CHRISTMAS EVE
DR. JIM DIXON
DECEMBER 24, 2006
HEBREWS 1:1-6
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for angels is the word malakim. This word means “messengers,” persons or people or beings who are sent with a message. In the New Testament, the Greek word for angels is the word angeloi and this word also means “messengers,” someone who is sent with a message. Of course it is true throughout history that on rare occasions God has chosen to deliver a message to us by angels. This certainly was true with regard to the birth of Christ and the whole celebration of Christmas for the angel said, “I bring you good news of great joy. Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”
God has also, throughout history, spoken to us by prophets. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for prophet is navi, and this word is etymologically uncertain but many scholars believe that it comes from a root word which means “to announce.” In the New Testament, the Greek word for prophet is the word prophetes, which means “to speak for” or “to speak in behalf of” and it’s used in the Bible to refer to those who speak for God or those who speak on behalf of God. Certainly God has spoken to us by prophets.
In our passage of scripture for today, the Bible tells us that Jesus is infinitely greater than the angels or the prophets. Jesus is a messenger like no other. He has brought a message like no other. This morning as we look at Jesus Christ and His coming into the world, I really have two teachings and the first is simply this: Jesus is God’s letter to us. He is not a letter. He is the letter to us and He is God’s love letter. He’s a love letter from God to us.
On November 9th in the year 1978, L. Gordon Cooper, who was one of the original seven American astronauts, wrote a letter to the United Nations. In that letter, Gordon Cooper asked the United Nations to establish an International Task Force to examine the subject of UFOs. In the letter, Cooper wrote that he had, while in space, observed UFOs. Cooper also said that he knew other astronauts who, while in space, also observed UFOs and that they reported their sightings to the United States Government and the U.S. Government has ignored it and so he’s asking the United Nations to establish a task force on UFOs in hope that somehow we might communicate with extraterrestrial beings.
I don’t know what the United Nations did with that request and I’m sure that in this room there’s really no one who’s an expert on UFOs. Some people view UFO sightings as hallucinatory. I think most people view UFO sightings as visual distortions of natural phenomena like weather balloons. There are some people who think UFOs are spacecraft from alien planets with higher intelligence and technology than our own. There are even a few people who believe that UFO’s are demonic manifestations because in the Bible in the Book of Ephesians we’re told that the devil is the prince of the powers of the air.
I think most of us would say we don’t really know what UFOs are, but we do know this. I know this. I know we do live on a visited planet. This world has been visited by the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, born into this world at Bethlehem. Of course theologians call this the incarnation from the Latin word meaning “in the flesh.” The Bible tells us that Jesus is indeed God in flesh, so in John, chapter 1, the Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The incarnation.
In our passage of scripture for today we’re told that He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of His nature. Again, the incarnation. When He brings the Firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” Why? God in the flesh. Incarnation.
You come to Colossians, chapter 1, and the Bible says that Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. Again, the incarnation. You come to Philippians, chapter 2 and the Bible says, “Have this mind in you, which is yours in Christ Jesus who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be held onto but He emptied Himself, taking on the form of a servant being born in the likeness of man.” Again, the incarnation.
You go to the Old Testament, Isaiah, chapter 9, “Unto us a child is born. Unto us a Son is given. The government shall be upon His shoulders. His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Everlasting and the Prince of Peace.” The incarnation.
Of course you look in Matthew’s nativity account and in Luke’s nativity account and both describe the virgin birth. Both describe the virgin birth. What’s that about? It’s about the incarnation, God coming in flesh. We sing about this in our Christmas carols like “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” We sing, “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see. Hail the incarnate deity, pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.” The incarnation.
I wonder sometimes… You can look back at church history and you can see all the ecclesiastical councils that discussed ad infinitum and ad nauseam the whole issue of what it means to be “in flesh” and what it means to be “God man” and you wonder if they ever ask the question, “Why?” I think at Christmastime a lot of people celebrate Immanuel, God with us, but why? Why did He come into the world? What’s it all about? Of course it’s about love. That’s what Christmas is all about. It’s about love and so we have John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” It’s all about love and Jesus, you see, is the love letter from God come into the world. The Bible is very clear. Jesus came to court His Bride. Did you know that? That Jesus Christ came into the world to court His Bride and to die for her that she might be washed clean and clothed in white and that He might take her home with Him. Who is His Bride? The Bible tells us it is the Church. The Church is the Bride of Christ. He came to court her, to die for her, to cleanse her, to clothe her in white and to bring her home. The Bible tells us that the gospel is really a marriage proposal. The Gospel is a proposal of marriage inviting you to be part of the Church—not this church or any local church but the church universal, the Bride of Christ, to receive Him as your Savior and Lord and be washed clean, clothed in white, bound for heaven. That’s the gospel. That’s a marriage proposal.
I don’t know whether you can look back on when you proposed to your wife or perhaps when you proposed to your husband. If you’re married today, remember that moment. Maybe you were nervous. I know I was.
I want you to see a little clip from a move called “Pride and Prejudice.” Not all marriage proposals go well.
