Bethlehem’s Mystery is Our Blessing

Bethlehem’s Mystery is Our Blessing

John 1:1-14

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Years ago when Methodist pastors went to Annual Conference, each pastor was requi= red to give an oral report of his ministry since the previous Annual Conference. A part of the pastor’s report had to do with the number of conversions recorded in = the church to which he was appointed.

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There is a story about an episode in the West Virginia Annual Conference during a roll call of pastors. About t= wo thirds of the way through the roll call, the bishop said, “Ladies and gentlemen, do you realize that you have already announced the conversion of more people than currently reside in the whole state of West Virginia?”

An elderly preacher rose to his feet and said, “Yes, Bishop, but what you have to understand is that here people need to be converted several times e= ach year.”

There is a measure of truth in what the elderly preacher said. We do need to rededicate ourselves= to Christ over-and-over. We also= need to be reminded over-and-over about what Christ’s coming into the world means. That’s one of the values of the Church having liturgical seasons. As we go through the year, we are reminded of the primary acts of God. The season called Christmas<= /i> is wrapped in mystery biblically and theologically.

      Of the four New Testament gospels, Matthew and Luke include Jesus’ birth narratives. Matthew and Luke = wrote their gospel accounts around 60 – 70 A.D. Some 20 – 25 years later John wrote the words in today’s scripture lesson. He did not write a birth narrative= ; instead, he wrote about what Jesus’ birth means.

      Some have called the 14^th verse in today’s text the most import= ant words in the Bible. I donR= 17;t know that I would go that far; but it’s one of the primary verses in scripture. The verse reads, “And the Word became flesh and lives among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

      This is the verse and belief that sets Christianity apart from all of the other world religions. The God whom= we worship has not remained remote and unapproachable; he has come to us in person. He didn’t write= a letter. He did not send a representative. He didn’= ;t just speak his laws from heaven or a mountain. He came to us as one of us. The infinite One became an infant.= Talk about mystery; that’s a mystery!

      The article of faith that is called “the virgin birth of Jesus” also accents mystery. Some people = refuse to bow before mystery and try to refute the virgin birth. Yet mystery is so important. Mystery keeps before us that there= is One who is greater than our minds can comprehend; One who can help us when = we can’t help ourselves.

     = The talk show host, Larry King, was once asked who he would want to interview i= f he could choose anyone from all of history.&n= bsp; Without hesitation he said, “Jesus Christ.” He was then asked, “And what= you would like to ask him?” Mr. King said, “I would like to ask him if he was indeed virgin-born.” He went o= n to say, “The answer to that question would define history for me.”= = = [1]

     = What Mr. King and others who refuse the virgin birth teaching either don’t understand or refuse to understand is that this doctrine is about faith and= not about biology or some other science. Faith and mystery are inseparable.

      The Bethlehem mystery = is accented further when it is proclaimed that the One who created the world c= ame into the world in the flesh and died on a cross. The apostle Paul, in his letter to= the Philippians, said, “[Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God…took the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even deat= h on a cross” (2:6-8).

      Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher and theologian of the 19^{th
century, tells the story of a prince who ran an errand for his father one d=
ay
in the local village. As he d=
id so,
he passed through a very poor section of town. Looking through the window of his =
carriage,
he saw a beautiful young peasant girl walking along the street. He could not get her off his heart=
. He continued to travel that route,=
day
after day, hoping to see her. He
did see her. His heart yearne=
d for
her, but there was a problem. How
could he develop a relationship with her?&=
nbsp;
He could order her to marry him.&nb=
sp;
It was in his power to do so.
But he wanted this girl to love him from the heart, willingly. He could put on his royal garments=
and
impress her with his regal entourage, and drive up to her front door with
soldiers and a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never =
be
certain that the girl loved him or was simply overwhelmed with his power,
position and wealth. The prin=
ce
came up with another solution. As
you may have guessed, he gave up his kingly robe and symbols of power and
privilege. He moved into the
village dressed only as a peasant.
He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and
talked their language. In tim=
e, the
young peasant girl grew to know him, and then to love him.}[2]

      This is what Jesus has done for us. As John wrote, “The Word became flesh and lives among us…”

      Here is the mystery of the babe who was born in Bethlehem: Before coming into the world as an infant, he lived with his Father in heaven. He was involved in creating the world. He lived; he died; he = lives again! Early in the Church th= ere was a lot of discussion about the nature of Jesus. Was he all divine, all human, part= ly divine and partly human? The = Church said that he was completely human and completely divine. That’s mystery!

      The mystery that flows from Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem has blessed persons for more = than 2000 years. We will note thre= e of Bethlehem’s= faith-lessons that bless us in our living.

      The first faith-lesson is the shout t= hat in Jesus we can have new beginnings t= hrough forgiveness! John says th= at Jesus came from into the world full of grace.

      Sin is that which stains love and keeps it from enriching life. Since our beginning, we humans have stained God’s love and each other’s love in so many ways.

