Among Us: A Christmas Story “Adoration”

 Among Us: A Christmas Story 

“Adoration”

A few years ago, in fact it was during the start of the pandemic of 2020, I heard a story about a church that had been vandalized. The pastor of the church showed up early one Sunday morning to find the front door of the church building had been graffitied. Written in bright red spray paint was the words “God was here”. The implication was obvious. Whoever had committed the crime was making a bold commentary. God, His presence, His Spirit, no longer dwelled within the walls of the church. God, much like Elvis, had left the building. The criminal was merely reflecting the words of the atheist philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche. Nietzsche, in his book The Gay Science proclaimed that “God is dead”. He made this statement not once, not twice, but three times in his book. 

The pastor, upset over the graffiti, unlocked the doors to the church and retreated to his office. He sat down in his chair frustrated. Why would someone write those words? Did they really feel that God had left the church? Did they really believe that God had taken a vacation or worse yet, had the criminal never believed in the first place. After about an hour or so, the pastor got up and gathered together some cleaning supplies. Maybe he could clean the doors before anyone got to church. He found his supplies and made his way to the front door. When he arrived, he was taken aback. Surprise gripped him. The graffiti was still there. In fact, someone had graffitied the graffiti. Someone had come back with white spray paint. They sprayed over the word “was” and replaced it with “is”. Now the front door read “God IS here”. 

“God is here”!

That message of God’s presence is nothing new. The message of His presence among men dates back some 2000 years.It was the proclamation heralded by angels, heard by shepherds, sought by wise men, feared by Herod, and overlooked by the world. It was the message embraced by Mary and admired by Joseph. Wrapped in swaddling cloths, it was the embodiment of that message—the infant Jesus.

God is here is the message of Christmas. 

Jesus, Immanuel, God’s Son had become man. He was God in suit of flesh. Jesus was the visible personification of the invisible God. Jesus was God’s way to express Himself to man in a language that man could understand. Jesus would put God in man’s shoes. God would understand humanity’s flaws, their foibles, their frailties. In a single moment, the all-powerful made himself vulnerable. He who had been spirit became subject to suffering. The one greater than the universe transformed into an embryo. The sustainer of the world through mere words chose to rely on the nourishment of a young girl.

The Apostle John, in John 1:14, uses one word to embody this revelation of God. Theologians have written long long books trying to explain the doctrine of incarnation of Jesus, but John boils it all down to one little word - “dwelt”. 

John 1:14 - ESV

14. 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. 

Eugene Petersen in The Message paraphrases this verse, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14). Dwelt meant “to live in a tent”. 

If you take the word “dwell” back to the Old Testament, it means to “fix one’s tabernacle”, to “have one’s tabernacle”. It means to “abide or live in a tabernacle”. Jesus essentially did more than just move into our neighborhood, He tabernacled with us. Again, when people encountered God in the Old Testament, they would build monuments. They would stack stones, construct alters, and build temples all to say that God had come to this place. God had visited this site. God stood here. They did all these things to say that “God was here” but no longer. God had come but God had left. God sent Jesus to say that “God is here”. God would no longer come then go. God would come and stay, live, and abide among people. 

When Jesus became a man He showed that God was not merely a principle but a person. Jesus was not an idea of God, not a picture of God, but God Himself in human form.

There is a story about two young men who had found themselves positioned on the front lines on a battlefield during World War II. The were buried, huddled together in a trench. Bullets were flying over their heads. The smell of death and decay was in the air. One of the men looked over the edge of the trench and saw horror upon horror. He saw young men, some as old as 18, laying lifeless on the battle field. Some of those soldiers had missing limbs. Some were hanging on to life, screaming in agony, begging for help or death, whichever one might come first. The soldier sank back to the safety of the trench. His partner nudged him and said “where is God, God is not here, this is a God forsaken place”. At just that moment, two soldiers with red crosses emblazoned on their shoulders and helmets scaled the trench walls. They ran onto the battle field. They made their way through the twisted barb wire and deep holes. They ran to the dying men, to all the wounded soldiers. They put them on pallets and gurneys and drug them to safety. 

