Trinity Sermon


	Return to Sermons \| Home
The Nativity of Our Lord / Christmas Day – December 25^th, 2024 Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas Rev. Joshua Woelmer Text: John 1:1–18 “The Word Became Flesh” Theme: Jesus came into his creation as its creator, the Word that created all. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The Christmas reading from Luke 2 that we heard last night and that talks about the birth in Bethlehem and the shepherds and angels is a dear one to all Christians. There is a lot of sentimentality behind it. It has a sense of coziness to it, perhaps. It’s probably the most popular section of Christmas, one that even unbelievers probably recognize. It was featured in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” with Linus dropping his comfort blanket as he recites the angel’s message “Fear not.” There’s a lot to Luke 2 that is warm and small. The shepherds probably gathered in a small place to behold the Christ-child. Luke 2 reminds us of the humanity of all of it, and he places this birth in its historical context so we know when and where it all happened. And then…there’s John 1. “In the beginning was the Word…” Oh, John… Our Christmas Day Gospel reading from John 1 differs quite a bit from last night’s reading of Luke 2. John is big and bold and ancient and cosmic. You’ve got to love it too. There’s not a lot of warm sentimentality of oxen lowing and the little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes. There’s warfare between light and darkness (5) and rejection by his own people (11). It’s like taking different approaches to talking about the American Revolution. There are all these great stories that encapsulate the grit and determination of our forces. You have George Washington rowing across with Delaware River with his men on Christmas Eve to catch the Hessians by surprise. You have Paul Revere riding to warn people that “the British are coming.” You have Betsy Ross hand-sewing the first American flag in 1776. Then, you have the big picture of battles and troop movements and ultimate victory. The truth is, we need both ways to explain history. History classes ought to teach the stories that focus on the individuals and what happened when and where. That’s Luke 2. We should also appreciate the grand strategy and movements that show how ultimate victory was won. That’s John 1. So indulge me for a bit as I talk about the grand narrative of the Bible. The Creator enters the creation. John begins his Gospel calling us back to Genesis 1. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). How did God create everything in six days? By speaking it into existence. John tells us that the very Word that God spoke was also divine and did the creating. This is one of my favorite analogies of the Trinity. God the Father speaks, and the Son is the Word that fully and truly represents the Father, and the Holy Spirit is the breath that carries this Word. We must emphasize here that the Son of God, the Word, is one with God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1–2). This is spoken against those who say that the Son of God is a separate being than the Father. We may not be able to understand it rationally, but the Trinity is one God in three persons. Going on, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (3). We could go through the six days of creation or even think about how God created everything big and small, distant and near, and even you. John draws our eyes to the first day of creation, light. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (4–5). Jesus is the light and life for our darkened world. He brings light to you, no matter what darkness you see in you or around you. His life is life for you. The Son of God took on a life like yours. We may not get the manger scene, but we get this: “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” (14). Just as God lived in a tabernacle with His people throughout the Exodus, God dwelt in Jesus and dwells among us now. The Word goes with you too. If you remember back to the Exodus, God led his people by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When they camped and set up the tabernacle, he dwelt there in their midst. Wherever they went, they knew that God was with them, leading them and protecting them. This was Jesus during His earthly life. Wherever he walked, there was the Son of God. So too does he go with us today. Jesus dwells with you first and foremost by His Word. What you hear today you can carry with you back home. Whenever you read the Bible, you are bringing into your soul the very Son of God, the Word, who fills every page. Whenever you memorize Scripture or share it with others, you are sharing Jesus. The Word is also present in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, joined with earthly elements like water, bread, and wine. Through them you have Jesus, because the Word attaches Himself to those elements. From Jesus comes grace abounding upon grace: “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (16). This reminds me of Isaiah 40, “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (2). Grace upon grace means that you do not only receive forgiveness for your sins in a one-to-one transaction, but God gives you double—more than enough. So if you every doubt whether God loves you, remember this, that no matter what you have done, God’s grace covers it doubly. I know I said that Luke 2 is warm and small and full of sentimentality. That is true. But John 1 reaches into our lives in deeper ways than Luke 2. Luke tells about the angels proclaiming “peace, goodwill toward men,” but John takes that grand pronouncement and brings it home to you. Think of these two passages in this way. Luke takes the small manger scene and then he blows it up with the angels’ proclamation. John begins with the grand, cosmic reality and then brings it small and close and personal for you. Both are great for what they do, and may the grace and truth of Jesus be yours this Christmas season as you revel in the great and small that God has accomplished for you. Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

