THE POWER OF WORD The Nativity of Our Lord; Christmas Day December 25, 2015 Lessons Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1:1-4 [5-12] St. John 1:1-14 Prayer of the Day Pastor David J. Risendal www.onelittleword.org drisendal@stplc.org facebook Dave Risendal Twitter: drisendal Saint Peter Lutheran Church 9300 East Belleview Avenue Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111 voice: 303/770-9300 fax: 303/770-9301 Almighty God, you gave us your only Son to take on our human nature and to illumine the world with your light. By your grace adopt us as your children and enlighten us with your Spirit, through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. the power of word transcendence and immanence the good news of Christ Sermon Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Amen. Merry Christmas, everybody, and welcome to Christmas worship at Saint Peter. It is so good to be here with you this year! Some of you may remember that I played hookie last Christmas Day. Well not so much played hookie, but was away on sick leave. I am grateful for our Bishop and his staff, who preached during my absence last year on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I had a meeting with the Bishop this past Tuesday, and he asked me to pass on his good wishes for a Merry Christmas to you all. He is on vacation now, and at least as late as last Tuesday night I know he was hoping that all the pastors in this synod were healthy and well, and not planning to call him. He enjoyed being here last year, but is looking forward to worshipping with his wife this year. 1 Romans 1:7, 1 st Corinthians 1:3, 2 nd Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 st Thessalonians 1:1, 2 nd Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 3; New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).
The Nativity of Our Lord; Christmas Day (December 25, 2015) 2 Speaking of playing hookie, some of you know that my family and I are headed to Minnesota after worship for a visit with my mother. I haven t been home for Christmas since I was a seminary student my last Christmas dinner in Minnesota was in 1983. So I m very excited to have this family time. Unfortunately our airline moved up our departure time, so we re a little anxious about that. So I m going to duck out as soon as we start distributing communion. But since I won t be able to greet you at the door after worship, let me do so now: Thank you for being part of our worship this morning, thanks to our wonderful musicians for their leadership today, and I hope you all have a terrific Christmas Day afternoon. Now, let me say just a word about the text this morning. Just a word. Isn t that an interesting phrase? It implies that words really aren t all that important. Words are just words. And from one perspective this is what we believe, isn t it? You ve heard the expressions: Don t just talk the talk; walk the walk. That dog: he s all bark and no bite. He talks a good game, but we ll see if he ducks when we re under fire. This sentiment is even found in the Bible. James 1:22 reads, Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers. We re well aware of the notion that it is one thing to say what we believe and an entirely different thing to act on it. And it s true: for our words to have authority, they need to be backed up by our actions. Despite that, there is power in the spoken word. Think of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in his first inaugural address declared, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself Or Winston Churchill, who thanked the Royal Air Force by saying, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. Or John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country. There is a power in words, and these strong leaders made a difference by using the power of speech to rally support for the cause. Think also of the power of word we have experienced in our own lives. Recall the first time someone spoke the words to you, I love you. Remember the day you promised to each other, I take you to be mine. Remember when the doctor said, It isn t cancer. Or these: You will always be welcome here. I forgive you. You are gifted. There is power in the spoken word. The power of word is evident in this morning s Gospel lesson too. We turn to it each Christmas morning as we celebrate the Nativity. Each of the Gospel writers begins their account in a unique way. Mark takes up the story at the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River. Matthew and Luke speak of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. John is different. John leads with a soaring poetic tribute to the power of the Word of God, which was present at creation. As you surely remember, in Genesis 1 God literally speaks creation into being. Each day follows the same litany: God speaks something into being, it comes to be, and there is evening and there is morning, the first the second the third day. Genesis 1 is a tribute to the power of God s word. A word that is able to create ex nihilo: out of nothing. Imagine that: where there once was nothing (as Genesis informs us, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep ) the power of the Word of God causes something to be. Darkness and light. Earth and sky. Land and sea. Plants and trees. The sun and the stars. The animals of the earth. Women and men. All of this, spoken into existence by a God whose very word carries great power. As he begins his account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, John the Evangelist has the audacity to bring all of this to mind. Echoing the first words of the
The Nativity of Our Lord; Christmas Day (December 25, 2015) 3 Hebrew Bible, John begins his account by declaring that, 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. But this is not, for John, a past reality. He recognizes it as a present reality when he continues, And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father s only son, full of grace and truth. For John, Jesus is nothing less than the very word of God. The word which existed before the beginning of time. The word which spoke into being everything that is. The word which was with God. The word which was God. On Christmas morning we may not have Mary and Joseph and angels and shepherds and the manger scene at Bethlehem. But we have this powerful and majestic witness to the birth of Christ. John s Gospel invites us into an experience of God s transcendence. The nature of God, the character of God, the mystery of God transcends, or exists above and beyond anything we can experience or imagine. No human words can do it justice. No human concepts or ideals can do it justice. No human images can contain it. And this is the beauty of John s witness: when the word becomes flesh, the transcendent becomes immanent, and the unreachable presence of God begins to live right here, among us. In Jesus, the barrier between the divine and the human is torn down, and now God s grace and truth become part of our living in a way that was never before possible. the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father s only son, full of grace and truth. That s one of the reasons this Christmas Day service has always been so meaningful for me. Christmas Eve may be a time for story, as we follow Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and hear of the birth of Jesus, surrounded by all the colorful characters of St. Luke s Gospel. But Christmas Day is a time of majesty and mystery; a time of wonder and amazement. A time when the power and might of God becomes accessible to us, as the word made flesh. So together, let us draw near to the mystery of God this morning. God who transcends all that is, but who chooses to meet us in the tangible, concrete, physical, immanent reality of the meal we share, the word we proclaim, the community we experience, the grace we receive, the love that binds us, the compassion that heals us. All of this bears witness to the word made flesh which continues to live among us today, inviting us into a powerful experience of the glory of God; the glory as of a father s only son, full of grace and truth. Merry Christmas, friends. A very merry Christmas to you all. May our transcendent God, who became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, be born anew in you today, that you might know grace and truth. Amen. David J. Risendal, Pastor Gospel Lesson; English Text 2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was 2 A list of Bible lessons for the coming weeks is available at http://www.elca.org/growing-in-faith/worship/ Lectionary.aspx.