“There is God friend, there is God” replied the other soldier. 

There is God indeed. 

When Jesus became man, He entered into the horror of our existence. He made His way to the dead and dying. He came to show us God’s nature, that being sacrifice and salvation. God was indeed here. 

You might be wondering this morning, where in the world is God? I don’t see God. I see war in the Middle East. I see kidnappings, war, humans being butchered. I see evil. Killings. Abortion. Families destroyed. Gender and sexuality perverted. 

I see Satan. I see the Devil. Where is God?

You know friend, Jesus’ world was not much different than our own. Jesus’ world was filled with loneliness, rejection, sadness, and death. Jesus came to let us know that God understands our pain, our hurt, our trials, and our troubles. You say “where is God” and my reply to you is “where ISNT God”? 

You have probably never heard of Joseph Damien. Damien was a 19th century missionary. He lived and ministered among the lepers on the Island of Molokai. The islanders loved Damien as no other missionary would stay and live among them. Joseph Damian knew the risks and never left. He stayed. One day, as he was preparing for his morning homily, Damien had made himself a boiling hot cup of tea. He accidentally spilt the hot water on his foot. It took him moment to realize what had happened because he felt no sensation in his toes, ankle, or base of his foot. He was afraid. He purposely poured more of the hot water on his foot and he realized the difficult truth. He felt nothing. Damien immediately knew what had happened. As he walked tearfully to deliver his sermon, no one at first noticed the difference in his opening line. He normally began every sermon with, “My fellow believers.” But this morning he began with, “My fellow lepers.”

In a greater measure Jesus came into this world knowing what it would cost Him. He bore in His pure being the marks of evil, that we might be pure. He bore in His sinless soul the weight of sin, so that we could be forgiven. He bore in His manly frame the hurt and pain of injustice, that we might be understood.

God is here. He is here understanding our hurt, identifying with our pain. He feels. He hurts. He cries.

What is our response to this news? What is our response to the news that God is able to be felt, approached, and reached? When we think about the location of God, we often point to the sky. God is in heaven. Frankly, we could never reach God if that were true. We can’t truly love God if He is somewhere in the sky. However, we can touch Him if He is here, we can love Him if He is here, among us, with us. 

Again, what is our response to this news? I think that we should do as the angels do…sing! We should do as the shepherds do…shout. We should do as the Magi do…adore. 

Friends, that is the title of the message today. When is the last time you adored Jesus Christ for what He did? When is the last time you truly hit your knees, fell to your face, and said “I’m grateful”?

I want to close this morning with some lyrics from one of my most favorite musical artists, Chris Tomlin. The song is called “Adore”. 

You stepped down from heaven

Humbly you came

God of all creation

Here with us

In a starlit manger

Emmanuel

Light of the world

Here to save

Adore

Come let us adore

Oh come let us adore him

The Lord, worship Christ, the Lord

Let all that is within us

Adore

Wise men bring their treasures

Shepherds bow low

Angel voices sing of peace on earth

What have I to offer

To heaven's King

I'll bring my life, my love, my all

Adore

Come let us adore

Oh come let us adore him

The Lord, worship Christ, the Lord

Let all that is within us

Adore

Would you pray with me this morning?

Gracious Heavenly Father, as we bask in the glow of the Christmas season, our hearts overflow with gratitude and joy. Thank you for the precious gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, who became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. In the miracle of the incarnation, we find hope, love, and the ultimate expression of your boundless love for us. As you love us, may we adore you. May the story of Christmas reignite within us a passionate love for one another, a deep appreciation for the gift of salvation, and a profound awe for the divine mystery of Emmanuel—God with us. As we close this time of reflection, may our lives reflect the light of your love. In His holy name, we pray. Amen.