      Jesus came to tell us that God loves us in spite of our sin. With deed and parable, Jesus taugh= t that God our heavenly Father yearns for our fellowship and love. Indeed, as John says in our text, = Jesus was full of grace…

      Across the years I have sat with numerous parents of a wayward child. The parents have cried, wanting to= help their child. They loved their= child in spite of the hurt he or she was causing. They were willing to do anything o= r give anything to help their child. Such experiences have been reminders to me of how God looks upon his wayward children.

      Imagine conversations God the Father and Jesus had prior to Jesus’ coming into the world. God the Father mus= t have said, “I don’t know how I can help my children on earth. I’ve given them laws to live by. I’ve been patient w= ith them. I’ve tried to discipline them, but nothing works.”= Then maybe Jesus told God the Father that he was willing to leave he= aven and come to earth and live with humanity, hoping he could get their attenti= on and turn their hearts toward God. If that meant death, so be it!

      And that’s what happened. Y= et in spite of it all, Jesus revealed God’s love for humanity and offers forgiveness of sin. There is = no sin greater than God’s love in Jesus.

      A pastor named Billy Strayhorn tells a story about a member of a church he served. Frank was in his late fifties before he accepted Christ and joined the Church. When Frank was a young man he did = some pretty reprehensible things. He was rebellious and people said he was heade= d to prison. He didn't spend any t= ime in prison but by the time he was twenty-five he had spent plenty of time in the county jail.

      Frank was involved in a horrible automobile accident and began to do some serious thinking. Investigators said = there was no way he should have survived. But he did, with just minor cuts and scratches.

      After the wreck, Frank began to live differently, but for the next thirty years he carried the guilt of his past in his heart and on his shoulders. He met Billy Strayhorn at a funera= l. Something the pastor said caught h= is attention and to everybody's surprise, three weeks later Frank showed up at= a worship service.

      After the service, he was one of the first ones out the door. This went on for about six weeks.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Then one day Frank met the pastor = as he was going into the Post Office. The pastor found out later that Frank had been waiting for him. The two went for a cup of coffee a= nd talked. Frank had a lot of questions. Rev. Strayhorn told Frank that God forgave him for his past sin and Frank asked, “Are you sure, preacher? Are you sure? Even somebody like me?”=

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      Two weeks later when the pa= stor gave the invitation at the close of worship, Frank was down front before the pastor got all the words out of my mouth.&= nbsp; He professed faith in Christ that morning and was baptized. Rev. Strayhorn says, “After = the service Frank walked to the door with me and people came by to welcome him = into the Church. One of the ladies= of the Church, one of the sweet elderly angels who was hard of hearing, shook = his hand and asked, ‘And what = did you say your name was?’ Frank looked at me, then he looked at her. He straightened his shoulders, stood tall, and with a grin of sheer = joy on his face said, ‘Forgive= n, ma'am. My name is Forgiven.’”

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      Frank discovered that indeed Jesus= was full of grace when he came into the world.= When he said, “My name is Forgiven,” he was declaring th= at forgiveness changed everything in his life. Forgiveness changed how he looked at himself and at how others looke= d at him. And it changed his relationship with God because Jesus came to be Frank’s Savior –= and our Savior.= [3]

      Bethlehem’s= mystery blesses us by giving us new beginnings through forgiveness. We have all needed new beginnings = along life’s way, and we will need them in the future.

      The second faith-lesson is hinged to = John saying that Jesus was full of truth.&n= bsp; This faith-lesson declares = that we have reason to believe what is professed in the creeds of the Church.

      When Jesus talked about his Father in heaven, he knew about what he was talking. He had been with his Father in heaven from the beginning. When he taught that God loves all of his children, we can believe that. When he talked about he= aven, he knew about heaven because he had been in heaven before coming to earth.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> When he taught that we will go to = heaven when we die, he had reason and authority to say that. And when he said that abundant lif= e is found in giving one’s life to him, he knew that truth well.

      One of my brothers is in a Dallas<= /st1:place> hospital, seriously ill with leukemia.&nbs= p; A few days ago I was in his room when he said to me, “David, t= ell me about heaven.” I did= , as best I could. Unless I bowed = before mystery I could not have talked about heaven with so much certainty. I haven’t been to heaven, bu= t the One who came from heaven to live in the flesh talked about heaven, and I believe what he taught.

      In 1989 Rick Founds wrote a song that he titled, Lord I Lift Your Name on High.= One of the verses of the song reads:

He came from heaven to eart= h to show us the way

From the earth to the cross, our sins to pay

From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky

Lord, I lift Your name on h= igh.= = [4]

      It’s one thing to talk about something we have experienced and another thing to = talk about that which we haven’t experienced. Jesus had experienced his Father in heaven since the beginning. He knows what his heavenly Father is like, and he knows what heaven is like. We have reason to believe and cele= brate! When Jesus spoke about his heavenly Father, he spoke truth. When = he talked about heaven, he spoke truth.

      Blessed are we who accept the truth of God that Jesus voiced and lived.

      The third faith-lesson says that Jesu= s is still creating.