“These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings for the single object of seeing you. I had to see you. I fought against my better judgement, my family’s expectation, the inferiority of your birth, my rank, and circumstance. All these things I’m willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony.” “I don’t understand.” “I love you. Please do me the honor of accepting my hand.” “Sir, I appreciate the struggle you’ve been through and I am very sorry to have caused you pain. Believe me, it was unconsciously done.” “This is your reply?” “Yes, Sir.” “Are you laughing at me?” “No.” “Are you rejecting me?” “I’m sure that the feelings which you’ve told me which offended your regard will help you in overcoming it.” “Might I ask, why, with so little indifferent civility, I must repulsed?” “And I must as well inquire why, with so evidence a design of insulting me, you chose to tell me that you like me against your better judgement.” “No, believe me… ” “If I was uncivil then that is some excuse, but I have other reasons. You know I have.” “What reasons?” “Do you if anything I would accept the man who has ruined perhaps forever the happiness of a most beloved sister? Do you deny it, Mr. Darcy? That you separated a young couple who loved each other, exposing your friend to the center of the world of caprice and my sister to derision for disappointed hopes and involved the broken misery of the acutest kind?” “I do not deny it.” “How could you do it? “Because I believed your sister indifferent.” “Indifferent?” “I watched them most carefully and realized his attachment was deeper than hers.” “That’s because she is shy!” “Bingley, too, is modest and was persuaded that she didn’t feel strongly for him.” “Because you suggested it!” “I did it for his own good.” “My sister hardly shares her true feelings to me. I suppose you suspected his fortune had some bearing on the matter.” “No! That wouldn’t do your sister the dishonor though it was suggested… ” “What was?” “It was made perfectly clear that an advantageous marriage… “”Did my sister give you that impression?” “No! No, no. There was, however I have to admit, the matter of your family.” “Our want of connection? Mr. Bingley didn’t seem to worry himself about that.” “No. It was more than that.” “How, Sir?” “It was the lack of propriety shown by your mother, your three younger sisters, even on occasion your father. Forgive me. You and your sister I must exclude.” “What about Mr. Wickham?” “Mr. Wickham?” “What excuse did he give you? Your behavior towards him?” “You take an eager interest in that gentleman.” “He told me of his misfortunes.” “Oh, yes, his misfortunes have been very great indeed.” “You ruin his chances and yet you treat him with sarcasm.” “So this is your opinion of me? Thank you for explaining so fully. Perhaps these offenses might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honesty and admitting scruples about our relationship. Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?” “And those are the words of a gentleman? From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry!” “Forgive me, Madam, for taking up so much of your time.”
Well, there is a marriage proposal gone bad. Somehow I feel I did a little better than that when I proposed to Barb. But really the book that the movie was based on was written by Jane Austen. Jane Austen was a minister’s daughter. She was a preacher’s daughter and she knew that she lived in a world that was riddled with pride and with prejudice and she also knew that oftentimes people didn’t respond to the love of Jesus Christ and really the offer of the gospel because of pride and prejudice. There’s a sense in which—if you would be part of the Bride of Christ and join His Church—you must humble yourself, acknowledge need for forgiveness, come in repentance and be asked to be cleansed and be made whiter than snow, that you might be clothed in white. I think, too, that fear of prejudice can keep people from becoming Christians. It is true, because the world loves darkness rather than the light, the Bible says. Oftentimes throughout history, Christians have been persecuted, and they are today. I think sometimes when people look at the gospel they think, “Do I really want to commit myself to Christ knowing there might be a cost and I might be the victim of prejudice.” I certainly think Christmas and the love it represents and the offer that is given is not easy. Yet today, perhaps on this Christmas Eve, you sense God calling you and you would want to respond to the love of Jesus Christ and join His Bride.
There is a second teaching this morning, very briefly, and that teaching is this: if you become a Christian, you’re called to be a love letter. If Jesus Christ is the Love Letter, if the Gospel is really a proposal of marriage, all who come to Him, all who join His Church, are called to go into the world as love letters from God. That’s the call of Christ upon us.
You’ve all heard of St. Nicholas. Historians tell us that from an historical perspective, St. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra in the 4th Century AD. Myra was located in what is now modern-day Turkey. There are a lot of legends that surround St. Nicholas. One legend tells us that he went on a pilgrimage to Egypt and to Israel that he might walk in the footsteps of Christ. That legend is perhaps true. Another legend is that he was incarcerated by the Roman Emperor Diocletian and then released by Constantine the Great and that he was actually a representative at the Council of Nicaea, summoned by Constantine. That may or may not be true. We don’t know. We do know the feast day for St. Nicholas is in December and has always been in December. We also know that strong traditions teach from very early times that he was known for his love and that he loved to give gifts to people and particularly to children. It’s for these reasons that St. Nicholas came to be associated with Christmas.
In Germany, St. Nicholas was called Father Christmas. In Holland, St. Nicholas was called Sinterklaas, which is simply Dutch for St. Nicholas, but it has been anglicized as Santa Claus. And yet St. Nicholas is not Santa Claus and he was not Santa Claus. He was simply a humble Christian, a monk, who sought to follow Jesus Christ and who responded to the love of Christ and then gave his life as a love letter to others. He is an example for us, really, that we should offer our lives as love letters to others.
