The Miracle of Christmas - The Miracle of the Method

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 third service in his series, we considered the miracle of the method, in other words, the way Christ came. 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. (EST) 

Well, here we are, Christmas Eve. In terms of the calendar, we couldn’t be closer to the big day. And because of that, this may be one of the most exciting days in kiddom. I mean, just think about what’s going on. The elves on our shelves have made their last trip to the North Pole for about eleven months. And even as we speak, Santa has already loaded the sled, hitched up the reindeers and is on his way. (Remember, right now, it’s already 12:30 Christmas morning in Sydney, Australia.) And for the next ten days, the children in Clarion County are free, they are free at last, thank God Almighty, they are free at last. In other words, there won’t be a whole lot of learning going on for the next week or so. Now, I think that’s how it looks about three feet from the floor.

Of course, to get to this point, our kids have gone through a whole bunch of stuff last week, and I’m talking about parties and concerts and, from what I understand, even a visit from Santa at Sligo Elementary a couple of weeks ago. And although I don’t know about y’all, as I look back, well, this hasn’t changed all that much in the last 60 years. I know for me, we did the same kind of stuff every year, with the exception of Christmas 1967. You see, when I was in fifth grade, Mrs. Hubbard, whom I think was about 180 at the time, gave us a Christmas project right before our break. You see, sometime in middle December, she assigned each of us a country (mine was Austria, lucky me), and we had to write a report on how the people of that country celebrated Christmas, which we had to read to the whole school in costume. Of course, that was really difficult for me personally, because as y’all can probably guess, I’ve always been a really shy person. 

And I’ll tell you, that’s sort of what we’ll be looking at this morning. Now, as I hope most of y’all know, we’ve been talking about some of the different aspects involved in the miracle of Christmas. For example, a few weeks ago, we looked at the miracle of the message, you know, how it’s about hope and peace, joy and love. And then, last Sunday, we talked about the miracle of the moment, you know, talking about how the birth of Jesus was expected and is radical and will last. Now that’s what we’ve already done. And this morning we’re going to consider what I think you could call the miracle of the method, in other words, that God chose to enter our time and space as a baby who was laid in a manger. That’s going to be our focus. And to accomplish this, we’re going to answer two questions: first, how did God do it, you know, how did he come; and second, why did God enter our time and space, in other words, why was this kind of coming important for folks then and for folks today. Now, that’s the plan. And hopefully, after we’re done, we’ll be able to see how the method of his entry was and is truly miraculous.

And do this, we’re going to start with how, you know, how did God enter our time and space as Jesus? Now that’s our first question. And I’ll tell you, I think the Apostle Paul offered an outstanding answer when he wrote this to the Philippians:

Christ was truly God.

But he did not try to remain 

    equal with God.

Instead he gave up everything 

    and became a slave,

when he became

    like one of us.

Christ was humble.

He obeyed God and even died

    on a cross.

Then God gave Christ

    the highest place

and honored his name

    above all others.

So at the name of Jesus

    everyone will bow down,

those in heaven, on earth,

    and under the earth.

And to the glory

    of God the Father

everyone will openly agree,

    “Jesus Christ is Lord!” [Philippians 2:6-11, CEV]

Now that was what Paul wrote. You see, for him, this was how God came to us. 

And I want to notice the pattern. In the beginning, Christ, the Son, was truly God, something that the Evangelist John also believed when he wrote this to start his Gospel:

In the beginning was the one

    who is called the Word.

The Word was with God

    and was truly God.

From the very beginning

    the Word was with God. [John 1:1-2, CEV]

You see, for both Paul and John, that’s the way it was. But, of course, that’s not how the story ends. I mean, instead of staying exactly as he’d always been, God did something remarkable. He gave up everything he had and became one of us. And not only did Paul say it, it was something that John also believed when he wrote, 

The Word became

a human being

    and lived here with us. [John 1:14, CEV]

Now, this was what God did, and just think about what that involved. Although he was eternal and all knowing and all powerful, he took on our limitations, all our limitations, when he became like you and like me. For example, he was born and he lived like us. Therefore, he knew what it felt like to be hungry and tired, to be happy and angry, to be scared and confused. As a matter of fact, God even experienced death itself when he died on a cross. Why, because, by his choice, he entered our time and space as a baby who was laid in straw after he was born. But then, after his death, as Paul reminds us, the Son returned to the Father, the Word reentered the Godhead, the Christ resumed his place in heaven. Now, if you can’t quite get your head around all this, that’s alright. Remember, we’re limited; therefore, we’re going to have to accept what Paul realized when he wrote this to the Romans:

Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does? [Romans 11:33, CEV]

I’ll tell you, if complete understanding was beyond the Apostle Paul, the odds are certainly against you or me. But you know, regardless of whether we understand the details or not, the main point doesn’t change. God chose to take on our limitations when he became one of us. And that’s how God entered our time and space as Jesus, and I think that’s the answer to our first question. 

And so, with that done, now we’re left simply with why, why did God enter our time and space? In other words, why is it important to us, and I’m talking about right and right now? That’s our second question, and you know, I think there are two reasons why this method was important. I mean, on one hand, I believe it helps us understand God, both who he is and what he wants us to do. Just listen to what John wrote in his first letter:

The Word that gives life

    was from the beginning,

and this is the one

    our message is about.

Our ears have heard,

    our eyes have seen,

and our hands have touched

    this Word.

The one who gives life appeared! We saw it happen, and we are witnesses to what we have seen. Now we are telling you about this eternal life that was with the Father and appeared to us. We are telling you what we have seen and heard, so you may share in this life with us. [1 John 1:1-3a, CEV]

Now that’s what John wrote, and just think about what it means. Because Jesus was born like us, we were able to see stuff we would otherwise never witness. For example, we were able to see God’s absolute authority every time Jesus cast out a demon or stilled a storm or walked on water. And we were able to see God’s incredible love every time Jesus fed a crowd when they were hungry or he gave sight to a man who’d been blind from birth or that one time, died on a cross, because it was through that death that we were freed from sin. These things people saw Jesus do; therefore, we’re able to know exactly who God is. But I’ll tell you, seeing is only half of it. I mean, because Jesus was born like us, we were able to hear things we otherwise never would have heard. For instance, we were able to hear him say that 

God will bless you people

who are poor.

    His kingdom belongs to you!

God will bless

    you hungry people.

You will have plenty

    to eat!

God will bless you people

who are now crying.

    You will laugh! [Luke 6:20-21, CEV]

And we were able to hear Jesus say this: 

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]

I’m telling you, these things people heard Jesus say; therefore, we’re able to know exactly how God wants us to live. And so, why did God come to us as Jesus? On one hand, through this coming, we can understand who God is and what God wants us to do. 

On the other hand, though, I believe it also enables God to identify with us. I mean, just listen to what it says in the Letter to the Hebrews:

We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. This is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help. [Hebrews 4:14-16, CEV]

Now that’s what it says, and again, just think about what it means. When God came as one of us, when he took upon himself all our weaknesses, not only were we able to understand him, in a real way, God brought us into himself, into his very being. And because of that, God can identify with us in an extremely profound way. I mean, God can understand our limitations, because he was also limited. And God can understand our challenges because he was also challenged. And God can understand our feelings because he felt them too. You see, because he became one of us, that’s who God is. And let me tell you why I think that’s crucially important for us as we deal with our limits and challenges and feelings. Since this is who he is, we can approach God with all our pain and sadness, with all our frustrations and fear, with our confusion and doubt, in other words, we can approach God just as we are, confident that he’ll understand. I’m telling you, because we believe that Jesus has walked in our shoes and because we trust that he knows firsthand what we’re going through; we can actually look to him for undeserved grace and genuine help. You see, because he came the way he did, we can understand God and God can identify with us. And I’ll tell you, that’s why he did it; that’s why he entered our time and space; that’s why he came to us as a baby. the answer to our second question.

And now, well, now we’re a little bit closer to Christmas morning than we were about fifteen minutes ago. Our elves on our shelves are quiet. Santa is on the move. And even if no one in our families had to wear long socks, shorts and suspenders to a school assembly in December, because, if you squinted, they sort of looked like lederhosen, school is out for over a week. Christmas is almost here. But before it officially comes, let’s pause for just a minute and think about this miraculous birth, you know, how God entered our time and space as the baby Jesus and why he did it this way, because it enables us to understand God and it enables God to identify with us. And at least for me, that really is the miracle of the method.