Christmas Eve over Fireside

(Follows is a synopsis of our 12/7/02 study)

John 1:3

Gene and I welcome you all to our second Fireside gathering, here at Stonegate.

For those of you who missed our last get together, we began our study of the Bible in the fourth book of the New Testament, the Book of John, written by the apostle John, son of Zebedee--not to be confused with John the Baptist.

We learned how John intended us to see that Jesus Christ was the Word, and that the Word was both with God AND was God, and that He has been since the beginning.  We used a Strong's Concordance to help us understand some of those Greek and Hebrew words (John uses) in our Bibles, as well as a Webster's Dictionary.  And we learned that "from the beginning" meant before the origin of things.

I can therefore assure you that this very holiday we are all celebrating one way or another in the month of December--the very reason many of us have our homes decorated and and are driving ourselves crazy trying to get our lists of things done, the very reason most of us here tonight believe this month is special--has to do with a certain event, one which occurred in a manger in the tiny Judaean town of Bethlehem, over 2000 years ago.

Christians around the world will tell you they believe that this is when their Messiah was born, the first Christmas.  But I can assure you that the apostle John of Zebedee tells us in the first two verses of his book, that Christmas wasn't just an event that began 2000 years ago, but was actually one that began "from the beginning" of time itself.  And as we tonight continue to read together at John 1:3, we read how, "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."

That gives "Him", the Word, a little more significance that just being some cuddly little baby whose image we now find on Christmas cards, born in a lowly manger 2000 years ago, whose birthday we are currently all getting crazy over.

John further writes to us in verse 3 that "Him" who was with God, and who was God, was also Creator of everything that was ever created.

Period.

That kind of elevates this baby born in a manger to a plateau higher that mere prophet or teacher, or just God's Son, to Author and Architect of our entire universe, doesn't it?

Moses wrote in Genesis how God Himself created everything that exists. Now John tells us that the Word, a single man--Jesus Christ--was God, and Creator of everything that was created.

If this is true, the most important thing we can do is read this book.  Because in it is the truth about Jesus Christ, the really good news--the message itself which should give us relief and true peace--and yet one often obscured in the political machinery and financial bottom lines of organized religion today.

In fact, as we bravely begin to read this remarkable book together, the Bible, we will soon enough find evidence that Jesus Christ didn't just wait to appear in history until a manger in Bethlehem in 1 AD, but begins to appear from the beginning, just like the apostle John tells us.

But for now, let us focus on what scripture reveals to us, leading up to and surrounding, that first Christmas.

Gene and I have gathered together for you some of our favorite verses from the Bible; some are prophetic, some historic; combined, all tell a remarkable story.  One which has inspired many great songs and hymns--some of the most beautiful of these we still sing today.  We are going to begin in the book of Isaiah, however, written some 700+ years before the Romans devised "crucifixion."  The words in Isaiah's book are called prophecy because they foretold of an event which God revealed to Isaiah, a remarkable event that was yet to occur.

I ask you whom, then, do you find in these verses?

(We each drew pieces of paper from a bowl, with numbers on them corresponding to the following verses, and began to take turns reading.  I have included some familiar songs, below, with corresponding verses, fyi:)

Isaiah 42:1-8
Isaiah 11:1-5
John 1:1-5 and verses 9-14
Micah 5:2
Isaiah 7:14,15 (inspired "O Come O Come Emmanuel")
Isaiah 9:6 and 7
Matthew 1:18
Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:39-56
Matthew 1:19-25 ("What Child is This")
Luke 2:1-20 ("Away in a Manger", "Angels We Have Heard on High", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "The First
Noel", "Silent Night")
Matthew 2:1-6  ("Oh Little Town of Bethlehem")
Matthew 2:7-11 ("We Three Kings")
Jeremiah 31:15
Matthew 2:12-18 ("LuLay Thou Little Tiny Child")
Luke 2:21-35
Isaiah 52:13-end
Isaiah 53:1-12 ("Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted")
John  1:1-3 ("Oh Holy Night")
 

And my friends, just as The Lord chose the foolish things of this earth --shepherds--through which to reveal His miracle on a hill in Bethlehem 2000 years ago this month, He has continued to use the ordinary--folks like you and me--to proclaim His good News, His love for all mankind, throughout this entire world, at Christmas and always.  Not through kings, not through princes, not in bold print in the newspaper did He announce the incredible--but through the least likely of these, shepherds.

Now may this God who loves you, the One who authored it all, the God of all creation, give you His own peace which surpasses understanding, comforting and reassuring you of His love, on this His birthday, both now and forevermore.

Let's go burn some marshmallows....