      John writes that Jesus was with God the Father in the beginning and it was throu= gh him that the world came into being. Listen again to how he says it:&nbs= p; “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…” He who is called “The Word&#= 8221; spoke saying, “Let there be light…Let there be night and day…” He spoke an= d the world and all that is was created.

      And Jesus continues to create! As you r= ead the rest of John’s gospel account you read of him creating new life in persons whose lives were broken – a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Samar= itan woman, an adulterer, his disappointed, frightened disciples and others. The good news is: Jesus is still in the creating bus= iness.

      Charlotte is a wo= man in her early 40s. When she was 2= 3 her husband left her and their son and moved in with another woman. Charlotte was devastated. Hurt turned to jealousy and bitterness. Then= she did what many do in similar situations: she blamed herself. She was a school teacher. After school each day, she went to= a daycare and got her son. If s= he needed groceries, she would stop at a store, and then go home. Friends invited her to their home = and to go places with her, but she said, “No, I need to stay home.”

      A woman who had been a close friend in college noticed that Charlotte was losing weight and was depressed. She went to Charlotte’s house one evening, without being invited, and appealed to Charl= otte to seek help. At first Charlotte refused= , but after a time agreed to see a physician.&nb= sp; It was in the physician’s office that Charlotte broke down. The physician got her an appointme= nt with a counselor and Charlotte= followed through.

      It wasn’t long before Charl= otte began going out occasionally with friends.= One of her friends invited her and her son to attend church with her, and they did. It was there th= at Charlotte met the= man who is now her husband. Listen to= what Charlotte says:

&#= 8220;Soon after I began to go to church again, I also began to read the Bible and pray again. I sensed that I needed= to fill a spiritual void in my life.

“When Herb asked me for a date, I made an excuse, telling him I already had plans. I wasn’t sure I could trust another man. Thank goodness, Herb did not give = up on me. Two weeks later he invite= d me to attend a party with folks where he worked. I accepted and we continued to see= each other. He was so kind to me a= nd my son. We married a year later = and have been married almost 20 years.”

      Here’s another story. Jimmy began dr= inking socially. It wasn’t long before it became clear to some of his friends that he couldn’t drink responsibly. A couple of frie= nds tried to talk with him about his excessive drinking, but he rebuked them. It wasn’t long before he los= t his job and other problems surfaced. Jimmy was homeless for a time. A brother located him and took him to his apartment. He worked with Jimmy and many times almost gave up trying to help him. One night Jimmy and his brother saw another man they had known, but = had not seen for three or four years. Bruce told the two brothers that he had had a lot of problems since they last saw each other. He, too, had had a drinking problem but had been dry eighteen months. “How did you do it?” J= immy asked Bruce. Bruce told Jimmy= it wasn’t easy, but what he had accomplished was far better than he knew when he was drinking.

      Bruce made Jimmy his project and Jimmy was amenable. Bruce told Jimmy that the first th= ing he had to do was change his friends. He didn’t need friends who gave him drinks. Then he told him he needed to atte= nd AA meetings with him and go through the Twelve Step Program. Jimmy did. Jimmy is now in his late 30s and hasn’t had a drink in years.[5]

      There’s something common in Charlotte’s and Jimmy’s stories. It is that they created a new worl= d for themselves step-by-step and both looked to God to help them. That’s the way God created t= he world, isn’t it? He did= it step-by-step – one day at a time.&nb= sp; Then God looked upon it and said, “It is good.” Charlotte and Frank are also echoi= ng those words: It is good!

      Sometimes God helps people create a new world for themselves and their loved ones instantly, but most of the time he does it the way it was done in the begin= ning – one step at a time. Y= ou may have read or heard about God taking an addiction away from a person instant= ly, and the person abstains for the rest of his or her life. Most of the time, it doesn’t= work that way. It works by taking = one step after another. But the g= ood news is that it works!

      Don’t ever forget this faith-lesson. God can help a couple with a sick marriage create a healthy marriage. He can help a single parent create= a better world for self and child or children. God can help an addicted person overthrow an addiction. God c= an help anyone whose life has become sour create a new life situation.

      That’s good news for us on this Sunday after Christmas. The One whose birth is somewhat cl= ouded by mystery lives and is still in the creating business.

      I read a story about a woman who had a friend visiting in her home a few weeks after Christmas. The woman spotted a Christmas tree ornament on the mantel above the fireplace. It seemed out of place. The host noticed that her frie= nd kept glancing at the ornament. She said, “If you’re wondering about that ornament on the mantel, l= et me tell you why it’s there. Every year I leave one Christmas tree ornament out when I pack the Christmas decorations away. It reminds = me that Christmas is not just for a day, or even a season, but for a lifetime.= That little ornament reminds me of = Jesus and that Jesus walks with me every day and helps me.”

      If you have already packed your Christmas ornament and put them away, hang one= in your mind and heart. The mess= age of Christmas is a message we need throughout the year. In the name of the Father, Son and= Holy Spirit. Amen!

Closing Prayer:

    = ; Dear God encourage us to focus on your love in Jesus and the creative work he ca= n do in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

      =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp; David B. Wilson

      =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp; December 30, 2007