Can You Hear Me Now?
Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for collecting art. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of their family estate. The widowed father looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. But the day came when war engulfed the land, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram that his beloved son had been killed while carrying a fellow soldier to a medic.
On Christmas morning a knock came at the door of the old man’s home, and as he opened the door, he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand. He introduced himself to the man by saying, “I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for just a few moments? I have something to show you.” “I’m an artist,” said the soldier, “and I wanted to give you this.” As the old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of his lost son. Though the art critics would never consider the work a masterpiece, the painting did feature the young man’s face in striking detail, and seemed to somehow to capture his personality on canvass.
The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in anticipation because according to his will all of the art works would be auctioned upon his death. The day soon arrived, and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular and rare paintings. The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum’s list. It was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid. The room was silent. “Who will open the bidding with $100?” he asked. Minutes passed with not a sound from those who came to buy. From the back of the room someone callously called out, “Who cares about that painting? It’s just a picture of his son. Let’s forget it and go on to the important paintings.” There were other voices which echoed in agreement. But the auctioneer replied, “No, we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?” Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. “I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it. I will bid the $100.” “I have a bid for $100,” called the auctioneer. “Will anyone go higher?” After a long silence, the auctioneer said, “Going once. Going twice. Sold.” The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone was heard to say, “Now we can get on with it!” But the auctioneer looked at the audience and announced the auction was closed. Stunned disbelief quieted the room. Someone spoke up and asked, “What do you mean it’s over? We didn’t come here for a picture of some old man’s son. What about all of these paintings? There are millions of dollars worth of art here! We demand that you explain what’s going on!” The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son... gets it all.”
Lord, God and Heavenly Father open our eyes this morning and soften our hearts to hear the message of your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to set aside other thoughts now and let us simply focus on the significance of the birth of your only Son. May we be pleasing in your sight this morning, and found faithful this day, may we bless you as you have blessed us, in Christ’s name we pray, AMEN
Christmas is a time of year that conjures up all kinds of notions in our heads.
-When I think of Christmas memories I think of a little children’s book. It’s been our family’s tradition for over 20 years that someone always reads the Christmas story from this book before we touch any presents.
-I also think of my uncle Fred whose has gone home to be with Jesus now, but when I was a kid he would always make two big trays of cinnamon rolls. One with walnuts, one without.
-I also think of my childhood home with the tree placed in front of the big window that beheld Mt. Hood in the background. The presents all packed around the tree, and because I’m the oldest cousin, I can picture all of the little cousins racing around, shaking packages and trying to read the labels to figure out which ones belonged to them.
When we hear Christmas we think of all kinds of things. Favorite foods, trees, decorations, presents, and lights. People travel from great distances, to gather with friends and family. We think of the gifts we have bought and the gifts we will receive. We think about our family’s traditions, and the memories of years gone by. We watch as each generation of children grows up, and has their own children. We smile as children make discoveries about Santa Claus and where presents come from. We sing songs about Snow Men, and Reindeer and about the town of Bethlehem. None of those things are wrong…but ultimately Christmas is about just one thing: God’s son Jesus.
There has never been a greater gift that the gift of God’s son Jesus Christ.
-Romans 6:23 says that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.”
-John 4:10 calls our salvation the “gift of God”
-2 Corinthians 9:15 says “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
-Hebrews 6 calls it the “heavenly gift”
-and 1 Peter 3:7 says that Christ brings us the “gracious gift of life!”
No present you’ve ever received measures up to the gift of God. No higher cost was ever paid. No greater amount of affection was ever shown. And no gift deserves more gratitude than the gift of Jesus Christ.
Someone once said: "If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior."
Have you heard about the Savior? Do you know our Savior Jesus Christ?
I like those commercials on TV where the nerdy guy walks a few steps at a time and says, “Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?” Verizon Wireless is trying to show that they go to great lengths to make sure we can hear our phones clearly without delay or the inconvenience of a static filled phone line.
You know, our God has gone to great lengths to make sure we’ve heard him. He’s gone to great lengths to insure that we clearly heard his message.
He gave us plenty of advance warning. For a few thousands years God’s prophets warned us; The Messiah will come one day, he’s on the way, be watching, be ready, he’s coming.
