FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Sermon by Dr. George Bryant Wirth

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

December 24, 2006

CHRIST AT THE CENTER – THE GIFT OF TRUTH

Scripture: John 1:1-18

INTRODUCTION

Throughout this sacred season, we have been talking together about “Christ at the Center: the Gifts God Gives to Us at Christmas.” On this fourth Sunday morning in Advent, soon to be Christmas Eve, God is offering and wants us all to receive The Gift of Truth.

The Gospel of John tells the Christmas Story in a different way than Matthew and Luke. Instead of describing the scene in Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and angels and eventually the Wise Men all gathered around the Christ Child, John writes in his first chapter prologue about “The Word” becoming flesh, light shining in the darkness, and the power that has been given to us to be the children of God.

You see, John’s approach to the incarnation is theological, reflecting the infusion of the Greek and Roman philosophical traditions which had already begun to influence the early Christian Church. This fourth gospel was written almost 100 years after the birth of Jesus, and some Biblical scholars believe that John simply assumed his readers already knew the Christmas Story. So instead of describing the events that happened in Bethlehem, John went on to delve into the mystery of what it all meant.

And in the 14^th verse of chapter one, John reaches his crescendo about the birth of God’s Son:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth: we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.

I

The Greek word for truth is “aletheia,” and the definition in my Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament lays it out this way:

“aletheia – what is true in any matter under consideration, as opposed to what is feigned, fictitious or false.”

In other words, what John wants us to know, to believe and to receive by faith is this: The birth of Jesus, the Word which became flesh, the light shining in the darkness, the incarnation in the form of a little baby is the real thing: God’s truth – “aletheia” – wrapped up in a human being.

There were heresies back then in the first century church about Jesus’ divinity and His humanity. Some said He wasn’t really God’s only begotten Son, while others argued that He wasn’t actually human. Those disagreements were so severe that they led to a series of councils over the following three hundred years where church leaders met to discern the truth, to decide what the church believed, and to write it down in words that tried to describe the great mysteries of God. Those words are familiar to us today – we call them creeds – and every Sunday in worship, we stand to confess our faith, beginning with this statement:

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost (and was) born of the Virgin Mary…”

The Nicene Creed goes on to say that:

“The Lord Jesus Christ (is) the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man…”

It took a long time and a lot of theological and Biblical debate for those ecclesiastical statements to be hammered out and shaped, and what was primarily at stake was the divinity and humanity of Jesus. All these years later, as we stand up each week to recite those creeds, we know how to say them but we don’t always think about what the words mean.

C.S. Lewis, whom many believe was the most influential Christian author of the last century, and whose books, including “Mere Christianity” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” are still best sellers today – C.S. Lewis had his own opinion about the birth of Jesus, and this is what he said:

“The central miracle asserted by Christians is the incarnation. We believe that God became man - every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this…the grand miracle – that God was revealed in Jesus Christ.” (From “Miracles,” by C.S. Lewis, page 131)

Now I know there are some folks in the church who aren’t in agreement about the miracle of the virgin birth. A generation ago, one New York City preacher said, in so many words, that believing in the resurrection of Jesus was essential to the Christian faith, but the Immaculate Conception was not essential. He caught some flak for that statement, but they didn’t throw him out because, as the discussion developed with other members in the congregation, it turned out that the preacher wasn’t the only one who had his doubts.

As for me, I believe that the heart of the story is true. Over the years, we have imagined and embellished some things, like the innkeeper in our Christmas Pageant two weeks ago, portrayed so well by William Fowler. In reality, the innkeeper does not appear in the Gospel of Luke, and that’s a part of the story we have imagined and embellished over time.

But the heart of the story is about God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a woman who was a young virgin named Mary. She wasn’t fully married to Joseph, but he stuck by her because he believed what the angel had told him was the truth.

That was the gift which God gave to Mary and Joseph that first Christmas – a Child who was born in the fullness of time, both human and divine, who came to bring salvation to this world.

And that gift – full of grace and truth, said John – has been offered to all of us. We will never completely understand, any more than we can comprehend the mystery of God’s creation. But if we open our hearts and minds and lives this Christmas, we can accept the gift of truth which God offers to us through the birth of His Son our Savior Jesus – the Word who became flesh, the Light shining in the darkness, the real thing, God’s Truth wrapped up in a holy and human being.

II

And if we believe that what John wrote is true – that To all who received Him – Jesus – and who believed in His name, He gave power to become the children of God (John 1:12), then this is the best time of the year to accept God’s gift of truth. Why? Because the child-like spirit inside each and every one of us is waiting, hoping, yearning to come alive at Christmas so that we can embrace the awe, the wonder and the joy that the Lord has promised.

