Sermons

Sermon preached by The Reverend Paul Burrows

Preached by The Reverend Paul Burrows on Christmas Day (Saturday, December 25, 2004)

"The Word became flesh; he made his home among us, and we saw his glory."

John 1:14

The Word became flesh. The word that we translate here as ‘became’, egnteto comes from the same root as the words we use in relation to birth and things relating to birth like gynecologist and generation. The writer here is trying to convey to us that this is a birth, that Jesus as well as being the Son of God is flesh of our flesh. Sarx is a pretty gross term meaning the same thing as carnal. It is intended to show us that Jesus is really human like us. He eats and drinks, he uses the bathroom. One of the most ridiculous Christmas carols is “Away in a manger” where the life “little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes”. It is not only absurd but also heretical to hold that the baby Jesus does not cry. Of course he does because he is after all a child.

The tendency to turn Jesus into something so spiritual that he is above human emotions is something well known in the history of the church and something against which we must be vigilant. For our hope of reconciliation with God, our claim to be children of the heavenly Father rests in this, that Jesus lived as one of us and shared all those things that we have to suffer and brought them into the Godhead there to be restored and recreated so that we might more fully live the life that God intended for us.

This is the cause of our joy on this most holy day; that God became like us so that we might become like him. As we celebrate this glorious event let us also pray that God will give us the strength of purpose to fulfill what the birth of Jesus has begun.

A happy and holy Christmas to you all.