-In the first book of the Bible Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 God foretold the coming of a Savior.
-Around 700 B.C. Isaiah said 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
-In the late 600’s BC Micah 5:2 But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Now, those are just a few examples from Scripture, but the prophets foretold Christ’s coming for thousands of years! With all that warning, however, God’s people unprepared for Christ’s arrival which is a shame, because God went to such great lengths to announce his Son’s entrance into this world.
-He sent the angel Gabriel to both Joseph and Mary.
-He sent a whole choir of angels to the Shepherds and…
-He led the Magi from the East by way of a mysterious moving star…
-Not everyone missed it though, others heard God’s message loud and clear. Anna worshipped the Christ child, and so did Simeon. The Magi, the Shepherds, they worshipped him. The Message God sent, the Message he wanted us to hear, WAS the Message of Jesus Christ. In fact you could rightly say that Jesus IS God’s Message.
This morning I want to talk to you about Jesus. We could spend our time this morning recounting the stables or the innkeeper or the picture a young mother riding a donkey. But this morning I just want to focus on Jesus.
Would you turn in your Bibles to John chapter 1 this morning?
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
The “Word” (notice the capital “W”). “Word” is logos in Greek and it’s a reference to Jesus, God’s Son. Now it may strike you as kind of odd that God’s son would be called the “Word”. Why call him that? Let me explain it to you.
When I want to talk with my wife…
When you want to talk to your coworkers…
When you pick up the phone to call someone…
When you sit down to write an email…
When you open a book or newspaper to find information…
When you open your mouth to communicate with someone…
YOU USE …WORDS! Words communicate. Why call Jesus the Word? Because Jesus was the message that God wanted to get through to us. He wasn’t just the message deliverer…he was the message. And so God calls Jesus “the Word”. God delivered a crystal clear message called Jesus Christ! And today God’s question for you is:
Can you hear me now?
Verse 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
We don’t always think of Jesus as being responsible for the creation. But John says all things were made through him. Nothing was made without him. Christ was present at the Creation, because like God, with God… Christ is eternal.
Christ wasn’t created at some point. God didn’t split himself off at sometime and create Jesus. Jesus wasn’t formed, or produced, or shaped into being at some moment in time. Jesus has always been there with God. When the universe was being formed Jesus was there forming it. When the sun and moon and skies were formed Christ’s hands were helping shape them. And for some reason we don’t always associate Jesus with the creation. Probably because most people don’t understand who Jesus is. Jesus IS God. He’s God with skin on. He’s God in human form. And if it blows your mind that Jesus is God, and that he helped create the world let me throw in one more detail. Colossians 1:17 says that he also sustains it! He holds everything “together”. In other words he created the world and he’s keeping it going.
As we think of Christmas we must imagine Jesus, and picture Him, the God who formed all things…being formed inside of a young mother’s womb. Imagine the Supreme Power and Supreme Presence and the Supreme Knowledge being formed inside the womb of a teenage girl.
Catch the irony here: Jesus the Creator of life, got to experience the miracle of life first hand. The Creator experienced what it was like to enter Creation. And I’ve got to imagine that going from the throne room of heaven into a make-shift delivery room was a drastic decline. It was a major step down. But he did it for a reason, he did it for us. He came as a Word from God. When the baby was delivered, God’s Message was delivered and his question for you this morning is this:
Can you hear me now?
Verse 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
In God’s Word, Jesus, came life and light. Life isn’t just in Jesus. Jesus is life. He created physical life in the beginning, and he came into this world to offer us eternal life. And he’s also called light. His light shines. He is the light of men.
-Isaiah (Is 42:6) predicted that the Jesus would be a “light for the Gentiles”, that’s me and you.
-Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light the of the world.”
What does light do? It makes things clear. It allows you to see. Jesus is our light. He shines in the darkness, he makes clear what God wants, he shows things for what they really are…but John says the darkness has not understood it. Darkness doesn’t understand Jesus. Though the light of Christ pierced through the darkness of this world, the darkness didn’t understand it. Some take this to mean that the darkness couldn’t overcome Christ’s light which is true. But the more accurate understanding is that darkness couldn’t comprehend, or absorb, or appropriate the Light!
