God Revealed, through Him
John 1:10-18

† Immanuel †

May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ reveal to you the love of God, which pours out blessings upon us.

• Revealed

Christmas day in the early 70’s was fun, even though the Parkers weren’t wealthy. We weren’t allowed “downstairs” until 7 a.m. Usually about 5:50 a.m. my brother Stephen and I would sit on the very bottom stair – technically not on the first floor—but we could see the tree – and were close enough to be warmed by the woodstove.

What I didn’t understand as a kid was my parents. They didn’t seem in a rush to open their presents, they just smiled and cheered us on as Stephen, Kelly and I opened ours.

I understand that now, as the joy they had was really watching us revel in the gifts we were given.

I think that there is a lot of God seen in that attitude, to revel, not in what you receive, but in what you gave to others. Even if it was only a life-savers book, that would be devoured by New Year’s!

As we look at the gospel today, as we see Jesus revealing to us the Father, and the heart of the Father, we need to see God’s joy, as we discover the gift He gives us in Jesus. And the gift Jesus gives us, that John writes about in verse 18.

• Near the Heart!

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

This is how it works. Now one knows the Father’s heart like Jesus, and His mission is to reveal the heart of God to people who are anxious, and unsure of where they are in life, never mind where they are going. People who are broken by the world, broken as their health suffers, broken by the sinful acts done against them, broken by our own sin.

Without Jesus, what would we know of God? Our Lutheran Confessions tell us we would have no idea of the Father’s heart, no idea of what it means for God to be merciful. Without Jesus’ revelation, all we could expect is eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

But Jesus reveals God’s heart to us…

• Revealed God wants to be present in our lives

My parents love to watch us open presents, as they saw the eyes grow wide with each new discovery. In the same way, God the Father enjoyed the sense of discovery and joy that Adam and Eve had in the garden.

Those walks in the garden, those times of joy were long missed because Adam and Even being tempted and sinning. But we see how much God desires that relationship and Jesus comes and dwells with us, and according to Matthew, promised that God will always be there for us…

This is the heart of God—the God who would spend every moment with us, enjoying our discovering the work He’s done for us.

• Revealed God’s love and dependability never fails

Has anyone ever had a roommate who wasn’t exactly who they expected? Maybe it was a good thing—like you found out they were a chef… or one roommate—whose parents lived with us for 2 months, and did all our laundry, cooking, housecleaning. There are other stories, I am sure some of them are horrifying!

For God to come and dwell among men must have had all sorts of expectations.

More rigid rules?

Best behavior at all times?

That was not the key thing John took away, the part of Jesus that reflected the heart of the Father. It was something far more incredible,

He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

This is what mattered about Jesus, that he was full of an amazing merciful love, and that he was faithful, dedicated and true to His people.

Both words love and faithful are interesting translations. Other translations will use Grace and Truth instead of love  and faithfulness.

The words in Greek are heavy in meaning – and can mean love/grace. We get the word charity from it, which has been a synonym for active love and care for a long time.

What John and the other apostles realized is that God the Son, and therefore God the Father loved them, was charitable towards them. Even for the Jewish people, this was unexpected, who would anticipate God being that loving.

It has been a long time since “true” was used regarding relationships. Being true is the ultimate version of faithful. No other interest: nothing but fulfilling the promise made in the relationship.

Jesus would be the ultimate partner, the ultimate friend, and He reflects the love and faithfulness of the Father.

• Revealed God’s glory

Therefore, John can say, “we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

What is God’s glory? Simple, it is His love and faithfulness, shown to us as He dwells with us. Therefore, we celebrate the birth of a baby in a remote village, in a powerless nation, nearly 2000 years ago.

His glorious unfailing love and that He is true to all He has promised. This made a difference in the life of John and all the apostles. It is what makes a different in 2000 years of His people He calls together; it is what makes a difference in our lives today, and we pray it is what makes a difference in the lives of those around us.

God is with us…. And therefore, we dwell in His unexplainable peace. AMEN!

(if you want to hear this service, please check out the worship service at bit.ly/concordiacerritos )