The Miracle of Christmas - The Miracle of the Message

During this Christmas season we’ll explore the miracle of Christmas from different viewpoints.

• December 3 – The Miracle of the Message
• December 17 – The Miracle of the Moment
• December 24 – The Miracle of the Method
• December 31 – The Miracle of the Manger

In each message, we’ll consider how the miracle of Christ’s coming into the world changed history, brought peace and offers the hope of salvation. 

During the first service in his series, we considered the miracle of the message Christ brought. A recording and the text of the message are below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m. (EDT)

Well, today it’s official. We’ve entered the season of Advent. Of course, even if most of y’all already know that (and I assume that you do), almost all of us aren’t really thinking in terms of Advent right now; instead, we are in the season of Christmas, right? I mean, give me a break. We haven’t decorated our houses for Advent. And we’re not wishing people a Merry Advent. And I’ll tell you something, regardless of the suggestions that may come from the denomination, there’s no way y’all are going to be happy if we wait until the twenty-fifth to sing Away in a Manger or Joy to the World or Silent Night. You see, regardless of what the liturgical calendar says, right here and now, we’re in the season of Christmas, something that Walmart realized sometime right after Halloween. 

And I’ll tell you, because I believe that’s what most of us are thinking, this morning we’re going to start a new sermon series that’s in keeping with the season entitled The Miracle of Christmas. You see, over four regular worship services, we’re going to look at Christmas from four different angles. And in each message, we’ll consider how the coming of Jesus Christ can shape who we are and what we do. Now that’s pretty much the series in a nutshell.

And this morning, we’re going to start the fruitcake rolling by looking at the Miracle of the Message, you know, the message Jesus came to share and how that message continues to resonate almost two thousand years after the crucifixion and the resurrection and the ascension. And I’ll tell you, I think starting this series with the message is appropriate. I mean, just listen to what the writer of the letter to the Hebrews said:

Long ago in many ways and at many times God's prophets spoke his message to our ancestors. But now at last, God sent his Son to bring his message to us. [Hebrews 1:1-2a, CEV]

You see, the message that God wanted us to hear literally entered our time and space when the incarnate Word, you know, the Word made flesh, came into our world. And that’s going to be our focus this morning. And to understand better what God was trying to communicate to us through the coming of Christ, we’re going to do two things. First, we’re going to spend a little time talking about what this message is. And then, second, we’ll consider why it’s just as important for us in western Pennsylvania today as it was for those disciples in Palestine almost two thousand years ago. Now that’s what we’ll be doing for the next ten minutes or so.

And like I said, we’ll start by talking about what this message is all about. Simply put, as we move through this miraculous time called Christmas, what does God want us to hear and to trust and to claim long after the trees have been taken down and we’re too tired to feel all that “merry” and even those carols that we all love so much today start sounding every bit as stale as those cookies we forgot to wrap up. And you know, it’s interesting; although there’s all kinds of good stuff in the message; I think we can focus on four words that, in my opinion, sort of sum up the message of Christmas. And I’ll tell you, they’re the four words on which we’ll focus as we light the Advent candles over the next four weeks. 

For example, because of Christmas, we really have a message of hope. Now that’s what we heard about at the beginning of the service. In other words, with the coming of Jesus Christ, God has offered us a concrete reason to trust that all the garbage and all the nonsense we have to face is temporary and that the time will come when God is going to fulfill all the promises that he’s made and that when all this happens, we’ll have the opportunity to live in a new heaven and a new earth, one where there’ll be no pain and no parting and no death. You see, just like we’ve been talking about over the last couple of weeks, we can trust that all this is going to happen; therefore, we can hope. And I’ll tell you, this was something that Christians knew right from the get go. For example, just listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:

I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. [Romans 15:13, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul said. And you know, this is pretty much the same kind of thing about which Peter wrote in his first letter:

Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on. God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear. [1 Peter 1:3-4, CEV]

You see, if we’re serious about understanding the miracle of the Christmas message, man, we’ve got to think about hope.

