John 1: 14-18

Theme: Christmas

AND WE BEHELD HIS GLORY

Imagine, if you will, that you fell and hit your head on a coffee table and when you woke up two weeks later, you had a burning love for deer. I don’t mean you wanted a deer roast but that you suddenly loved all the little deer and were appalled that someone would shoot them. You decide to go on a campaign to stop mean old men like Moose and Spot and Gene from killing your beloved creatures. You called your pastor to complain, perhaps he could preach a sermon on the subject. But he was cooking a pot of chicken and deer sausage gumbo, so your concerns fell on deaf ears. You lobbied the governor and told him your complaint. As he wiped the gravy from his deer roast off his mouth, he told you that he was not sympathetic to your cause. You started to blitz the legislature when you read that they were all at a wild game dinner in honor of the Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries.

You don’t give up so easily. You start running through the woods putting up signs with the faces of Moose and Spot and Gene on it warning all deer to stay away from such people because they are dangerous with strange appetites. But the signs do no good because, as you finally realize, the deer can’t read.

You become desperate. You decide to address the deer personally. You rise up before dawn just like a hunter and you go to the woods to confront the deer and warn them. You see two Does and you begin to shout. "If you see a green field of clover in the middle of the woods, don’t go there. If you see a lot of free corn laying on the ground, run!" But the Does just snort and blow and run away. They would not listen. And after two weeks, you finally understand that the deer cannot understand what you are trying to say. You are too big, too smart, not deer-like at all. They can never understand.

You finally realize that you must become a deer. And you find a way to become a deer but just before you try it, you realize that if you become a deer, you will be just like them and will no longer understand. You may very well become a roast on Philip’s plate! But, what if you became both? What if you became the Man-Deer and had the nature of a man and the nature of a deer? You would speak both the languages of man and deer. Then you might be able to warn the deer of the impending doom of the black, cast-iron, pot that awaited them. But, can you imagine being a Man-Deer and eating grass and acorns and sleeping in brush piles and living out in the open field? Could you endure such a thing? Could you really become a Man-Deer and if you could, would you? Would you really descend from you humanness to live like a common deer?

In many ways we are like the dumb deer of the woods. We can’t understand the things of God. But our situation is quite different from deer. They were born as part of the food chain. But you and I are different. The Bible says that we were made in the image of God. Being in the image of God means that we have an affinity with God. We were made to live in a relationship with God. What a wonderful thought! You and I were made to know God! But before you get too excited about that wonderful thought, let me remind you that the Bible also says that we are fallen because of our sin. Not only has the relationship been broken, we no longer have the capacity for a relationship with God.

In one sense, we are like the deer. We cannot understand God. And when we hear his voice at a distance, we laugh at it and reject it. While we are not headed for someone’s roasting pot, we are surely headed for destruction both in this life and the life to come.

But, God in his great mercy and love for us and decided to do something quite extraordinary. God became flesh. God took our sin seriously and took us seriously and He came among us both as the message of His grace and as the means of that grace.

God became man. It is hard, if not impossible for us to understand that the Child born unto Mary and held in her arms was and is God in the flesh. John said the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory. John uses language that ties the coming of Jesus directly to the might acts of God in the Old Testament. When God came among his people, He tabernacled among them. This was the Shekinah Glory of God. It comes from the Hebrew word sh_kan which means to dwell or to tabernacle. When the Tabernacle was built and God came upon it, His glory would shine visibly so that all knew that God was in the camp. God’s glory is said to have rested on Mt. Sinai. God said that He was dwelling (sh_kan) in the midst of Israel.

This was an awesome experience, for when the Glory of God settled on the Tabernacle, all of Israel saw it and bowed low before God’s presence. The idea of glory, not only bears the idea of light, it also carries the idea of heaviness and richness. There was great substance to the presence of God. This is why the people were so awe struck by the presence of God.

The Shekinah is a powerful word picture of God’s very presence among humanity. It is a word picture that is carried on in John. John used the Greek equivalent of Shekinah when he said "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." John affirms that the glory of God tabernacled among men, but this time it was God become flesh–meaning muscle, blood, bones, hair and skin. John had in mind nothing less than the full presence of God in a Human body. Jesus is the same as He who dwelled in the midst of Israel. The writer of Hebrews picked up on the idea in Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature." Jesus is the outshining of the glory of God, the very essence of God.

The fulness of God was localized in this one we call Jesus. The one who created all things, comes to us as a lowly child, born to poor parents, into a hostile world and lived and suffered as we do.

John reminds us that he was an eyewitness. He knew Jesus. He walked with him and talked with him. He said in I John 1:1-3

These are wonderful, mind-boggling thoughts. But, they only make the question even more urgent! Why did He do it? John says, "He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." The Logos perseveres and overcome all objections. He came so that those who believe could become the Children of God! What an awesome thought! The gospels tell us that the King of Glory came to die for us. His death made provision for our sin and all who come to faith in Him will be saved from their sin.

He became one of us so that we might understand. He did it so that we might understand His own unique love language. He became flesh so that God might speak his Word to us. He died for us so that we might be reconciled to God and he rose from the dead so that we might live with Him forever. In it all, He did it so that, by faith, we might become the children of God.

This Christmas, let us be reminded that Christmas is not about Jolly old elves, or beautiful trees or giving and receiving gifts. It is not about eating and gaining weight! It is not even about a poor man and woman whose son was born in impoverished circumstances. As meaningful and fun as the season can be, we often forget the real meaning of Christmas. The real meaning is that God became flesh. It was the expression of God’s grace to us and the fulfilment of all of God’s promises to us. As people who have been made new by His grace, we too can say with John, we Beheld His glory!

But, why did he do it, you may ask? He did it for you.