Enfleshed Word

Sermon by: Rev. Mary Alice Mulligan, Ph.D.

Scripture: Psalm 148:1-5, John 1:1-18

During the four weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas, we listened to scriptures which helped set the stage for the Messiah’s coming and for knowing who Jesus is when he arrives. We heard ancient prophets and John the Baptizer promise God would set things right, even when everything seems doomed. Painful pruning and cleansing would come, but prophets also reported God would come among us. Then last Sunday, we saw young Mary visit her barren relative Elizabeth, who had become pregnant in her mature years. And Mary sang of God’s power already setting things right, before her child was even born. 

Now the waiting is over. We gathered Friday in the hush of Christmas Eve to hear again the familiar story of the birth of Jesus. Today, we step back from the manger to hear again the remarkable poetry of the first chapter of the Gospel of John. In language very different from the manger scene, John attempts to show us who Jesus is - eternally. With poetry more glorious than rational doctrinal claims can state, John invites us into the presence of divine truth. We can only be open to receive it, with awe and wonder and a grateful heart. Take time to read John 1: 1-18 slowly. 

People in the Jewish-Christian-Muslim religious traditions believe in a God who speaks. We believe divine words were spoken at the beginning of time, resulting in all the goodness of creation being called into existence. The ancient stories report the divine word: “Let light happen.” And light happens. God’s voice calls forth order from chaos, separates the heavens from the earth, creates life, and calls humankind into being. All creation is set in motion through divine words, and nothing came without God’s intention. Divine speech has purpose and power. From the beginning of creation to the setting of the final sun, God speaks. Today we celebrate the amazing presence of God’s Word on Earth, in the human form of Jesus, who chose to live among us.

For most of us, Christmas Eve is always holy. The night we celebrate the birth of the Savior is the most precious night of the year. If we have artistic ability, we could paint a picture of the first Christmas Eve, like a stop action moment every one of us has emblazoned in our memories, like the familiar photo we have come to expect on the front of a Christmas card. The deep blue background, the rough outline of a barn with cattle and a donkey or two, angels hovering overhead, and Mary and Joseph wrapped in awe, totally absorbed by the child, new-born and sleeping quietly. Around the child, a warm glow radiates, surrounding him and the entire manger where he has been laid. Outside, at some distance from the barn, a gaggle of shepherds, with a few lambs as companions, approaches. In the sky above, the largest star imaginable hangs. With such a picture of the manger scene firmly in our minds, over 50 of us gathered here on Friday evening, with another 25 or so worshipping online. We felt the presence of the sacred night. Each of us wanted to hear again the ancient story of the young woman, weary from the road, giving birth in a stall because there was no room in the inn. We all wanted to sing the carols, and everyone wanted to hold their candle and watch the light spread across the room and join in singing “Silent Night.” Lots of us have participated in Christmas Eve services in a variety of congregations through the years. They may have some differences, but we always expect to have candles. For some of us, the candle-filled, Silent Night singing is the moment of the whole year we feel closest to God. Everything seems holy on Christmas Eve.

But Jesus is bigger than Christmas. We might say he outgrows the manger. No baby stays in the cradle forever. Every parent experiences the rude awakening of having to figure out how to establish the day-to-day routine of living, after the baby is home and everything is changed.

A chaplain at a federal prison commented that even among his convict parishioners, Christmas Eve is magical, but by Christmas Day, the sober reality of their lives settles back in.

So for us, once the candles are extinguished, we find ourselves asking, what does it mean that Jesus has been born? John gives us both poetry and theology to explain about Jesus, because the truth is too big to put into a tidy, little narrative. Somehow, the almighty God of the universe pours God’s own being into human flesh, choosing to live among us. How can we ever comprehend what such an idea means? No wonder John uses intangible, abstract concepts of light, glory, grace, and truth. We cannot fully understand them, but as we learn about Jesus, we see those terms embodied in him. John claims: The Messiah is the One who has always belonged to God since before the creation of the world; the One who is in and with God eternally; through whom creation happens, and through whom we all have life. The Word of God made flesh in Jesus is always seeking fullness of life for all people (even each of us); not just making sure we have breath, but that we have abundant life, which includes having meaning and purpose in our existence. 

As we look to the life teachings of Jesus, we see him demonstrate the love of God for all persons. We see he is spreading glory all around, spreading the light, which shows the promise of grace to anyone who dares to see. These ideas are impossible to articulate fully in mundane words, because the reality of Who Jesus is extends beyond our ability to describe. The Divine Word surpasses the ability of human words to describe, so of course Jesus is bigger than Christmas.

But then through him, we are changed. John says through Christ we receive grace upon grace. Jesus becomes for us the source of light and grace. When God’s Word is made flesh among us, we are empowered to be children of God, intimately connected with God.

Those are big ideas, but not very concrete. One thing is sure however, we can’t stay the same if we get connected to Jesus. So, let’s think what changes can happen. People see the love of God displayed in Jesus’ actions, and those actions spread grace, like turning a divine light on everyone around him. 

Scripture reports people drag a woman caught in adultery to him, reminding him that the punishment is stoning to death. They already have stones in hand. But instead, Jesus says that the one without sin may cast the first stone. He, in effect, turns holy light on everyone’s propensity to sin, and one by one they drop their stones and slip away. They cannot remain in the shadows when Jesus turns on the light of grace. 

The amazing thing about the light of Christ is that sharing it does not diminish the brightness. Spreading the light makes everything brighter. So, as we get closer to Jesus, our light and grace increase. 

Last week while traveling, Katie realized she had left her cell phone is a rest stop on I-75. By the time she got back to retrieve it, the tattoo covered, minimum wage cleaner had already turned it in, but it was locked in the office for the night. When Katie thanked the young woman profusely, grateful to know it was safe, the young woman admitted she was surprised to be treated so well. Most people were rude to her or ignored her completely, she admitted, no matter what she did. When they exchanged contact information so the phone could get mailed, Katie discovered the worker was a single mother, struggling to make ends meet, faithfully working every day to keep the rest stop presentable. When the phone arrived in a few days, in addition to the postage, Katie put a $100 store gift certificate on the young woman’s phone. Grace upon grace. Each of them a child of God, sharing the light of Christ. When we too receive the light of Christ, we get to share the light with others. We get to pass on the grace, because we are changed through Jesus Christ. 

John’s majestic theology about God’s Word enfleshed points us to the glorious reality of God among us, spreading grace and light all over the place. And if we choose to absorb some of that grace, some of that divine light, we find our lives spill holy grace and light on others all around us. Because in the word made flesh is life for all.