Slide #1
Review Names of God
Slide #2
Slide #3
There is always a beginning and there is always an end.
There is a beginning
Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
For as long as I have been alive I have heard the noise of the debate between the proponents of evolution and special creation.
Both take faith because neither has been nor can they be proven. To prove something scientifically it must be both observable and repeatable. So far, no one has observed the creation of anything let alone repeat it.
I believe in God as the creator quite frankly because it is more reasonable and takes less faith.
In any case no matter whether by evolution or by creation there is a beginning.
John 1:1
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.
That there is a beginning is self evident. Even Voltaire, the famous atheist of the eighteenth century has been quoted to say, “The world embarrasses me, and I cannot dream that this watch exists and has no watchmaker.”
And the watchmaker is God, who is the Alpha and Omega the first and the last, the beginning an the end, who is Jesus.
There is a beginning and there is an end. The older I get the more I recognize this simple reality.
Christmas Day as a child was a day that was (and is) much anticipated. You thought it would never come – but it always did.
And then it was done. The wrapping paper was ripped off and was strewn about. The food was consumed and the football game watched. The batteries were drained, the toys were cast aside, and the children had played, fought, shared, and run through the house. Now, it was done. There is an end to Christmas Day.
There is a beginning and an end to Man’s day
Slide #4
Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega
God is called the beginning and end in the Old Testament
Isaiah 41:4b
“Who has controlled history since the beginning?
I, the Lord, am the one. I was here at the beginning, and I will be here when all things are finished.”
He was called the Aleph and Tav
LORD is in all capital letters – this indicates the original word here is YAHWEH, the personal name of God.
He is here called the first and the last. The Alpha & Omega. Well, that is the greek first and last letters. The Hebrew letters are the Aleph & Tav. In both Hebrew and Greek the letters were used also as their numbers. First and last. Beginning and end.
God was also called the truth. Truth – Aleph-mem-tav – or the beginning, middle, and the end.
Slide #5
Jesus is called the beginning and end in the New Testament
Rev 22:12-13
12 “Listen! I am coming soon! I will bring my reward with me, and I will repay each one of you for what you have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, a the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
In John 1:1 Jesus was called the “word”. The original word in the greek is “logos”. It means much more than simply a “word”. It is better translated “message”. Jesus is a message from God to humankind.
John also recorded that Jesus said that he was the “truth”. In John 14:6 he said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father but by me.”
Jesus is the alphabet!
And in revelations, also written by the apostle John Jesus is called the Alpha and Omega. He is the first and the Last; the beginning and the end. Jesus is not just the word. He is the alphabet. He is from A-Z and everything in between.
Slide #6
The Christmas story has a beginning and an end
The beginning is familiar
It is a story of shepherds and wise men, of God’s angels and Herod’s soldiers. The journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem on a cold and starry night has been retold in uncountable children’s programs and Christmas pageants. It is a story that leads to a manger filled with straw and a baby swaddled in a blanket.
The end, though not joyful, is familiar too
It is also a story of common folks and uncommon rulers, of God’s angels gathered to watch in horror rather than singing in celestial joy. It is a story with Mary standing at the foot of the cross being held by John and remembering the tiny baby. It is a story of betrayal, touching moments with good friends, trials and trumped up accusations.
But (and here is the miracle) the end is a beginning
Just as God brought about the beginning of this world, he will bring about the end of this world. When the time has come, and the last battle has been fought and won, or fought and lost, depending on what side you are on then this planet, this world, this earth will disappear.
After the crucifixion comes the resurrection.
Slide #7
Jesus lives and he is the King of kings and Lord of lords
Handel’s Messiah
The composer was in despair. Struggling to earn a living in London, he knew days when he could not afford to buy meals. One night in 1741, depressed and defeated, he wandered the lonely streets; it was almost dawn when he returned to his shabby room. On a table was a thick envelope. it was from Charles Jennens, the man who wrote his librettos. Examining the pages, he found them covered with Scripture texts.
Wearily, he tossed the pages aside and crawled into bed. But he could not sleep. The words he had read returned to him:
Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God ... The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light ... For unto us a Child is born ... Glory to God in the highest ... Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Too stirred to sleep, he got up and went to his piano. The music flowed from his heart-rich, majestic, triumphant. He began to write. Night and day for three weeks, he wrote feverishly. He forgot sleep, food, rest. He refused to see anyone. At last, on the day the work was finished, one friend managed to gain entrance.
The composer was at his piano, sheets of music strewn around him, tears streaming down his face. "I do believe I have seen all of Heaven before me, and the great God Himself," he exclaimed.
Millions of people have been able to believe that.
The first audience to hear the composition -- in Dublin in 1742 --gave it the greatest ovation in the city’s history. Weeks later, London heard it for the first time, and again it was a triumph. The King was so impressed during the Hallelujah Chorus that he rose to his feet -- a custom that still prevails.
This Christmas, in churches and concert halls around the world, millions of people will once again find hope and faith in the message what has become the most beloved composition of all times --
George Frederic Handel’s Messiah.
King of Kings
"MESSIAH"
The kingdom of this world is become
the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and of His Christ;
and He shall reign for ever and ever
and He shall reign for ever and ever
and He shall reign for ever and ever
and He shall reign for ever and ever
King of Kings,
for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
and Lord of Lords,
for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
We come this morning to celebrate the alpha. We do this knowing there is an omega.
Tony Campolo, Minister and Professor of Sociology at Eastern University in Philadelphia asks this question: “When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this: When you die, will YOU be happy when everybody else is crying?”
Jesus came to give help you find your way home - Not by merit but by favor.
Mark Twain said “Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
It was John Wesley who said The world can say what it likes about us Methodist, but they have to admit: we die well.
Jesus came to help you live well and die well.
First and last – beginning and end. Live well and die even better with Jesus.
Invitation
