“Death Working Backwards”
Scripture: John 1:1-18
The life of Jesus is filled with what skeptics would call “impossibilities.” From the very moment the egg in Mary’s womb was fertilized by the Holy Spirit, to his long-predicted birth in Bethlehem, to his being sent and called out of Egypt, to the many miracles attributed to him; Jesus’ life is overflowing with one “impossibility” after another.
Peter Larson has written the following thought: “Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin’s womb and an empty tomb. Jesus entered our world through a door marked ‘No Entrance’ and left through a door marked ‘No Exit.’” – Peter Larson, Prism (Jan/Feb 2001)
It’s important to note the brackets of Jesus’ life here on earth. Jesus’ life is not summarized in his miraculous birth, but also in his miraculous resurrection. To see his birth is to look for his death. To see his death is to look for something more: his resurrection! The warmth and fuzziness of Christmas must give way to the cold and inhospitable climb to Calvary. And Calvary screams out for something more: his glorious resurrection on Sunday morning!
In a land where it is “always winter and never Christmas” there is also never a death and a resurrection. Christmas must point to something more than just a baby in a manger. That’s only a small part of the story! But if we as humans took in the whole picture we might not grasp it all, so we pick and choose the things we want to center our thoughts on!
It’s a wonderful thing that Christmas falls on Sunday this year. It gives us a chance to really take a close look at the life of Jesus so that we can see all parts and how interconnected they are. It’s a sad thing that many of the churches across the US have closed their doors today so that their members can spend time with their families and have a nice cozy Christmas by the fireplace, open their gifts and just a have a nice time. Maybe some of us have wondered why we had services today because it sure makes things awfully rushed to try to get the gifts open, because “We always open our gifts on Christmas morning!” and then try to get to church on time. Wow! It’s just too busy!
But a Sunday Christmas gives us a chance to look at Jesus’ birth in connection with his resurrection! Celebrating his birth on Sunday gives us a chance to see more than the stable.
For this advent and Christmas season I have chosen to reflect on the classic work by C.S. Lewis to explain the meaning behind the season. Initially we looked at what our life would be like if we had “always winter and never Christmas.” Many are stuck in that land. Even though they may have their holiday tree displayed nicely in the living room, or they may say “Happy holidays” at the checkout, they are stuck in the mire of never seeing the true meaning behind the holiday! There is hope because Jesus Christ is on the move!
We then looked at the peace that Jesus gives by contrasting what the world thinks of peace and the words of Jesus Christ when he said, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The question that Lucy asked of Mr. Beaver: “Is he safe?” met with a response that told us the nature of Christ. “Safe? Course he isn’t safe! But he is good!” It’s no wonder that there seems to be a war on Christmas. While many kitty-at Christians would like to see a safe and cozy Christmas, the enemies of Christ are very aware that their life would change drastically if Christmas came in its full meaning!
Then we saw that the presents which God has given to each of us is a fruit basket filled with tools, not toys. Many like to play at Christmas. In fact many like to play at their entire life. Work is not something they strive for! Life is serious and there are serious consequences involved with life. That’s not to say that life isn’t fun, oh no, it’s fun alright! When we use the tools God has given us in the manner in which they were to be used, there’s nothing more fun than that! There’s nothing more fun than a life overflowing with extravagant love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. When our Christmas is marked by these tools there will be an overflowing of those gifts within our world!
Then last week as we closed out our advent celebration we looked at what love means. “Here is you brother, and – there’s no need to him about what is past.” Parties are a big part of the Christmas celebration. How we deal with the irregular people in our lives reflects who we are as children of God.
That leaves us with today. How do we approach today? So far this morning we have sung “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” and the choir has repeated it. But if that song gives you a glow in your heart instead of a fire in your breast then there’s something wrong! We cannot just sing words when we are in the process of seeing the Word of God made flesh and making his dwelling among us!