Return to Sermons | Home

The Nativity of Our Lord / Christmas Day – December 25^th, 2024

Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas

Rev. Joshua Woelmer

Text: John 1:1–18

“The Word Became Flesh”

Theme: Jesus came into his creation as its creator, the Word that created all.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Christmas reading from Luke 2 that we heard last night and that talks about the birth in Bethlehem and the shepherds and angels is a dear one to all Christians. There is a lot of sentimentality behind it. It has a sense of coziness to it, perhaps. It’s probably the most popular section of Christmas, one that even unbelievers probably recognize. It was featured in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” with Linus dropping his comfort blanket as he recites the angel’s message “Fear not.” There’s a lot to Luke 2 that is warm and small. The shepherds probably gathered in a small place to behold the Christ-child. Luke 2 reminds us of the humanity of all of it, and he places this birth in its historical context so we know when and where it all happened. And then…there’s John 1.

“In the beginning was the Word…” Oh, John… Our Christmas Day Gospel reading from John 1 differs quite a bit from last night’s reading of Luke 2. John is big and bold and ancient and cosmic. You’ve got to love it too. There’s not a lot of warm sentimentality of oxen lowing and the little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes. There’s warfare between light and darkness (5) and rejection by his own people (11).

It’s like taking different approaches to talking about the American Revolution. There are all these great stories that encapsulate the grit and determination of our forces. You have George Washington rowing across with Delaware River with his men on Christmas Eve to catch the Hessians by surprise. You have Paul Revere riding to warn people that “the British are coming.” You have Betsy Ross hand-sewing the first American flag in 1776. Then, you have the big picture of battles and troop movements and ultimate victory.

The truth is, we need both ways to explain history. History classes ought to teach the stories that focus on the individuals and what happened when and where. That’s Luke 2. We should also appreciate the grand strategy and movements that show how ultimate victory was won. That’s John 1. So indulge me for a bit as I talk about the grand narrative of the Bible.

The Creator enters the creation. John begins his Gospel calling us back to Genesis 1. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). How did God create everything in six days? By speaking it into existence. John tells us that the very Word that God spoke was also divine and did the creating. This is one of my favorite analogies of the Trinity. God the Father speaks, and the Son is the Word that fully and truly represents the Father, and the Holy Spirit is the breath that carries this Word.

We must emphasize here that the Son of God, the Word, is one with God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1–2). This is spoken against those who say that the Son of God is a separate being than the Father. We may not be able to understand it rationally, but the Trinity is one God in three persons.

Going on, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (3). We could go through the six days of creation or even think about how God created everything big and small, distant and near, and even you. John draws our eyes to the first day of creation, light.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (4–5). Jesus is the light and life for our darkened world. He brings light to you, no matter what darkness you see in you or around you. His life is life for you.

The Son of God took on a life like yours. We may not get the manger scene, but we get this: “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” (14). Just as God lived in a tabernacle with His people throughout the Exodus, God dwelt in Jesus and dwells among us now.

The Word goes with you too. If you remember back to the Exodus, God led his people by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When they camped and set up the tabernacle, he dwelt there in their midst. Wherever they went, they knew that God was with them, leading them and protecting them. This was Jesus during His earthly life. Wherever he walked, there was the Son of God.

So too does he go with us today. Jesus dwells with you first and foremost by His Word. What you hear today you can carry with you back home. Whenever you read the Bible, you are bringing into your soul the very Son of God, the Word, who fills every page. Whenever you memorize Scripture or share it with others, you are sharing Jesus. The Word is also present in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, joined with earthly elements like water, bread, and wine. Through them you have Jesus, because the Word attaches Himself to those elements.

From Jesus comes grace abounding upon grace: “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (16). This reminds me of Isaiah 40, “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (2). Grace upon grace means that you do not only receive forgiveness for your sins in a one-to-one transaction, but God gives you double—more than enough. So if you every doubt whether God loves you, remember this, that no matter what you have done, God’s grace covers it doubly.

I know I said that Luke 2 is warm and small and full of sentimentality. That is true. But John 1 reaches into our lives in deeper ways than Luke 2. Luke tells about the angels proclaiming “peace, goodwill toward men,” but John takes that grand pronouncement and brings it home to you. Think of these two passages in this way. Luke takes the small manger scene and then he blows it up with the angels’ proclamation. John begins with the grand, cosmic reality and then brings it small and close and personal for you. Both are great for what they do, and may the grace and truth of Jesus be yours this Christmas season as you revel in the great and small that God has accomplished for you.

Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office