In the beginning was something new

 Christmas I sermon delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY, December 26, 2021

Text: John 1:1-18, Isaiah 61:10 - 62:3

In the beginning. It isn’t by accident that those words are heard twice in scripture: once in Genesis, and once in the Gospel of John we just heard. John purposefully used those same words to indicate that the origin of Jesus, God incarnate, shared the moment that God created this universe, this world, and us. Genesis tells us that God brought Creation into existence, including Jesus, making God the center of all Creation. Every day of creation was finished with the proclamation that it was good. That goodness eventually became the Word, Jesus who lived among us, and helped us start a new relationship with God that was also declared good. So today we find ourselves starting something new again: a new church year, now four weeks old, and a new calendar year a week from now. In the middle of this newness is Christmas, a celebration of the beginning of God’s existence among us as the infant Jesus. Whether by the calendar, or by life events, all things in mind, body, and spirit begin with God, and they are good because they started with God.

The reading from Isaiah also has images of newness and beginnings. In a very real way, it introduces a beginning for me, because the first lines in the are ones I recite whenever I put on my alb or cassock. When I start with “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,” I fasten the 11 buttons on my cassock. Then I say “He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,” and I put on my mask. And last, I say “And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” and I put a silver cross around my neck. This is the beginning of my liturgical day, when I speak these words of Isaiah to reaffirm my relationship with God and with you, who have called me to serve you. It is the beginning of a new day of serving this congregation, whether from here, in the pulpit, or out front bringing in donated food, or at the altar, preparing for the Eucharist, or listening to you in our conversations. And like God’s creation of a new day, it is good.

Isaiah talks more about beginnings when he writes that “the earth brings forth its shoots, and a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,” something that we see happen in the Spring. The world that God created creates life itself, life that looks familiar but is also new. Animals and birds are born, and new plants grow where they hadn’t before. Our beginning of life is not limited to happening once in our lives when we are born. It can happen many times in life, like when we grow into adulthood, or build lasting, committed relationships, or when we admit our faults. It can also happen more often and be more familiar, like when we renew our baptismal vows or when we begin a new week after Sunday worship. A new life can begin at various times of the year, too, such as at Christmas, when we make a place for the Christ child in our lives. We are the garden Isaiah mentions, nurturing the holy presence of Jesus to grow within us. We are created by God and within us God grows. As we nurture this growing presence inside of us, God becomes the center of who we are, the source of grace that leads to righteousness.

Christmas is a celebration of the beginning of Jesus’ life among us. Every year, we read this passage from John on the first Sunday after Christmas to remember what John tells us, that God came to our world to experience life on our terms, as we live it. If we can look at ourselves through Jesus’ eyes, we might just find something new about ourselves, something we haven’t seen before or that was hidden from us. If we open ourselves and our lives for the Christ child to live within us, we receive God’s grace and become part of the crown of beauty in God’s hand, as Isaiah mentions. When we are renewed and see ourselves as God sees us, we are ready and able to show love for each other, to uphold the dignity of each other, and to seek justice for each other. This is our beginning, where we become the word spoken by Jesus, to live in the world and shine the light, brought by Jesus, on the darkness that threatens the world. Jesus is born into the world and into our hearts. Let us welcome him as children of God.
 

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