Has earth received her King? Not if we continue to make ourselves royal highnesses! Has every heart prepared room for the Child of Christmas? Not as long as hearts are filled with anger and envy; greed and hatred. Does everything repeat our joy? Not as long as people are centered on their own attention. Is sin and sorrow abolished? Not as long as our world continues to rape and pillage so that a few may live a comfortable life-style. Does the world accept the Christ of Christmas, his truth, his grace, his righteousness? I’m afraid that we’re a long ways from that! It’s not going to happen unless Christ is on the move and the world begins to see and understand that his coming at Christmas is the beginning of the time when death works backwards.
That’s how Lewis explained Christ’s resurrection. He pictured the Lion of Narnia as having freely given his life for another and he told of an ancient prophecy which demanded death for traitors, but an even more ancient prophecy which allowed for “a willing victim who had committed no treachery (to be) killed in a traitor’s stead, (then) the Table would crack and death itself would start working backwards.”
Christ was willing to be born of a virgin and to willingly give his life so that his people may not die. He was willing to die so that grace and truth might come through him.
There are two elements in the scriptures which are placed opposite each other: (1) there is the Law and (2) there is grace. The Apostle John says that the Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The Law (all 613 precepts) demands death for any unrighteous person who transgresses the Law, but Jesus Christ brings life because he is the one who made death work backwards and bring life – first evident in the Easter garden and continues to bring life and health and peace.
There are lots of laws in the Old Testament and there are some who feel that we must follow all of the laws to the letter. It has been proven over and over again that it is not possible to keep the Law perfectly. We have a natural tendency to hate Gad and our neighbors. No matter how hard we work at it, the Law can never save. You and I may be good, but even good people are doomed without grace.
Christ is not some heavenly Santa Claus who makes a list, checks it twice to try to find out who’s naughty or nice. He’s well aware, as the author of the Law, that all of us fall so far short of what God requires that he had to intrude onto our planet and break the stone table and give us his grace so that death may work backwards.
Christ came at Christmas so that we might have freedom from the Law. No longer is it necessary to have an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. No longer is it necessary for someone to take another person’s life because they had shed blood. Jesus came to abolish that kind of thinking. Jesus came to fulfill everyone of those 613 laws so that we wouldn’t have to! He has eternally kept every precept so that he might rightfully dispense grace! He came to make death work backwards.
He also came to fulfill all of the prophets’ predictions. According to Max Lucado in his book, “He Chose the Nails: “Did you know that in his life Christ fulfilled 332 distinct prophecies in the Old Testament? What are the mathematical possibilities of all these prophecies being fulfilled in the life of
one man?
1 (Over)
840,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
(That’s 97 zeros!) Amazing!”
(Max Lucado, “He Chose the Nails,” (Nashville, TN, Word Publishing, © pg. 96) He came to make death work backwards!
Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly. Many of us will be heading home or to Grandma’s house, or some other relative in just a few moments and we will have our fill of wonderful celebration food, so many goodies we won’t know what to do with them all, put on 20 pounds just in one afternoon, and that only by looking at the food! The great Theologian Erma Bombeck once stated that we should “Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.” (http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/l/life.htm.) Is that what Jesus meant by saying that he would give us abundant life? Hardly. He came that he might take a life that was dead in trespasses and sins and make it a life that is living and vibrant and more to what God has intended for our lives to be! An abundant life is a life that was once dead and is now working backwards to life!
Jesus’ birth and life, his death and resurrection are so much more than whether we wish people a merry Christmas or if we choose to say Happy Holidays instead! It is so much more than the gifts we give each other from under a tree. It’s far greater than “Jingle Bells” or “Frosty the Snowman” or eating chestnuts that were roasted on an open fire. His birth brings about the beginning of peace between us and God and starts the process of removing death and making it work toward life. How great is that!
So as we celebrate today, we can celebrate like no one else can because we have a life that was given to us by the willing victim who had committed no treachery (and) was killed in a traitor’s stead (that’s us! And because of that death), the Table (of the Law) cracked and death itself has started working backwards. That’s the joy of Christmas! That is the Joy to the World available through the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. Amen.
