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December 24, 2003
Christmas Eve
John 1:1-14
Pastor Joel Zank

What Child is This?

(John 1:1-14) 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.3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In Christ Jesus, the Babe of Bethlehem who was born to give us all second birth, dear fellow redeemed,

What Child is this that the angels of heaven should announce his birth? What Child is this that a star in the heavens should lead magi to the town of his birth? What Child is this that millions of people thousands of years later should celebrate his birth? What Child is this? The Scriptures tell us: He is the Word-our life-giving Creator. Listen: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:1,14).

The Word - that seems like an odd name for a baby doesn't it? But of course, the one whose birth we celebrate tonight is no ordinary baby. John tells us that as we peer with eyes of faith into this little one's manger bed, we are staring at someone who is older than time itself. In fact we're staring at God, the Creator of time-the Creator of all things.

Think of the Bible's very first chapter. Recall the number of times our God spoke those powerful words, "Let there be...;" and having done so suddenly out of nothing stars and planets, plants and animals came into existence. Though we cannot begin to understand it, John wants us to believe that somehow the baby born to Mary is himself the living Word that went out from the mouth of God to fashion the entire universe and all that fills it. John says, "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:3). When John says "all things" that includes all human life. For he immediately adds: "In him was life, and that life was the light of men" (John 1:4).

On the sixth day of creation the Word of God made Adam and Eve; and from the very moment that he breathed life into them, it was clear that God had designed them to thrive on his companionship. The Bible says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 8:3). In a very real and literal sense, God is to people what sunlight is to plants. Plants die without sunlight. People die without the living Word of God.

If you keep this in mind, then you can understand the horrible tragedy to which John refers when he says, "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" (John 1:5). You can read all about it in Genesis chapter 3, how our first parents fled from the light of God's Word to the darkness of Satan's lies. Enticed by the thought that somehow disobedience could make them gods in their own right, Adam and Eve traded in life for death, not only for themselves, but also for all their offspring.

We know that we've inherited their sin. Just think of all the times that God speaks his will to us so clearly, but like Adam and Eve, we plug our ears and shout: "I can't hear you, God! What did you say? I can't understand you." And, of course, what we really mean is that we don't want to understand God. We don't want his commandments getting in the way of our sinful pleasure. He demands that we be kind and compassionate. We'd rather be angry and hateful. He insists that we be generous and giving. We choose to be selfish and greedy. He made us to be humble and meek; we opt to be proud and boastful. Like our first parents, we want to play god with our lives. We want to be in control, hoping that God won't notice or won't care.

But guess what? It turns out that God did notice and he does care. He wasn't about to just sit back at let a whole race of people live in open defiance of his will. So he put on human flesh and came right down here. So now we know - "What Child is this?" He is the Word, our life-giving Creator who has the power, the right and every reason to say to every one of us sinners: "To the outer darkness of hell with you." That's the punishment for taking God's gift of life and throwing it back in his face. What else can we expect? God made us to depend on him. With every sin we say, "No thanks. We'll do things our way." Why else would God have come here, then, except to punish us?

That must have been the thinking of those shepherds from Bethlehem on the very first Christmas: "God's here and he's as made as can be." How did Luke say it? "...the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified" (Luke 2:9). Why? Because our guilty conscience rightfully tells us sinners that any word from God is going to be bad news. We know that is all we deserve. That's why before saying anything else the angel told the shepherds, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy..." (Luke 2:10). The Apostle John has the same good news for us tonight. What Child is this in Bethlehem's manger? It's true, he is the Word, our life-giving Creator whose gift of life we mock and despise every day with our sin. But don't be afraid because he is also the Word-our life-restoring Savior. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14) not to curse us but to communicate God's love to us. That's why we call Jesus the Word. He came to tell us that God has a plan to restore our relationship with him, the one we've broken with our sin. Jesus came to assure us that God wants to give us back the life we threw away.

But why come here to tell us this? Couldn't God have broadcast the news from heaven, or sent an angel to speak of his love? No, that wouldn't have helped us. We needed God to do this in person, because the Word became flesh, not just to tell us about God's love, but to live it by trading places with us sinners.

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, the human race has been living a lie-the lie that says sin is pleasure. By nature we're so captivated by this lie, that we keep falling for it even though sin brings us nothing but misery and death. So Jesus "...came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14) to free us from this sin's lie. He came to live a perfect life of obedience to God's will. He came to find true pleasure in doing all things God's way. That's how he lived his entire life. And then came the day when God said to Jesus, "Here's what I want you to do now. I want you to give up your life to me. I'm going to take all your years of true obedience to my will and give the credit for your holy life to every sinner of all time; and in exchange, I'm going to blame you for the sins of all people. You're going to take the place of every sinner and I'm going to punish you in hell until all the lies, all the hate, all the greed, until all sins are paid for once and for all." This was God's plan. This is why the Word took on flesh and lived among us, not to tell us that God had decided to overlook our sins, but to tell us that God had decided to punish our sins in the flesh of Jesus. He came to tell us that with God's justice satisfied by him the Substitute of sinners, God declares life restored to all the people of earth.

But if in Jesus there is life for all people, why aren't all people joining us in celebrating his birth? St. John explains when he writes: "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." What Child is this? Billions of sinners say he's just another child-no one special. They remain lost in the darkness of unbelief.

How about you? How do you answer when asked, "What Child is this?" You're presence here tonight tells me that you have come to celebrate the human birth of your God, your Creator and Savior. That's why I'm here too. But neither you nor I can take any credit for knowing and believing this. John reminds us that we are here as "children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:13). We are here not because we were born believers from our mother's womb, or because any of us made a decision to become a believer. That's impossible for sinners to do. No, we are God's children, born of God's love. The faith that has made us his people and has brought us here to worship him, is as much a Christmas gift from God as is his gift of the Savior. It is God who gave us second birth. He restored life to our sin-deadened hearts when he worked faith's miracle in us through the Bible's good news: "A Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

Believe it, my friends. God has chosen you to be his people. Through the faith he's given you in Christ, through the faith he keeps alive in you by the power of his Word, he gives you the right to live as the children of God. Do you understand what that means? Through faith in Jesus you have the right to God's forgiveness, you have the right to speak with God in prayer, and you have the right to claim heaven as your eternal home.

Christmas is all about celebrating and enjoying the rights Jesus was born to give us; and Christmas is all about passing them along to those still living in the darkness of unbelief. By God's grace you know the Word made flesh. Through eyes of faith you have seen the glory of his humble birth, his sacrificial death and his triumphant resurrection. Speak of this glory to the members of your family. Testify of God's grace to your friends and neighbors so when they are asked, "What Child is this?" they too will know faith's answer and join us in confessing: He is the Word-our life-giving Creator; and our life-restoring Savior. Dear friends, may our gracious God keep us in this faith and grant it to countless others to the praise and glory of his most holy name! Amen.