Christmas Day- God has come to us in the flesh

Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-12; John 1:1-14

I once heard a seminary professor named Darrel Johnson describe a Christmas card he received. It had pictures of many famous and influential world leaders from history on the front. People like King Tut, Julius Caesar, Mao, Hitler. It said, “history is crowded with men who would be gods.” … Inside, there was a picture of a baby in a manger, and it said, “But only one God who would be man”.

Human beings have often reached towards obtaining a divine status, and this was often seen as evidenced by the power these people could exert. Royalty throughout history was often associated with divinity. … Pharoah was thought to be a link between the Egyptian gods and humanity. The Pharoah was considered to be a god who provided order to the people. … Julius Caesar was considered to be a god shortly after his death, which was evidenced by a comet appearing in the sky during games held in his honour after his death. A later Caesar, Domitian, didn’t want to wait until he died to be considered a god, so he insisted on being addressed as “master and god” while he was still alive. … There is a long practice of kings declaring themselves gods in ancient Mesopotamia. … In Japan, the emperor was considered to be a living deity even during WW2. … I don’t think the atheist Mao Zedong ever considered himself a god, but there are analogous elements in how he is treated. There are pictures and statues of him everywhere in China and they are supposed to be treated with reverence. These statues are sometimes placed in religious buildings, alongside (or replacing) statues of Taoist deities or statues of the Buddha.

These people are thought to achieve a god-status as a result of power. Pharaoh was born into a position of power- to rule Egypt. The Caesars ruled a vast empire- they commanded the most powerful armies on the planet at the time. Their decisions effected the destinies of many people. Mao’s revolution resulted in the deaths of millions of people (estimates range from 40 to 80 million). This kind of power over the lives of others led to them being held in a kind-of divine status.

The Christian story is the reverse of this. Rather than a human being reaching for divine status through violent power over others- God, the Creator of the universe, humbled Himself to be experienced as a human being. But not in the usual ways of power, as we might expect based on human history. He came in poverty and vulnerability. He came as a child- a child born to a poor couple and laid in a manger. … I thought it might be good to remind ourselves of this story in the Scriptures.

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians (62AD) chapter 2, he encourages his readers to be humble, using Jesus as an example. He says, 

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness” (Phil 2:5-7).

 Some scholars think that he is quoting a hymn here, which would mean it predates this letter. Paul is saying Jesus was in the form of God, but didn’t exploit the reality of his equality with God. That is the humility of Jesus. Instead, he took on the form of a slave. It implies that he existed before his human birth. … This is awkward to hold together. He is equal to God- in the form of God- and a human being- a slave, even. … And this is coming from a community that believed in only one God.

The letter to the Colossians (60-61AD) says that Jesus 

“is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Col 1:15-20).

 … So, if you want to see God, look at Jesus. All things have been created through him. In him, all things hold together. In him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. … And again we have awkward pieces to hold together. He seems to be God, and then he is called firstborn of all creation.

In our reading from Hebrews we read, 

“in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. (Heb 1:2-3).

 … Again, we have these awkward pieces to hold together- Son, and also creator and sustainer of all things, and exact imprint of God.

We see these same ideas reflected in our reading from John’s Gospel today. The Logos was the word ancient philosophers used to describe the organizing, rational, integrating principle that permeated the universe. So, why isn’t the universe just a messy soup of stuff with no shape or form? The Logos is the principle that organized it all into planets, and solar systems, and galaxies, and molecules, and living beings. We might think of the Logos as the author of the physical laws of the universe, and the author of biological systems and DNA.

John says that this Logos became human. (Scholars translate the Greek “Logos” into the English “Word”). He says, 

“In the beginning was the [Logos], and the [Logos] was with God, and the [Logos] 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. … And the [Logos] became flesh and lived among us …” (John 1:1-3, 14).

 Again, we have these awkward pieces to hold together. The Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. All things came into being through him. … This is reflecting what we saw in the other readings. … This didn’t seem to be a contradiction for these original authors. They seemed to hold these things together. Jesus is (in a way) God, and (in a way) with God.

This seeming awkwardness comes from the belief that Jesus held together two realities. He is a creature in being truly human. He is also God. This is the Christian idea of Incarnation. He is God with flesh on. God became flesh and lived among us. Or as Eugene Peterson interprets it, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14 The Message).

We see these thoughts carried forward by the early Christians as well.

Poetically, St. Augustine (354-430AD) said of Jesus, 

“He it is by whom all things were made, who was made one of all things, who is the revealer of the Father, the creator of the mother, the Son of God by the Father without a mother, the son of man by the mother without a father”.

Before Augustine, Tertullian (155-220AD) said, 

“God could not have entered into conversation with men, unless he had assumed human feelings and affections, by which he could temper the greatness of his majesty, which would have been intolerable to human weakness, with the humility which might be unworthy of Him, but necessary for men.” (adv. Marcion II. 27.)

Before Tertullian and Augustine, there was Ignatius of Antioch (108-140AD). He is believed to have been a disciple of the Apostle John. He wrote a number of letters before he was martyred in Rome. He often used the expression “Jesus Christ our God” (letter to the Ephesians, and letter to the Romans). He also uses the expression the “blood of God” in reference to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. And, He isn’t the only one who talks this way in the early church.[1] … Speaking about his own impending martyrdom, he says 

“permit me to imitate the suffering of my God” (Rom c6.p.28-29).

 … He says, 

“there is one physician, fleshly and spiritual, made and not made, God born in the flesh, true life in death, both of Mary and of God ….” (Epist. ad Eph c.7. p. 13.)

 … And writing to encourage another Christian leader, Ignatius says, 

“wait for him who is beyond all time, eternal, invisible; who for our sakes became visible; who was not tangible; Who was incapable of suffering, and for our sakes suffered; who endured in various ways for us” … 

“He is in all respects also a man, the creature of God; And therefore, summing up mankind in himself, the invisible became visible, the incomprehensible became comprehensible, the impossible became possible, and the Word became man” (Letter to Polycarp c3p40).

I know this is probably a lot to take in, but I think it is important that we remind ourselves about this ancient Christian story. … There are the very earthly elements to consider- the baby in the manger, and the poor couple Mary and Joseph. It important to remember that (by human standards) these were very ordinary people- on the lower end of the social ladder. … That God chose to be among these particular people, shows that all people are valuable. By the act of being born to this couple, God gave incredible value to all people. We dare not look down on anyone in their social standing, because if God came to us and was laid in an animal’s feeding trough, If God was willing to occupy that humble place, then how can we look down on anyone? … And this act also shows us something about the character of God. God is merciful, and humble, and so loving He was willing to come down to our level to look into our eyes. … God came to be one of us. God came to show us who He is in Jesus. And that is why Christmas is important. AMEN

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[1] Clement of Alexandria speaks about “the power of God the Father and the blood of God the Son”

Tertullian “I will know, we are not our own, but bought with a price: and what sort of price? The blood of God”.

Dionysius of Alexandria “The holy blood of our God Jesus Christ is not corruptible, nor the blood of a mortal man like ourselves, but a very God.”