Christmas Day Sermon 2019 – Truth is God’s true power.

Christmas Day Sermon – Truth is God’s true power.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

What I found  is special about Christmas is that everything God said would happen happened.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Even before Jesus was born all the Old Testament prophesies pointed to what would happen on that glorious first Christmas Day.

His birth place was prophesied: “But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

The virgin birth and his call were prophesied by Isaiah: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

And there are a myriad more which refer to his life and death – all which came true.

In fact, it is believed that the Old Testament, written hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, contains over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled through His life, death and resurrection.

(A side note: someone worked out – not sure how accurate it is - 1 person fulfilling 8 prophecies: 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000   -1 person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1 chance in 10 to the 157th power 1 person fulfilling 300+ prophecies: Only Jesus!)

So what does this say about Christmas and Jesus’ birth?

If the shepherds believed and found everything that had been told them then we too are to believe that God continues to assure us that everything that he has said about Christmas and Jesus’ birth is true.

And for us the promise is found in the most quoted of bible texts: that God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Even though from the outside Jesus’ birth didn’t look overly spectacular – born in humble surroundings – born to commoners – no room in the inn – it doesn’t sound so inspiring.

But, you see, for God it was not about showing external power.

God had done that already with King Saul and King David and King Solomon and the vast armies that they led conquering many nations.

A spectacular temple and powers of his strength earlier against Pharaoh when he devastated Egypt to free Israel from slavery.

God had already shown his powerful might.

But God, through Jesus at Christmas, showed a more powerful and everlasting power.

Truth.

Jesus birth was about revealing God’s truth – and as Jesus once said – the truth shall set you free.

God cannot lie – no that’s the work of Satan, the father of lies, who when he lies speaks his common language.

God cannot break his promises and convenants.

So God’s truth is God’s true power.

So as we journey through our lifetime we are confronted by many things that shake our foundations.

Fear of the future – fears of climate change – terrorism – economic instability – sickness and disease – death.

But we keep going back to that cornerstone of God’s promises – God loved the world so much that he sent his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but receive eternal life.

We live in a world where sadly we don’t know what to believe – fake news it has been termed.

Sadly the internet has become the source of truth for so many of our young people – and not so young.

We go to Wikipedia and believe that is 100% accurate – it’s not.

We go to Dr Google when we feel sick and look up our symptoms.

It’s so hard to know whom to trust and what to believe.

Every day we are warned about this scam or that scammer going around.

How many people, despite being warned still end up sending money to people they don’t know because they believed them when they rang or sent an email?

People are becoming less trusting.

But Christmas we can trust.

The promises made by God to us are trustworthy and true.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Christmas is such a special time of year for families and friends getting together – to let go of the pressures of life just for a day or two as we spend time together.

But when Christmas is all over please don’t forget what Christmas means for us.

Christmas is God entering into our time and space.

Just as God walked in the cool of the evening in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve before sin entered in, now God again walks with us.

God has come to meet us where we are.

We don’t have to reach up to him like the people of Babel whose tower was so small that God had to come down to look at what they were doing.

Christmas is God entering our time and space – Christmas is God entering our lives – Jesus is Immanuel – God with us.

And so when Jesus left his disciples to ascend to Heaven he repeated that promise through our Baptism – I am with you always till the end of the age.

Immanuel – God with us.

Don’t let the world or anyone make you doubt the presence and existence of God.

God is with us.

God is for us.

And nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.