Christmas Eve 2003 John 1: 1-14
Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray: Lord God, on this special night, we celebrate the birth of your dear Son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ. He is your Word made flesh, that we might truly know your steadfast love and faithfulness toward your creation. Thus, we praise your name, for you did not leave us in the dark, but came to us so that we might walk by the light of your grace. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts to a deeper and more meaningful relationship with you, and empower us to reflect your love to those around us. This we ask in Christ’s holy name. Amen.
Once again we have gathered, on this holy night,
To worship our God, midst the glow of candlelight,
For the love which he, throughout the ages, has shown,
And through his Holy Scriptures, to us, has made known.
So open your minds, to what the Scriptures proclaim,
And allow God’s Spirit, our hearts to set aflame,
With gratitude, that we, might forever embrace,
The unmerited gift, of God’s, tremendous grace.
His love’s first revealed, in the Genesis story,
When God sent forth, by his own creative glory,
The power, which stirred, the unmeasured emptiness,
And rumbled, o’er the void, so great in its vastness. Thus, in proper succession, in his own wise way,
God created light, to separate the night, from day,
Assembled the galaxies, each planet and sun,
And chartered the orbits, they would endlessly run.
Then on this small planet, we have come to call earth,
God’s creative word, lovingly came to give birth,
To the grass and the trees, and beautiful flowers,
To the animal life, roaming woodland bowers.
He filled the seas and lakes, with fish of every size,
And brought into being, birds to fly through the skies,
Then ended his work, of our planet’s creation,
By forming humankind, as his culmination.
Yes, according to Scripture, it was by God’s grace,
That he brought forth life, and endowed the human race,
With the mind of reason, in order to employ,
The fruits of the earth, to our benefit and joy.
It was a time of innocence, and carefree days,
Of glowing sunsets, unclouded by toxic haze -
A time of abundance, with ample to provide,
For the needs of all people, on earth to abide.
But according to Scripture, in the days long past,
God’s design, for innocent life, was short to last,
As Adam and Eve, symbols for the human race,
Ignored God’s precepts for life, thus spurning his grace.
Yes, ‘twas with humanity, sin first had its start,
Corrupting the purity, of each person’s heart,
Which gave rise to selfishness, coveting and greed -
To amassing wealth, while ignoring those in need.
For centuries God witnessed, in total dismay,
As the human race, further and further did stray,
From the life that God, did originally intend,
When his power of creation, he did extend.
Once again, God decided, to reveal his grace,
When people held in bondage, he came embrace,
And free them from the wrath, of Pharaoh’s obsession,
To build his empire, through the blood of oppression.
Thus, Moses and Aaron, responded to God’s will,
By confronting Pharaoh, demanding he fulfill,
Our Creator’s decree, that his oppression cease,
And grant to his slaves, unconditional release.
Then through a display, of God’s omnipotent might,
Pharaoh bowed to God’s will, granting Israel flight,
From the bonds of slavery, as God did demand,
To live as a free people, redeemed by his hand.
God then pledged a covenant, with those he set free,
Through the miraculous parting, of the Red Sea,
When at Mount Sinai, Moses, was called to ascend,
That God’s precepts for life, they’d come, to comprehend.
God’s wisdom was recorded, on tablets of stone,
That his will for all people, might ever be known,
Through the lives of a nation, eager to embrace,
The law God recorded, according to God’s grace.
But the seed of sin, that was planted long ago,
In the hearts of the people, continued to grow,
As God’s precepts for life, that he had directed,
Were by those he redeemed, selfishly rejected.
E’en though God sent prophets, in order to lead,
His people to return, to the life he decreed,
Scripture tells us that they, were so often ignored,
As power and mammon, were publicly adored.
But God’s love for his creation, remained steadfast,
As Scripture reveals, two-thousand years past,
That again God chose, to redeem the human race,
Through an unmerited gift, of his steadfast grace.
E’en though our actions, should result in God’s anger,
He responded with love, ‘stead of righteous rancor,
By sending his Son, to live among human kind,
That God’s purpose for life, might envelop our mind.
Thus, according to John, there can’t be any doubt,
As to what, Christ’s incarnation, is all about,
For he describes the child, to whom Mary gave birth,
As God’s own creative Word, descending to earth.
Yes, God’s Word came among us, to reveal his light,
In order, to again, give a renewed insight,
That through Christ’s example, we might come to aspire,
To the life God did, at his creation inspire.
And through his life, as on earth, it came to unfold,
We have the ability, God’s grace, to behold,
In Christ’s compassion for those, who were in ill health,
In his teaching to share, with those, of little wealth.
His grace was revealed, in teaching us to forgive,
To in peace, embrace each other, with whom we live,
As persons God created, for whom we should care,
While living out our life, on this planet we share.
And though each person, to God’s Word, owes our being,
John states that we, often have trouble, believing,
That in Christ, God’ own Son, entered his creation,
To offer his life, as our means, of salvation.
Thus once again, the seed of sin, came to arise,
As those who were in power, plotted to devise,
A plan that would bring, our Lord’s teachings to an end,
In order, their honor and prestige , to defend.
But God’s Word, that became flesh, would not be deterred,
By the power of sin, that all around him, stirred,
For his life meant more, than an example to give,
Of how our Creator, intended us to live.
For God’s Word came to earth, according to his grace,
In order that he, might fully, come to embrace,
The people he created, in long ages past,
With the knowledge of his love, to which he holds fast.
Yes, for those who are able, to trust with their heart,
That in Christ, God is present, his grace to impart,
He grants, not only courage, our lives to amend,
But offers a new hope, to which we might ascend.
For though Christ died on a cross, our sins to forgive,
God raised him from the grave, that he might also give,
The hope of eternal life, that we might reside,
With our risen Christ, and in God’s presence, abide.
Thus, it is my prayer, this day of celebration,
For all who have gathered, in this congregation,
That we might accept, in our hearts, this very night,
God’s Word become flesh, and learn to live, by his light.
For although it is Christmas, two-thousand-and-three,
God’s loving grace is still working, to set us free,
From the burden of sin, that Christ came to efface,
That a relationship with God, we might embrace.
Amen
