Watchnight Service 2017

Well, good evening everyone. It's my pleasure to be here with you this evening. My name is Alistair.

I have the privilege of being on staff here at the church and I'm just going to spend a few minutes

thinking with you together about the true meaning of Christmas.

But before we get into what Christmas is all about, I have a few questions for you.

What first comes to mind when you see this number?

696,271.

Now, maybe as you sit there, you're thinking, well, that's probably the amount of Christmas trees,

real Christmas trees that were bought in Scotland this year.

What about this number here?

54,488.

What do you think that is?

Maybe it's the amount of mince pies that have been eaten this past week here in Edinburgh alone.

It's probably close to that in my house alone. I do love a mince pie.

But what these numbers are is 696,271 is the amount of babies that were born in England and Wales in 2016.

And 54,488 is the number of babies that were born in Scotland alone in 2016.

So these are huge, huge sums of little tiny babies.

But most of them, if not all of them, went by unnoticed by most of us in this room, didn't they?

We didn't really think about them.

We didn't really contemplate these births as they were happening.

But yet, once a year, we all gather and we contemplate one birth.

And so as we come to Christmas tomorrow, as we think about the birth of Jesus,

I want us to think about the question of, is this just another one of those babies?

Is this just another number to add to the statistic?

See, one of the things I always wonder when I hold or see a newborn baby is,

what will they grow up to be?

What will they be like?

What will they do?

What will this tiny little baby do one day?

What will people say about them?

What will they be like?

Who will they be?

So bring those very same questions into the Christmas story.

Who is this baby?

Is this just another baby?

And what will he do?

And what will he be like?

Well, John, as Alistair read out to us earlier,

one of Jesus' followers leaves us in absolutely no doubt at all

as to the character and identity of this little baby.

We know him as Jesus.

John describes him as the Word of God.

He describes him as light.

And he describes him as the Word became flesh.

See, unlike the other eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life,

unlike Mark, Matthew, and Luke,

John's a little bit different.

He doesn't start with Jesus' birth.

He doesn't start with the first acts of Jesus in his adult life.

Instead, he goes way, way back to the beginning.

He goes way back, and he goes really, really deep.

See, John isn't the kind of guy who's up for that kind of small chat,

small talk that we like.

He isn't the kind of guy, when he first meets you,

to ask you what you do for a living.

Instead, he says,

Hi, my name is John.

And then he asks you the question,

which makes you search your soul for that whole evening.

John says that Jesus made us,

that Jesus taught us,

and that Jesus forgave us.

John's invitation to us this Christmas

is where you come and see that Jesus is not just another baby,

but that he is the Son of God

who has huge significance for this world.

So what did this baby grow up to do?

What has he done?

What has he done to give him such prominence in history

and in the Bible?

Well, John begins his explanation of who Jesus is

by stating some amazing truths in John 1.

And he says that Jesus is the Word,

and the Word is God,

and that everything that was ever created

was created through this Word.

John is telling us that Jesus made us.

Now, I know that sounds a little bit strange.

I've read the Bible.

I know there are a few things in it

which can seem a little bit odd.

How can the Word, words, become flesh?

Well, John is drawing our attention

to the identity of Jesus as the Son of God,

as the one through whom God is working.

In short, John is telling us that Jesus is God.

The language that John uses rings of Genesis 1,

doesn't it?

Where God spoke the whole world into existence,

almost without any effort at all.

The stars that we admire on a clear night,

the planets which we haven't even begun

to understand yet,

they are given almost a throwaway verse

where it says,

yeah, and he also made the stars.

That is the greatness and power of God.

And John reveals to us

that Jesus is the Word of God.

Jesus is the one in whom and through whom

all things were created.

This baby that we see pictured so calmly

and so small,

that is the baby who created

and who upholds the universe.

This baby so small and so fragile

is the one whose hand

upholds the world that we live in

and the world that we love,

whose power created the stars and planets

and whose love made him stoop down

from his place in heaven

to an animal feeding trough

in the first century Israel.