When baby Jesus showed up he was the light to a dark world! Those people in tune with God knew it. They saw it. They stepped into Christ’s radiant light….but many others did not. In fact some of us here this morning have not yet received Christ and His light. But that isn’t because of a lack of effort on God’s part. Christ is a light that shines in this world. The light is still shining in this dark world. In the midst of poverty, oppression, famine and war Christ’s light still shines. In the midst of heartache, and shame, depression, and despair the light of Christ still shines! In the midst of corruption, and injustice, and materialism there is a light that still brightly shines, that still makes things clear, and reveals things for how they really are, that light…is Jesus Christ. And that light is bright and clear…The Word is Jesus, His message is clear, the question God has for you this morning is this:
Can you hear me now?
Verse 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
So, God not only spoke through his prophets predicting the coming of the Messiah. Before Jesus was born, God sent John the Baptist. John’s miraculous birth preceded Christ’s miraculous birth. And John’s inspired Message came as a forerunner to Christ who was the Message. What was John’s message? It’s this… in verse 9…that.
9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
Once, there was a woman who had waited until the last minute to send Christmas cards. She knew she had 49 people on her list. So she rushed into a store and bought a package of 50 cards without really looking at them. Still in a big hurry, she addressed the 49 cards and signed them without even reading the message inside.
On Christmas Day when things had quieted down somewhat, she happened to come across that one leftover card and finally read the message she had sent to 49 of her closest friends. Much to her dismay, it read like this: "This card is just to say a little gift is on the way." Suddenly, she realized that 49 of her friends were expecting a gift from her that they were never going to get!
In contrast John didn’t send Christmas cards with a promise that would never be fulfilled. John sent out the message that the “the light who gives light” was coming…and he came!
God’s Word became flesh. God’s didn’t send e-mails, or instant messages or a voice mail. He didn’t call on a land line, or cell phone. His Word was a person. His message arrived in the physical form of a man. God didn’t send a messenger. The man he sent was the message! And God’s question for you this morning is this:
Can you hear me now?
Verse 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
Did you catch that? He made the world but the world didn’t recognize him.
-Imagine Bill Gates walking into Microsoft and having the secretary say can I help you?
-Imagine Rick Warren walking into Saddleback and having an usher offer to find him a seat.
-Imagine Donald Trump with a good haircut. Just kidding. Imagine Donald Trump walking into to the Trump tower and having the doorman ask him what he wanted.
-Imagine Paul Allen walking into the Rose Quarter and being asked for his ticket.
Jesus walked into the world that he made and people didn’t recognize him.
I saw a commercial a few years back where a young man was playing his guitar in a bar. An old man asked him he could give it a try. The young man replied in kind of a cocky manner…you play? The man politely said, “A little” and proceeded to easily play that guitar with masterful skill. When he had finished the young man said, “what your name?” And the man replied, it’s on your guitar.”
Do you get the picture? Jesus walked into humanity. The Creator of the universe stepped foot on his Creation. He entered the world that he had made. The CEO walked into the boardroom and no one recognized him. The Liberator walked into the midst of slaves and stood unnoticed. Jesus Christ came into our scene with the message of life. And people didn’t recognize him.
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him. They didn’t accept him. Have you ever been looking for your car keys and they’re in your hands? Have you ever been looking for your kids at the store and they’re right behind you? Have you ever struggled to put something together and the instructions were still in the box?
All of us inwardly groan, and long for the satisfaction, and the peace, and the life, that only Christ can bring. And though he’s right in front of us, though he’s in our midst, though his message has been made clear, we miss it. Our eyes are closed, our hearts are hard, our ears are shut, and our fates our sealed. If we don’t receive Christ we are danger. It’s a pretty simple choice. God’s wrath or God’s grace. You can do it the easy or the hard way. But sadly many choose not to receive Christ. Verse 12…
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
I like how verse 12 starts out with the word “yet”. His own did not receive him, “yet” some did. And the people that have received Christ are given a special “right”. There is privilege, or benefit, or status for those that receive him. They become “children of God”. People say we’re all God’s children. That’s not really true. Only in the sense that God made us all. God’s children are the ones who have received God’s Son…Jesus Christ. And don’t underestimate the privilege of being one of God’s children. It is an indescribable privilege. It’s worth is so great you cannot put a price on it.
