[Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for January 4 - Part 1

[Joe Parrish]

Sermons for the Second Sunday after Christmas
 
John 1:1-18 – Light of the World
John 1:(1-9), 10-18 – The Three Shower Gifts
 
John 1, the sermon title “Light of the World”

 
One of the striking features of the Gospel of John is the way it depicts the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The other gospels usually tell us stories about Jesus. Then, like the disciples, we are left to ask, "Who is this, that wind and sea obey him? Who is this who feeds the multitude on a couple of loaves and a few fish?" But in the Gospel of John, there's never a doubt who Jesus is, because he tells us. Usually he does so with a statement that begins with the words, "I am." Put him in a situation and he will clarify who he is and what he has come to do.

You can put him in the desert surrounded by people who are chronically unsatisfied, and Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). 

You can put him in the midst of people who are confused, people who ask, "Who are you, Jesus? What makes you different from all the other gurus, rabbis, and religious leaders?" And Jesus says, "I am the gate for the sheep. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture" (10:7, 9). It is an act of self-definition.

You can put him at graveside, in the midst of grief-stricken people, and Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live" (11:25). 

Or put him in the midst of people who feel disconnected by life's difficulties, and Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (15:5).

In the Gospel of John, in one situation after another, Jesus defines himself and says, "This is who I am...." In the eighth chapter, Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (8:12). His words echo the opening words of the Fourth Gospel, where the writer defines the person and work of Jesus in terms of light. "What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people ... The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (1:3-4, 9). 

Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." This is the kind of thing we might expect to hear in these days after Christmas. Not long ago we gathered on Christmas Eve to hear the prophet Isaiah say, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." We don't know if old Isaiah had any idea who or what he was talking about, yet we celebrate Christmas as a festival of light. We string up twinkle lights on fir trees. We illumine our houses. We burn candles in the windows and plug in GE bulbs on the shrubbery. We burn up the kilowatts because Jesus Christ is born. In the bleak midwinter, why not shine a little light?...
 
1. The Light of the World.
2. The Light Comes into Darkness.
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com athttp://www.sermons.com/signup 
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John 1, the sermon titled “The Three Shower Gifts”

 
What's in a name?

Well, in Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare thought that "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But in San Quentin Live, Johnny Cash sang a ballad that showed how one guy's life was completely skewed because he was a "Boy Named Sue."

Sometimes names really do matter. "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." "Blessed be the Name of the Lord." 

In the Western Church we call this Sunday the "Second Sunday After Christmas." The day after tomorrow, January 6, will be "Epiphany," the official end of Christmas. Only a small percentage of Christians will take note, since they ceased being Christmassy the day after Christmas even though the church celebrates the twelve days of Christmas called "Christmastide." But in the Eastern Orthodox tradition Epiphany IS Christmas. Epiphany is the day that the "wise men" arrived where Joseph and Mary were staying and worshiped the newborn baby Jesus. 

In our "Cliff Notes" version of Jesus' birth, we converge all the miracles of Emmanuel--God WITH us--into one magical, manger night. But the "wise men," who were Persian astrologers, Gentile "wizards," outside-the-box "scholars" of their day, were still following that strange star during this time. They were making their way to Bethlehem to find whatever awaited them at the end of their star quest, or to put it in terms Judy Garland made famous, at the end of their starbow. 

They were not sure what they would find, but they followed the star well-stocked. These astrologers went to a kind of theological "Cabela's" to be prepared for all possibilities of what lay at the end of the star.

One brought a gift for a "king"--nothing less than pure gold. Gold is never a bad choice. Gold testified to the true loyalty of this sign-rich king. But how was this newborn child, not born in a beautifully carved crib but in a stable and laid in a manger, in any way a king? To leave a gift of gold for such a hapless child was a true testimony of faith. 

The second "wise man" or "scientist" brought frankincense--a gift appropriate for a priest, for one who would serve God's mission in this world. The gift of frankincense would provide the scent of an offering to an attentive God, and provide a sense of peace to those who made their sacrifice of the fragrant gift. Did the baby Jesus look like a potentially powerful priest? Probably not. Leaving an expensive gift of a pot of frankincense was truly an act of faith.

The third astrologer or "wizard" brought myrrh. This was perhaps the most insightful--and weird--of the three gifts of the magi. Myrrh was used as an embalming spice. It was used in burial rituals. In fact, myrrh was a sign of death. Not a very traditional "shower gift." Yet here is death in attendance at the baby Jesus' bedside. 

Think about it. What an amazing foretelling of what Jesus' life would be on this earth: as a "king," as a "priest," and as the "messiah."…
 
The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com athttp://www.sermons.com/signup 
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