December 24 & 25, 2002
Nativity of the Lord Christmas Eve & Day - Proper 3

John 1:1-14

The Word was first,
     the Word present to God,
     God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
     in readiness for God from day one.

Everything was created through him;
     nothing - not one thing! -
     came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
     and the Life was Light to live by
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
     the darkness couldn't put it out.

There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.

The Life-Light was the real thing:
     Every person entering Life
     he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
     the world was there through him,
     and yet the world didn't even notice.
He came to his own people,
     but they didn't want him.
But whoever did want him,
     who believed he was who he claimed
     and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
     their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
     not blood-begotten,
     not flesh-begotten,
     not sex-begotten.

The Word became flesh and blood,
     and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
     the one-of-a-kind glory,
     like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
     true from start to finish.

[The Message]

=======

1. Genesis revisited. This time it wasn't that we noticed, it was that we didn't notice. No tree and snake this time, to distract us from ourselves, but a recognition that we don't want GOD too close. Emanuel (GOD with us) is a good thought for others (it'll help shape them up), but just a bit unnecessary for us.

2. What a shake-up it would cause us if we were to become our "child-of-GOD" self. Imagine it - generosity, inside and out, set loose! It is time to notice this possibility and live it.

3. Imagine, further, no more duality between blood-flesh-will and GOD. Imagine these as neighbors, not enemies. It is time to notice this possibility and live it.

Homepage | Sermon Prep