disappointments to deal with in our personal lives. But the "power" of knowing God's love for us through Jesus Christ enables us to endure and overcome all things. This "power" is what gives us the strength and faith we need to know that even death itself shall eventually be defeated. Because God has become “truly human” in the person of Jesus Christ, now we can know and understand just how real and total his love for us is. Through Jesus, God’s love is personal and always with us. For indeed; “the Word has become flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth – and we have seen and have experienced his glory.” That is the message of this holy season of Christmas – may we always hold it in our hearts! So once again, Merry Christmas, everyone! Merry Christmas! Amen! -------------------- Pastor George Karres 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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