The Nativity of Our Lord | Christmas Day | December 25, 2024| A Sermon on John 1:1-14 | by The Rev. Dr. Ryan D. Mills |

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-14, NRSV).

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son +, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Merry Christmas!  They say Christmas is for children, and having watched our three kids open their stockings and a few other packages this morning, I’ve been remembering back to being a child at Christmas, maybe you can remember back too, when the gifts that we gave on Christmas morning were not anything from Amazon or that we bought at a store, but homemade crafts, and little treasures, and handmade coupons we’d give each to other, “This coupon is good for one week of washing the dishes”, or “one hour of babysitting” or “one hug and kiss” or whatever else. And even if it was already your job to wash the dishes or babysit, giving the coupon felt like a special gift, because at the bottom you signed your name, you gave your word, that I will give you myself, my time, my love, as a free gift this Christmas.

Today we hear about what God is giving on Christmas, for God is also giving us his Word, God is also giving us his promise, God is also giving his very self to you and me as a free gift this Christmas.  If the other gospels tell us the what of the birth of Christ, the story of the shepherds and the angels and all that we marveled at last night, John’s gospel this Christmas Day tells us the Who, the Who who was not just in Bethlehem a long time ago, but the Who who was in the very beginning before there was a Bethlehem, before there was anything, “In the beginning was the Word,” John tells us “and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

       This Word is the eternal Word of the Father, the Second Person of the Trinity, now in flesh appearing, the Son of God, who was forever with his Father, and will be forever, world without end, but who today has come down into a manger bed for you, and is born as one of us, and shares our flesh and blood as the infant Jesus.  Today God says, “I give you myself, I give you my Son, I give you my Word,” and here today all God’s wisdom and power and eternity rests: silent, weak, a newborn lying in a manger.

       John says everything came into being through this Word, everything has its creation through this Word: this whole world was spoken into being through this Word, and so you and I were created, you were created purposefully, intentionally, lovingly by this Word who is now cradled in Mary’s arms.  And what has come into being in Jesus is life, the life that is the light of all people.  Life with a capital “L”: eternal, real, rich, everlasting Life, given to you and to me and to all, making him the true Light for all people.

       Last night, as we lit our candles in this darkened church, as we stood together as sang “Silent Night”, we let our candles shine out and beat back the New England cold and darkness.  But all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish one candle’s flame, and John tells us this morning that the “light [of Christ] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

       For we know that this world tries to put out the light.  Especially around this time of year we feel the power of darkness trying to kill the light.  The world, our city streets, our own lives are too often full of heartache and hurt, of pain and bitterness.  We miss our loved ones, we grieve the empty spots around the table this season.  The hectic-ness of the season can show us our emptiness, and we feel the darkness we hold within ourselves. It’s this darkness that will try and put out the Christ child, that will try and blow out and smother the brightness of his flame. This precious child that Mary cradles she will one day cradle again as his body is taken down from the Cross.  But we have the Christmas promise today, that despite it all, despite whatever it is in your life, despite whatever darkness you are in or you feel, that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.  The darkness cannot overcome it.  The light of Christ, God’s Word made flesh, keeps on shining bright and warm for you and for me, for Christ is born, heaven and earth rejoice and give glory to God, and Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. The light still shines in the darkness and the darkness did not and cannot and will never overcome it.

       And because of this light, because of his coming among us today, a new beginning is possible again this morning for each of us.  As we come to the end of this old year, when everything feels a little old and tired and worn out, we have a promise, that to all who receive him, who trust in our Lord, he will give the power to become children of God, children who are born not of blood or flesh or human decision, but are born from God.  Christmas is about the child lying in the manger.  But Christmas is also about you and me becoming children of God, by faith.  Christmas is for children, and by faith you are a child of God today! God so loved the world that he gave his only Son to be born in a manger, but God so loved us that he would not let Jesus be an only child—for he has chosen you, and adopted you, and made you his own child forever.

So we’ve come, as God’s children, to give thanks to him this Christmas Day, to worship our newborn King. Try as we’d like we cannot go to Bethlehem to see this child–but we don’t need to.  For the Word has come to us, the light shines in the darkness, and we have seen his glory, as of a Father’s only Son.  But we can come now, with our hands open as a manger bed for the Word made flesh, we can welcome and receive the Word in faith as he comes to us again this morning in the Holy Communion, we can see the face of the Christ child in the faces shining around us this morning, and in those we can love and serve today and all year long.

       For he comes again this morning, the true light shining the in the darkness, full of grace and truth. He comes to give you his Word, to give you himself–the best Christmas gift ever—and to make you his child forever.  So Merry Christmas!

       And the Peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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The Rev. Dr. Ryan Mills

New Haven, Connecticut

TrinityLutheranNH.org