So let’s leave the heavy theological lifting behind today, and listen to what one child had to say about God’s grace and truth from a third grade perspective. His name is Danny Dutton, he’s 8 years old and he lives in Chula Vista, California. Please listen:

“One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn’t make grownups, just babies - I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn’t have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.

Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren’t any who come to our church.

Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.

His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.

If you don’t believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when you’re scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.

But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God can do for you. Think about what God wants you to do for somebody else. That’s why we’re here. And…that’s why I believe in God.”

You see, once we have received God’s Gift of Truth with child-like awe and wonder, then what the Lord wants us to do is to unwrap that gift and share it with others. Which means that we proclaim the good news of the gospel that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life…that we speak the truth in love to those whom we find it difficult to like… that we tell the truth as Christian people of integrity… and that we offer our gifts to the poor, the oppressed, the lost and the lonely people of this world, reaching out to them with the truth that we know in Jesus Christ, a truth that can set all of us free.

CONCLUSION

Do you believe that today? Ben Hooper believed it and in closing I want to tell you, as I have told you once before, his story as it was told by Dr. Fred Craddock, who has preached from this pulpit and is a beloved preacher throughout this country. Craddock writes:

“My wife Nettie and I had returned from Oklahoma to one of our favorite vacation spots, The Great Smoky Mountains. We were at dinner in a restaurant out from Gatlinburg near the small community of Cosby. We were in a rather new restaurant called the Black Bear Inn. It was very attractive and had an excellent view of the mountains.

Early in the meal an elderly man approached our table and said, ‘Good evening.’ I said, ‘Good evening.’

He said, ‘Are you on vacation?’

I said, ‘Yes,’ but under my breath I was saying, It’s really none of your business.

‘Where are you from?’ He asked.

‘We’re from Oklahoma.’

‘What do you do in Oklahoma?’

Under my breath but almost audible, I was saying, Leave us alone. We’re on vacation, and we don’t know who you are. I said, ‘I am a Christian minister.’

He said, ‘What church?’

I said, ‘The Christian Church.’

He paused a moment and said, ‘I owe a great deal to a minister of the Christian church,’ and he pulled up a chair and sat down.

I said, ‘Yes, have a seat.’ I tried to make it seem like I sincerely meant it, but I didn’t. Who is this person?

He said, ‘I grew up in these mountains. My mother was not married, and the whole community knew it. I was what was called an illegitimate child. In those days that was a shame, and I was ashamed. The reproach that fell on her, of course, fell also on me. When I went into town with her, I could see people staring at me, making guesses as to who was my father. At school the children said ugly things to me, and so I stayed to myself during recess, and I ate my lunch alone.

In my early teens I began to attend a little church back in the mountains called Laurel Springs Christian Church. It had a minister who was both attractive and frightening. He had a chiseled face and a heavy beard and a deep voice. I went to hear him preach. I don’t know exactly why, but it did something for me. However, I was afraid that I was not welcome as I was, as they put it, illegitimate. So I would go just in time for the sermon, and when it was over I would move out because I was afraid that someone would say, ‘What’s a boy like you doing in a church?’

‘One Sunday some people queued up in the aisle before I could get out, and I was stopped. Before I could make my way through the group, I felt a hand on my shoulder, a heavy hand. It was that minister. I cut my eyes around and caught a glimpse of his beard and his chin, and I knew who it was. I trembled in fear. He turned his face around so he could see mine and seemed to be staring for a little while. I knew what he was doing. He was going to make a guess as to who my father was. A moment later he said, ‘Well, boy, you’re a child of…’ and he paused there. And I knew it was coming. I knew I would have my feelings hurt. I knew I would not go back again. He said, ‘Boy, you’re a child of God. I see a striking resemblance, boy.’ Then he swatted me on the bottom and said, ‘Now, you go claim your inheritance.’ I left the building a different person. In fact, that was really the beginning of my life.’

I was so moved by the story I had to ask him, ‘What’s your name?’

He said, ‘Ben Hooper.’

I recalled, though vaguely, my own father talking when I was just a child about how the people of Tennessee had twice elected as governor a man named Ben Hooper.” (Craddock Stories by Dr. Fred B. Craddock, pages 156-157)

There were those who said in Bethlehem and later in Nazareth that Jesus’ birth wasn’t really legitimate. But that is not so. He was and He is God’s only begotten Son, and He grew up to become the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And that is the truth – that is The Gift of Truth which God has given to us for Christmas. All we have to do is receive it and believe it, unwrap it and share it with the world.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.