This is the Jesus that we celebrate this Christmas.

This is the Word of God

who created us,

who made us,

who knows us

and who loves us.

But John doesn't stop there.

See, in John chapter 1 verse 14,

John 1:14

we find the most heartwarming verse

filled with love and deep theology

which should make us want to praise God

with every inch of our bodies.

It says,

and the Word became flesh

and dwelt among us.

Jesus taught us.

So why is it significant

that Jesus,

this person,

this Word of God

became flesh

and dwelt among us?

And what exactly did he teach us?

Did he teach us by becoming flesh?

You see,

John explains that Jesus is light.

And what does light do?

Well, light exposes things.

It reveals things.

And that is exactly

what Jesus did.

See, the Bible tells us

that mankind is naturally

in spiritual darkness.

We are naturally separated

from God.

Each of us is born

with a natural desire

to reject God

and his rule over our lives.

See, we think we know better

than our Creator.

That's the truth.

We live in darkness.

But Jesus,

being light,

came into this world

and he became

one of us.

Jesus left his place

of glory and honor

to become

one of us

so that our God

can know our struggles,

so that our God

can know our temptations,

and that he knows

what it's like

to live in

and suffer

in a broken world.

Light exposes darkness,

both the good

and the bad

that come with that.

See, sometimes

we like

what light reveals.

Sometimes we don't.

So during a blackout

in our flat,

for example,

I will go to the cupboard

where I know

exactly where I've left

the torch,

because it happens

quite a few times a year,

and I'll go to the cupboard

where I know

I've left the candles

and I will light everything

up around the flat

so I know where I'm walking,

so I don't bump into anything.

Light,

in that sense,

is good.

We need light.

But then we also have

a little card

on our fridge.

Now, it is in German.

You see it there

on the bottom right-hand

side of the screen,

but it says something

along these lines.

The kitchen

looks like a pigsty,

but I've turned off

the light,

so now it's all right.

And I definitely

fell out today.

We celebrated Christmas today,

and I haven't done

any of the dishes yet,

so I turned off the light

and shut the door

and walked away happy.

See, I definitely

have the tendency

to shut the kitchen door

and walk away.

Out of sight,

out of mind,

there is no light,

it's fine.

Light exposes

both the good things

and the bad.

Now, Jesus coming

into the world

has shone a light

on mankind.

Jesus taught people

who they really were

at their very core,

how people love

to be

and live in darkness,

how people love

to be in rebellion

against God.

Jesus came in flesh

to teach us

about our spiritual state

before God.

And even though

he did that,

the truth is

that the world

didn't recognize him.

They didn't see him

for who he truly was,

and that was true

in the first century

Middle East,

and it is just

as true today.

If you go out

into Edinburgh

tomorrow morning

and you say,

Merry Christmas,

what's the reason

for the season?

Why do we celebrate

Christmas?

The first response

will probably be,

well, Christmas trees,

Christmas decorations,

presents,

and maybe if you're lucky

in your fifth

and sixth guess,

you might get

to Jesus.

Or ask people

who Jesus was

or what Jesus did.

some people

don't even recognize

that he was

a historical person.

And there aren't

many people

who recognize him

to be the son

of God.

Some people say

that he was just

a good moral teacher.

See, even today,

people do not recognize

that Jesus

is the light

of the world.

The light

who came

into our darkness.

The light

who exposed

who we truly

are.

as a human

race.

See, but Jesus

didn't just shine

light onto

our sinful nature.

He didn't just

come into the world

to point the finger

and tell us

how we are

bad, bad people.

Jesus didn't come

to point the finger,

but he came

to bring the solution

to our problem.

And the truth

is that Jesus

forgave us.

Most of us

know someone

who finds it

really, really

easy to point

out flaws

or problems

with an idea

or something

at work maybe.

But when you

ask them

what their

solution to

those flaws

or to those

problems would

be, they lift

their hands

and say,

well, I don't

know.

They find it

really easy

to point the

finger, but not

to bring a

solution.

You see, well,

Jesus doesn't

do that.