But that’s certainly not all, because it’s also all about peace, the word that will open our service next week. And I’ll tell you, what’s really exciting, at least to me, is this: the kind of peace we’re talking about is a whole lot more than just a lack of conflict. No, what Jesus Christ brought into the world involves a spirit that sort of ties everything together. It’s seen when all the essential parts are joined and working as a single unit for something greater than any of the individual parts. As a matter of fact, it represents that sense of wholeness that, according to scripture, only God can provide. And I think that’s the reason Jesus made this promise to his disciples right before his arrest. He said,

I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give. It isn't like the peace this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid. [John 14:27, CEV]

And a little later he also said,

I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world. [John 16:33, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said. But, you know, the Apostle Paul also believed that Jesus was the source of this kind of peace. Just listen to what he said to the Colossians:

Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. [Colossians 3:15, CEV]

And so, as we consider this miraculous message of Christmas, it’s really about peace.

But again that’s not all, because the miracle of Christ’s birth also involves joy, and I’m talking about a kind of joy that’s intense and exuberant and unrestrained. I’ll tell you, it was the kind of exaltation the people in ancient Israel felt when they celebrated the presence and power of God during one of their festivals. And it was what John the Baptist felt, before he was even born, when Mary, who was also with child, greeted his mother. You see, according to the Evangelist Luke, Elizabeth said, “For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.” [Luke 1:44, NRSVUE] Now, that’s the kind of feeling, the kind of attitude that was born at Christmas, something that the Apostle Paul described to Philippians when he wrote this:

Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. [Philippians 4:4-6, CEV]

Of course, Peter said pretty much the same thing when he wrote this:

You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy you are to be saved. This is why you have faith. [1 Peter 1:8-9, CEV]

You see, just like it was with hope and peace, Jesus also brought a message of joy, something we’re going to sing about at the end of the service.

But again, even that’s not all, because maybe the most glorious thing about the Christmas miracle is love, and I’m talking about the reality that we’re loved by God and that we now have the opportunity to show this love both to him and to our neighbors. In fact, in a very real way, I think you could say that the birth of Christ really is about love. But, as we’ve talked about before, this isn’t the same kind of thing we generally call love in our world. You see, the message of love that was made real in Bethlehem isn’t a feeling; instead, it’s all about action. In other words, God doesn’t just feel love; instead, he loved the world so much that he actually entered our time and space to do something for us that we couldn’t do for ourselves. It’s like John wrote in his first letter:

Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are. But since the people of this world did not know who Christ is, they don't know who we are. [1 John 3:1, CEV]

Now, that’s how God loves us. And I’ll tell you, it’s with this same attitude and this same determination, we’re called to love others. In fact, this was exactly what Jesus told his disciples to do when he said, 

But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples. [ John 13:34-35, CEV] 

And so, what is this message of Christmas? It’s a message of hope and a message of peace and a message of joy and of course, a message of love. I’ll tell you, to me, that’s the miracle of the message. 

And why is it important? Why was it important that, as Paul wrote to the Philippians, God “...gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us”? [Philippians 2:7, CEV] And why is it important for us not just to hear the message, but to claim it and to trust it and to integrate it into our lives? Well, I think there are three reasons that I can give you very briefly, because I’ll tell you, we’ve already been talking about them. You see, first, when we claim this message, we’re going to be able to face the future with hope, confident that, no matter how difficult things become or how strong the opposition appears to be, we are going to win, because, as Paul wrote to the Romans, “If God is on our side, can anyone be against us?” [Romans 8:31b, CEV] And second, when we trust it, we’re also going to be able to view the past with peace, assured that all that stuff we’ve done and left undone won’t be like an anchor, holding us back. You see, the chain has been broken; because, again as Paul wrote to the Romans, “...God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” [Romans 5:8, CEV] And finally, the minute we integrate this message into our lives, we’re going to live in the present feeling a whole lot more joy than we ever felt before while at the same time showing the kind of love both to God and to others that has the potential of changing the world, because, as Peter wrote, “Most important of all, you must sincerely love each other, because love wipes away many sins.” [1 Peter 4:8, CEV] You see, this is going to happen when we claim and trust and integrate into ourselves hope and peace, joy and love. And for me, that’s why this message is important.

But I’ll tell you, what may be best of all is this:  we can do it, right here and right now, we can do it on this first Sunday in Advent, because Jesus Christ was born almost two thousand years ago. Now throughout this Christmas season, we’ll talk about other miraculous things associated with this event. But today, let’s focus on the miracle of the message itself, you know, how it’s a message of hope and a message of peace and a message of joy and a message of love. And then, let’s be determined to make that message become a part of our Christmas celebration and beyond, because when we do, it’ll change how we face the future and how we view the past and how we live in the present. And I’ll tell you, for me, that really is the miracle of the message.