He was the “Word” that became flesh, John writes. The fullness of God came to abide in the man from Nazareth, Jesus. John knew. When they looked at Jesus, they saw the human face of God.
Sermon Texts
How should we respond to wonderful news? Sing, of course! And pray. That’s what Mary did. We now call her song The Magnificat. It is a song and a prayer.
The people responded to the message of John the Baptist. “What then should we do?” they asked the eccentric wilderness preacher. His response was simple: bear fruit. The same is true today.
The Advent theme for this year is drawn from one of our beloved Christmas carols: O Come, All Ye Faithful. Advent opens with a warning. Be on guard, we are cautioned. Watch. What should we be watching for?
From time to time, the picture of God becomes blurry. We begin to think God is a mean tyrant. Or we think God favors our team over another. The picture of God had become blurry in the time of Jesus, so Jesus had to redraw it, reminding the people of who God really is.
The people were accustomed to sacrifices being repeated. On holy days, especially the Day of Atonement, they presented their animals to be sacrificed. They would do it again the next year. And the next. That ended with Jesus. The writer of Hebrews says Jesus’ death was “once for all.” It never has to be repeated.