Our advent series In the beginning… A signpost to Jesus How can this be? The servant king Carols and Candles Nativity Christmas morning

In the beginning…

Then John says something totally shocking. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us. v14 Creative, dynamic God became a person; moved in to our neighbourhood.

John 1: 6-7; 19 - 28 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light….

John 1: 1 – 19 - 28 19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No. ” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him.

“Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John the Baptist An unusual guy John the Baptist An unusual guy! Its no surprise they came and questioned him. Who are you? I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ v23

John’s ministry revolved around the coming of Jesus John’s ministry revolved around the coming of Jesus. Why does John the Baptist make so much of Jesus Christ? He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. v7

There is one thing modern therapists and the Bible agree on.

Therapy’s approach: We look within ourselves for strength, dignity, purpose, positivity.

The Bible’s approach: We look outside ourselves to a power greater than us. The Bible shows us not to make more of ourselves but to make more of Jesus.

This is just what John is telling us. v26 - 27 John will baptise with water – symbolic. Jesus …will baptise with the Holy Spirit v33 A life changing power greater than anything we can find in ourselves. John wants to bring us close to Jesus.

We’ve seen the cosmic. Now the personal We’ve seen the cosmic. Now the personal. Among you stands one you do not know v26 This Jesus - who is God - stands amongst us. Prepare the way… v23

How does it feel when we are close to Jesus? When we’re close to his competency, wisdom, grace and generosity we feel secure. When we recognise that Jesus doesn’t just hear but acts we feel at peace.

We need to be near Jesus. He’s our resource: God with us. His eye is always on us. This open us up to his compassion. This motivates us to conform to his will.

John wants to bring a clearer view of Jesus. To clean the windscreen so we can see.

Jesus the Creator Pre-existent – there before time. Not just original creation but also new creation. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Cor 15:17

Getting close to Jesus brings recreation Getting close to Jesus brings recreation. If we turn to him in faith he gives us a fresh start. We may have to deal with some consequences but we don’t have to live with guilt before God.

Jesus the Eternal In Revelation God talks about himself Rev 1:8: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Later Jesus talks about himself. Rev 22:13:  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. No matter where we go we bump into Jesus.

Getting close to Jesus connects us to the eternal. Eternal doesn’t just mean a fairy tale forever. It means ever present. He’ll never leave us He’s always got enough love for us. He is always the best for us. We’re part of his bigger story. All the resources we need are found in Jesus.

Jesus the bridge builder We don’t have a God who is playing hide & seek. Jesus speaks to the hopes and longings of every person. He takes us from what we know to what we need. (Bridge builders make the greatest evangelists!)

Jesus the life giver We are looking for life. The poor need food; but they also need to be close to Jesus. The rich wont be satisfied by stuff; they also need to be close to Jesus. The lonely won’t be comforted by crowds; they also need to be closer to Jesus.

If we want to be truly alive we also need to be close to Jesus If we want to be truly alive we also need to be close to Jesus. We are made for God. And he’s in our midst, walking amongst us.

Anything else we use to fill our spirit won’t satisfy. We will be thirsty again unless we draw near to Jesus. (John 4.)

“God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine “God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.”  CS Lewis: Mere Christianity

This Christmas…