The Bible tells us that God is love and he who loves is born of God and knows God and he who does not love does not know God, for God is love. It’s a pretty simple message. It’s pretty clear and pretty powerful. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, you’ve been called to a life of love and to be a love letter from God.
Barb and I have a garden at home. It doesn’t look very good right now. It’s buried under a whole lot of snow. In our garden we have a statue and it’s a statue of Giovanni Bernardone. Giovanni Bernardone was one of the greatest Christians who ever walked this earth. Giovanni was born in 1181 in what is now called Italy. Giovanni was born into a very wealthy family. His father was a textile merchant and one of the wealthiest men in that region of the world and so Giovanni grew up kind of selfish and spoiled, wanting all the privileges of wealth. He wanted all of the material things that wealth could provide. He wanted all of the social and political powers that wealth could provide. He wanted all the hedonistic pleasures that wealth could provide, and so he lived through his teenage years.
When he was 21 years of age, in the year 1202, Giovanni went to war. His city went to war with a nearby city-state called Perugia and Giovanni wanted to be involved in that. He thought this would be the ultimate adventure, to risk one’s life in war. And so he went to war and in the context of that war he was apprehended and incarcerated, placed in prison. He remained in prison for more than a year, and that changed Giovanni. When he came out of prison he would never be the same and he began a kind of spiritual quest. In the midst of this spiritual quest, he sought ultimate truth.
In the year 1205, he had this great vision and Giovanni saw Jesus Christ resurrected and alive and it was, for Giovanni, a kind of Damascus Road sort of experience that the Apostle Paul had once had. Giovanni, in the aftermath of his vision of Christ, went into educational preparation for the priesthood. He took a vow of poverty. He took all of his wealth that he had inherited and he began to distribute it to churches and to the poor and he began to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and he resolved that above all else that he would manifest the love of Jesus Christ. In effect, he would be a love letter.
In the year 1210, Giovanni founded a religious order that was blessed by Pope Innocent III and that religious order continues to this day. In the year 1212, Giovanni entered the mission field. He went to Asia, where he sought to take Jesus to the Muslims. People told Giovanni that he was wasting his time, that the Muslims were people who lived by the sword and they would never ever be interested in the message of Jesus Christ. Giovanni said, “I will love them and I will love them with the love of Jesus Christ.” So he went to them and he respected them and he honored the Muslims and he loved them. As he loved them, they came to Christ by the hundreds.
The year was 1224 when Giovanni began to manifest the stigmata, spontaneously generated blood on his hands, on his feet, in his side. He began to manifest the marks of the crucifixion of Christ. Giovanni said, “I’m willing to manifest the suffering of Christ but my longing has always been to manifest his love.” In 1226, Giovanni died. In 1228 he was canonized.
Just a little over ten years ago, Pope John Paul II declared Giovanni the Patron Saint of ecology. It is true that Giovanni loved nature and he loved animals, but most of all Giovanni loved people. He loved Jesus and he loved people. Of course, he is not known as Giovanni Bernardone. He is known as St. Francis because he was Giovanni Francesco Bernardone. The Franciscan Order remains to this day. He was a great man who accepted the marriage proposal of Christ and joined the Church and embraced Christ as Savior and Lord and then went about being a love letter in the world. It is not an easy thing to do. It is not an easy thing to sustain.
Friday night Barb and I had kind of been cooped up a few days like many of you and someone finally had come and plowed out our cul-de-sac. We had tickets to the Nuggets game. Alan Iverson was making his debut with the Denver Nuggets. We thought this might be kind of fun to see. Sacramento’s not very good but Alan Iverson would be fun to see. Of course Sacramento wound up beating us and of course we were without Mellow and Smith and even Camby, but there was Alan Iverson making his debut. The place was packed and it was so exciting. Of course, Alan Iverson was raised in poverty and really has kind of a tragic life story. Alan Iverson has done some bad things and he’s been in trouble with the law. Today, Alan Iverson, though he has a wife and four kids, has kind of a mixed reputation and people are going to want to see how he’s going to behave. It was interesting to watch him at this game as he really was trying to win friends and influence people. He was dishing the ball off. He scored 22 points, had 10 assists. He would have had 25 assists if people could finish it off once he passed the ball to them. He was just trying to be selfless. I mean you could just watch him the whole game. He was just trying to be selfless. There was a lot of love in the room. Of course, what’s going to be interesting is to see whether or not he can sustain it, right? To see whether or not he can be selfless in the long haul.
What’s true of Alan Iverson is true of all of us. It’s easy to be a love letter once or twice, easy to have a good day, easy to do something nice; but to live it day-after-day and year-after-year, that’s hard. You’ve really got to come to Jesus for that. You need His power and you need that commitment that joins you for eternity to Him. We want to give you that chance this Christmas Eve. Let’s look to the Lord with a word of prayer.