The Nativity of Our Lord; Christmas Day (December 25, 2015) 4 John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father s only son, full of grace and truth. 3 Gospel Lesson; Greek Text Ἐν ἀρχῃ ἠ ν ὁ λόγος, και ὁ λόγος ἠ ν προ ς το ν θεόν, και θεο ς ἠ ν ὁ λόγος. 2 οὑ τος ἠ ν ἐν ἀρχῃ προ ς το ν θεόν. 3 πάντα δι αὐτου ἐγένετο, και χωρι ς αὐτου ἐγένετο οὐδε ἕν. ὃ γέγονεν 4 ἐν αὐτῳ ζωη ἠ ν, και ἡ ζωη ἠ ν το φω ς τω ν ἀνθρώπων 5 και το φω ς ἐν τῃ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, και ἡ σκοτία αὐτο οὐ κατέλαβεν. 6 Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος, ἀπεσταλµένος παρα θεου, ὄνοµα αὐτῳ Ἰωάννης 7 οὑ τος ἠ λθεν εἰς µαρτυρίαν ἵνα µαρτυρήσῃ περι του φωτός, ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσιν δι αὐτου. 8 οὐκ ἠ ν ἐκει νος το φω ς, ἀλλ ἵνα µαρτυρήσῃ περι του φωτός. 9 Η ν το φω ς το ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόµενον εἰς το ν κόσµον. 10 ἐν τῳ κόσµῳ ἠ ν, και ὁ κόσµος δι αὐτου ἐγένετο, και ὁ κόσµος αὐτο ν οὐκ ἔγνω. 11 εἰς τα ἴδια ἠ λθεν, και οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτο ν οὐ παρέλαβον. 12 ὅσοι δε ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοι ς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεου γενέσθαι, τοι ς πιστεύουσιν εἰς το ὄνοµα αὐτου, 13 οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱµάτων οὐδε ἐκ θελήµατος σαρκο ς οὐδε ἐκ θελήµατος ἀνδρο ς ἀλλ ἐκ θεου ἐγεννήθησαν. 14 Και ὁ λόγος σα ρξ ἐγένετο και ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡµι ν, και ἐθεασάµεθα τη ν δόξαν αὐτου, δόξαν ὡς µονογενου ς παρα πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος και ἀληθείας. 4 First Lesson; English Text 52.7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns. 8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. 9 Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 5 Second Lesson; English Text Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2 but 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. 3 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. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 [For to which of the angels did God ever say, 3 4 5 St. John 1:1-14, New Revised Standard Version Bible, opp. cit. St. John 1:1-14, The Greek New Testament, opp. cit. Isaiah 52:7-10, New Revised Standard Version Bible, opp. cit.
The Nativity of Our Lord; Christmas Day (December 25, 2015) 5 You are my Son; today I have begotten you? Or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son? 6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, Let all God s angels worship him. 7 Of the angels he says, He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire. 8 But of the Son he says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. 10 And, In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like clothing; 12 like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end. ] 6 Second Lesson; Greek Text Πολυµερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις 2 ἐπ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡµερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡµῖν ἐν υἱῷ, ὃν ἔθηκεν κληρονόµον πάντων, δἰ οὗ καὶ ἐποίησεν τοὺς αἰῶνας 3 ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασµα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήµατι τῆς δυνάµεως αὐτοῦ, καθαρισµὸν τῶν ἁµαρτιῶν ποιησάµενος ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς µεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς, 4 τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενόµενος τῶν ἀγγέλων ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παῤ αὐτοὺς κεκληρονόµηκεν ὄνοµα. 5 [Τίνι γὰρ εἶπεν ποτε τῶν ἀγγέλων υἱός µου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήµερον γεγέννηκα σε; καὶ πάλιν ἐγὼ ἔσοµαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται µοι εἰς υἱόν; 6 ὅταν δὲ πάλιν εἰσαγάγῃ τὸν πρωτότοκον εἰς τὴν οἰκουµένην, λέγει καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ. 7 καὶ πρὸς µὲν τοὺς ἀγγέλους λέγει ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύµατα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα, 8 πρὸς δὲ τὸν υἱόν ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς εὐθύτητος ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. 6 Hebrews 1:1-4 [5-12], New Revised Standard Version Bible, opp. cit.
The Nativity of Our Lord; Christmas Day (December 25, 2015) 6 9 ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐµίσησας ἀνοµίαν διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισεν σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς µετόχους σου. 10 καί σὺ κατ ἀρχάς, κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεµελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί 11 αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, σὺ δὲ διαµένεις, καὶ πάντες ὡς ἱµάτιον παλαιωθήσονται, 12 καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτούς, ὡς ἱµάτιον καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσιν.] 7 7 Hebrews 1:1-4 [5-12], The Greek New Testament, opp. cit.