1 John 3:1 says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God!”
So the baby that lay in the manger 2000 years ago brought us the chance to be reborn. Not born again in the physical sense but reborn spiritually as sons and daughters of God. Baby Jesus was born to give us the chance to come into God’s family. Baby Jesus was born to bring peace between us and God, and allow us to dwell in harmony with Him. Baby Jesus was born to offer us something that we could never aquire on our own. He brought us the opportunity to be one of God’s sons or daughters. He brought us the chance to change our status, and become part of God’s family. And God’s question for you this morning is simple:
Can you hear me now?
Last verse…14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Word made his dwelling among us. God’s message was born in a mangy manger, to two young parents by way of God’s miraculous power. Christ’s glory was shown to this earth! You know sometimes, we tell the Christmas story as if it’s some family tradition or tall tale. We love to recount the story of Christ’s birth…but many people won’t come to terms with its implications.
-Christ’s birth was predicted by the prophets. That’s important.
-The virgin was found with child. That’s important.
-Jesus was born in humble circumstances in Bethlehem which is important.
-The angels sang, the shepherds worshipped, the Magi brought gifts, his family was in danger and fled, those things are all important.
But don’t miss the point. Don’t miss the most important thing. Christ was born to die. He entered in to be offered up. His birth was just the start of a countdown towards his death. We love the story of Christmas. But the story of Christmas doesn’t end with people gathered around a baby celebrating and praising the Lord and the camera slowly pulling out over some angelic soundtrack. The story of Christmas ends at the cross.
Can you hear what God is saying to you this morning? Following Jesus isn’t a seasonal sport. Following Jesus isn’t a like a favorite restaurant you visit once in a while. Following Jesus isn’t something that you do on the weekends, or during holidays. Following Jesus is a way a life. Following Jesus is how you get life. Following Jesus is the only chance you have of getting into God’s family.
Most of you have heard the story of Christmas a million times. But some of you have never wrestled with it’s implications. Some of you have never gotten past the nostalgia and satisfaction that traditions bring, and you’ve never gotten into the substance of Christmas. You’ve never really dealt with the Message of the Christ child.
And the time for to do that is now. The time to recognize your need for Jesus is always now. The time to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior is always, right now. Don’t let another Christmas go by where you simply pay lip service to the Savior. Don’t let another of Christ’s birthdays pass by without you wrestling with the Word of God. You’ve all listened to the story of Christmas. But some of you need to truly hear it for the first time.
You know of the baby in the manger. But you don’t know Christ the King, the Creator, the Word of God, the Savior of the World. You know of him, but that’s not enough. You need to know him, you need to call him your own, you need to receive Christ as your King.
CLOSE: There is a story of a missionary team that had been invited to Russia to teach Christianity. It was Christmastime, and as they taught the story of Christ’s birth at an orphanage, everyone listened in amazement. None of the kids or the staff had ever heard it before.
One of the missionaries wrote: "We gave the children some craft supplies and instructed them to create the manger scene that they had just heard about. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat; he looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project.
"As I looked at the little boy’s manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. I called for a translator to ask why. Looking at his completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story accurately, until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus into the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib his own ending to the story.
"He said, ’And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mother and no father, and that I didn’t have a place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. So I got into the manger with Jesus, the second baby is me.
I love Christmas and I love the Christmas story. I’m sure you do as well. I love picturing the baby Messiah in the manger. But let me tell you something this morning…without the cross in mind, Christmas is meaningless. Jesus was born to die. He came to die, and be resurrected, and so bring life to all who would receive him.
God sees every person on this planet. He has loved every person that has ever breathed the air in this world. And he is desperate to communicate with you. He is eager for you to receive the message of his son Jesus. He is passionate about saving your soul. He hurts when he sees you suffering in your sins. He will do anything and everything to make sure that his message has been made clear. And he offered his only Son to prove it.
Some of you like to plug your ears when you hear God’s message. Some of you think you don’t have time, or that you know better, or you don’t need Jesus in your life. Christmas is a time when we remember that that isn’t true. We are all in desperate in need of God’s saving grace. We are in desperate need of Christ’s saving blood. Can you hear God now? Will you receive God now?
offering
