Christmas Sermon 2016

Christmas 2016

We know that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, but why did Jesus have to die? Jesus had to die because He was born.

St. Athanasius said that “God became Man so that Man could become God.” In other words, God’s remedy to bridge the great gulf between humanity and divinity was to become one of us.  The Incarnate God-Man experiences all the limitations of living in space and time by taking our nature and making ‘theosis’ possible. Theosis (or divinization) is the purpose of salvation—being one with God. The Bible uses different images for this: “filled with the Holy Spirit,” “in Christ,” “children of God,” or “the body of Christ” to illustrate theosis—or “God became Man so Man can become God.”

Jesus died to save us from sin, but He was born to redeem us from being "only" human being. Jesus open us to divine life--He lives in us and we live in Him. Let’s be clear, sin complicated everything. Because of sin people die. So when the Word became flesh to live among us, ‘The Source’ of life became subject to death. The moment that Jesus was conceived in the Virgin’s womb, death was part of His destiny. (We do well to ponder this, as we consider any sacrifices we make on His behalf.)

If there were no sin, maybe the birth of Jesus would have been different. Maybe humanity would have sung with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest!” If there were no sin, the redemptive work of our Savior Lord Jesus, would have been completed with the incarnation. Unfortunately, we did sin, so the birthday celebration is under the shadow of the looming cross.

Christmas means that God really is among us. Incarnation means that beginning in the womb every moment of this life is in God Incarnate. Human nature is redeemed and sanctified. Ordinary Life is sacred and holy. We do not need our souls to escape the body to go to heaven—heaven has come to us. We need not fear death, because we know God treasures us and He is stronger than death. Healing, forgiveness, salvation—these are not just otherworldly and spiritual. They are also part of our flesh and blood living today.

Jesus was born to begin the long process of making us godly. Jesus was born because the Father loves us, each of us—personally and intimately. The Holy Three are among us, here and now. We can be saved by the cross, because we are saved by the incarnation. Jesus was born because God’s plan was to unite us to Himself in perfect love for eternity. There was no other way. Jesus is the only way.

My message is simple. Jesus’ birth means that your ordinary life matters; Jesus has redeemed everything. So live each day as a sacred trust. This world matters to God. You are beloved of God and precious in His sight. You will live here forever sharing God’s own life and nature. Joy to the World indeed!