He comes into

the world and

he brings the

only solution.

He gives us

the only fix

to the problem

of our

spiritual darkness

and rejection

of God.

What is that

solution?

Well, it is

Jesus himself.

The word

became flesh.

Because mankind

is so naturally

sinful, we

naturally do

things wrong

in and of

ourselves, we

cannot turn

to God.

And so Jesus,

the word of

God, God

himself, the

light of God

became flesh

to show us

who God

is and to

make it

possible for

mankind to

be forgiven.

Now, how

was that made

possible?

Well, it's

made possible

because this

baby that we

celebrate lived

a sacrificial

life after

teaching people

about God,

after loving

people with a

perfect love.

He was nailed

to a cross,

even though he

was perfectly

innocent.

so that we

could be called

children of

God, so that

we could be

forgiven.

On the cross,

the anger of

God against

sin was poured

on Jesus.

He took the

punishment that

each of us

deserve.

And so that

we could be

offered the

amazing gift

that is the

forgiveness of

sins.

Jesus has

shown us the

fullness of

grace.

grace.

And he has

made it

possible for

us to know

God, as

John says in

John 1,

John 1:17–18

verses 17 to

18.

See, grace is

one of those

words that

Christians love

to throw

around, but

quite often we

don't explain

it.

When the

Bible speaks

of grace, it

refers to God

giving us

something that we

don't deserve.

grace.

So a modern

example would

be if a man

stood before a

judge and

pled guilty of

a parking

ticket, for

example, the

person should

take that

punishment because

it is a

consequence of

their actions.

But grace is

when the judge

passes judgment

but stands up

and says, well,

I will pay that

man's fine.

I will take the

punishment so that

he doesn't have

to.

That is grace.

grace.

See, Jesus

shows us true

grace, perfect

grace, unfailing

grace, because

being God, he

knows exactly what

mankind is like.

He knows our

hearts, how we

constantly do

things wrong, how

we constantly rebel

against God.

And still, all of

that, despite all

of that, Jesus

still shows us

grace.

the Bible is a

revelation of

God's character, of

God's love for a

fallen and broken

world, of God's

desire to see his

creation redeemed

and restored to a

right relationship

with him.

And the Bible tells

us how that is

possible through

this person, Jesus

Christ.

It's possible

because the word

of God became

flesh and dwelt

amongst us.

Jesus, the son of

God, was born into

this world.

He lived the

perfect life,

that we could

never, ever

live.

And he died the

death that we all

deserve, taking the

punishment for our

sins and our

wrongdoings.

And he rose,

victorious,

defeating Satan,

sin, and our

ultimate enemy,

death.

And so let's ask

that question again.

Is this just

another baby?

what the Bible

shouts at us,

no.

This is the word

of God.

This is God whose

power created the

world and who

upholds it even

now.

Jesus made us.

This is the light

of God who came

into the world to

shine light into

the darkness of

our human souls.

Jesus taught us.

And this is the

Son of God,

revealing God to

us and taking the

punishment for our

sins so that we

can be forgiven.

Jesus forgave us.

Jesus is not just

another baby,

but he is the

Son of God who is

offering you life

and forgiveness.

Will you accept

this gift of

heaven?

Will you consider

this Christmas that

this baby Jesus

that we celebrate

is the one and

only in the world

who can offer us

true love and

true forgiveness?

Will you see

Jesus for who he

truly is this year?

And will you give

him all of the

praise and honor

that he rightfully

deserves?

Let's pray

together.

Heavenly Father,

we thank you for

sending Jesus.

Lord,

we confess that

we are all

sinful,

we do things

wrong,

we rebel against

you day in and

day out,

and yet still in

your grace and

in your love,

you sent your

Son to pay the

punishment for

our sins.

Lord,

help us this

evening and

tomorrow morning

remember the

reason for the

season.

Help us remember

that you are the

Word of God who

became flesh and

dwelt among us.

Father,

we thank you so

much for your

Son, Jesus

Christ, in

whose name we

pray.

Amen.