Christmas Day 2015
God in the Flesh – Love in a Box
St. John 1:14
Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church – Saint Cloud, MN
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV)
She looked and looked and looked. But there was nothing under the tree. She couldn’t believe it. The love of her life and he hadn’t bought her a single present. Even a card would have been something. A gift card would at least have said “I’m thinking about you.” Finally she could bear it no longer. This couldn’t be. She looked him right in the eye and said, “Where’s my present?” And he said, “Well, you can’t put love in a box.”
Let me give all of you a piece of advice – don’t try that line at home. “You can’t put love in a box.” Would your grandchildren understand that line? Well, Grandma can’t put her love in a box.” How would that go over on your first Christmas as a married couple, “Well dear, I just couldn’t put my love in a box.” I don’t think your grandchild would believe you – in fact, if you didn’t put your love in a package or some cold hard cash or a gift card – your grandchildren might question your love. And if you didn’t buy a gift for your bride or groom on your first Christmas you’d better be planning something really big for your first anniversary.
God put His love in a box, or rather a body. He wrapped His love for us up in flesh of that little boy born of Mary. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God’s love cannot be separated from the flesh of Jesus Christ and what God did specifically in the body of that boy born of Mary. God’s love is Jesus, fully God and fully man, who bore our sins in His flesh, hung on a cross, and was laid in the grave. You cannot know, understand, or believe in God’s love apart from the box in which God delivers it.
This is the good news of great joy given to the Shepherds last night by the angels, and given to us by the Apostle John this morning. God put His love in a box – in the package and person of Jesus Christ.
God came Himself – there is the indicator of His love. He didn’t tell Eve, “It’s too bad you ate that fruit and now you and all your descendents will suffer and die. I’ll be thinking about you.” He promised her a flesh and blood Savior, a son who would crush the serpent’s head. He came Himself – the Father sent His Son. The Word which created the world and everything in it, showed up and continues to dwell in human flesh to this day.
Dr. Luther compared this “God in the box” of Jesus to the experience we have when someone near us receives great news or is delivered from some trouble. Your whole family rejoices when mom’s cancer is in remission, when a child graduates or gets that first job, when your daughter or son is blessed with a godly spouse and marriage. How much more should all of us rejoice this day which celebrates that God was born one of us – our brother Jesus is God Himself. God is now one of our own family. God did not become a sparrow or a lion or a horse – He became a man, because man was created in God’s image and only God Himself could restore that image. When God became a man, God did not become smaller – Jesus is no less God than the Father is God, but when God became man that did make man much greater and showed God’s favor toward man above all creatures. If He was against us, He wouldn’t have become one of us.
In the text, Saint John, hints at why the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word was made flesh so we could see the glory of God covered in the flesh of Jesus. God dwells in the flesh of Jesus so that you can see God, hear Him tell the truth to you and deliver His grace to you.
All of us have likely received presents we did not need or could not use. And when we get a bottle of something we don’t drink or a shirt the color of which we would never wear, we conclude that the person thought about me, but doesn’t really know me. Such is not the case with God’s gift of Jesus. He knows you and that’s why He sent the very gift you need – the Savior from sin.
God knows you better than you know yourself. He created you, and now He has sent Jesus to love you and deliver to you what you need. You need, the world needs sin forgiven. Sin – that’s the cause of all your sorrow, that’s at the heart of all your prayers for healing and help and hope. But how can sin be undone? How can the offense of God toward us be removed? What price would need to be offered to atone not only for your sin, but for the sin of the world? Behold, the gift of Jesus. He is God in the flesh. The infinite has taken on the finite. The Almighty God is wrapped up in a diaper. We think lightly of our sin. Our need for forgiveness is way down our Christmas list. But God has always thought of our sin because from before creation He thought of how to undo our sin so that He could take us back as His children. Today we celebrate the end of His thoughts and plans. He has delivered His Son not only into the flesh, but has delivered Him up for our offenses and put Him to death for our sins. What price would pay for your sin? For the sin of the world? Behold, God’s own flesh and blood pays the price. How could the offense of our sin be removed? Our heavenly Father removes it by removing His Son from His good graces – by forsaking Jesus at the cross, He forgives us.
Jesus Christ is the perfect package, given by God for you, given so that you can see the glory of God, know the truth about yourself and God, and receive His grace. As God put His love in a box in the manger and on the cross, so also God still puts His love in a box for you today – the very reason you are here this morning is because this is where the gifts of Jesus are given out – wrapped in the water of your baptism, tied together with the bread and wine of His Supper, filled with His Word of forgiveness for your sins. Merry Christmas. God has put His love in a box. He has packaged His gifts for you in the body and blood of Jesus. Amen.