日期： 2007 年 12 月 23 日

經文：《約翰福音》 1 ： 14-18

題目：滿有憐憫的同在

主旨：我們能慶祝耶穌的誕生，因為他是神成了人，來到我們當中。

引言：

魯易士的 ‘ 納尼亞傳奇 ’ 的 “ 魔術師的外”一書 , 是描述納尼亞世界的開始 . 獅子圍著那塊空地來回走動，唱著新歌。透過這首歌他召喚出星星和太陽、他邊走邊唱，山谷裡同時長出了青草，像潭水一般向四面八方擴散開來，又像波浪一樣向四面小山蔓延而去。不久這草波已經爬上遠方大山低處的斜坡，使這年輕的世界一分鐘比一分鐘更溫柔、一分鐘比一分鐘更可愛。這是一個充滿快樂、興奮、歡喜而又溫柔的時刻。路易斯筆下的納尼亞是一個完美的世界，一切活物和睦地相處，幸福地生活著。《納尼亞傳奇》是路易斯風靡世界長達五十年之久的一部老少皆愛的童話故事。

路易斯的這部著作形象地描繪了我們的世界曾經是什么樣子。當我們第一次讀《創世紀》的時候，對經文所記錄的內容感到驚嘆不已。我們看到神不知疲倦、井然有序地創造了天地 间 的一切。他看著一切所造的都甚好。最初，人類擁有完美和健康的身體，彼此的關系也是毫無瑕疵。人和神之間有著親密的關系。神創造了一個完美的天地。

但是，在《創世紀》的第三章里，我們看到了罪。由于人類對神的背叛，整個世界陷入墮落和腐朽。人和神、和自己、和他人的關系也都受到了破坏。當我們繼續往下讀的時候，就看到 这个 世界已經充滿了黑暗和暴力。人類失去了辨別善惡的能力，真假不分。富人和掌權的人仗著權勢欺壓窮人和弱者。宗教的領袖們濫用職權，為人們帶去更多的枷鎖和束縛。整個世界一團混亂。

耶穌就是出生在這樣一個充滿黑暗，沒有公義，是非不分的世界里。使徒約翰在年老時這樣描繪耶穌的：（ 1 ： 14-18 ）“道成了肉身，住在我 们 中 间 ，充充 满满 的有恩典有真理。 我 们 也見過他的 荣 光，正是父 独 生子的 荣 光 …… . 从 他丰 满 的恩典里，我 们 都 领 受了，而且恩上加恩。律法本是藉 着 摩西 传 的；恩典和真理都是由耶 稣 基督 来 的。 从来没 有人看 见 神，只有在父 怀 里的 独 生子 将 他表明出 来 。 ”約翰簡潔明了地告訴我們：耶穌是神 , 成了肉身住在我們中間，充充 满满 的有恩典有真理。在接下來的《約翰福音》里，作者具體描寫了恩典和真理是如何反映和體現在耶穌的生平事跡里。

我們有時是否也感到這個世界一片黑暗，是非不分呢？四十年前被認為是不好的行為，到了今天已經被人們大方地接受了。我們和神的關系變得破碎不堪，人和人之間也充滿矛盾和沖突。那么，所謂的成了肉身住在我們中間對于我們是什么意思呢？

          I •  神成了人，居住在我們當中。

約翰說 : “ 道成了肉身，住在我 们 中 间 ……”他在這本書里開宗明義地指出：道就是神。道（也就是神）成了肉身，住在我們中間。在舊約里，神曾經在會幕里與人同在，后來也在 圣 殿里與人同在。但是，耶穌是活的會幕和 圣 所。神借著耶穌成肉身。希臘人對此一直感到難以理解。他們將人的肉身和靈魂區分開，所以，在早期，有人指出耶穌并不是完全的人，因為神不可能同時又成為人。他只是看上去有人的模樣。但是約翰明確地指出：神成了肉身，住在我們中間。耶穌既是完全的神，也是完全的人。他和我們在一起的日子是短暫的，因為三十三年以后，他要被接升上天。

但是，在耶穌升天之前，他告訴門徒：在他離開世界以后，將會有 圣 靈降下來，與他們同在。道成肉身的耶穌雖然已經不再看得見，摸得著；但是，他通過 圣 靈依然與我們同在。當我們回顧過去的一年時，我發現許多弟兄姐妹經歷了一些痛苦的時刻。你獲悉癌癥正在入侵你的肉體，治療的過程以及過程結束后的生理反應令肉體倍受折磨。去年這時 , 我們因為威信弟兄在年輕有為時 , 突然的去世而感覺萬分的傷心 . 也有人在過去的一年里經歷了婚姻生活中最糟糕的時刻。在春天，你甚至不知道這段婚姻是否能夠維持到 圣 誕節。有時，你對神是否真的存在感到疑惑。但是，當我們回首過去的時候，是不是發現神自始至終都沒有離棄我們呢？他的腳蹤到處可見，無所不在。

了解神曾經住在我們中間能夠幫助我們明白今天他依然與我們同在。還有一個星期，人類就將跨入新的一年，我們能滿有把握的知道：神會繼續與我們同在。不僅如此，我們更深信：將來有一天，他會再次回到我們中間，接我們去與他永遠同住。無論他在哪里，他的心意是要我們與他永遠同在。

II •  神成了人，在我們當中，充滿了榮耀。

約翰說：“……我 们 也 见过 他的 荣 光，正是父 独 生子的 荣 光。 ”約翰和其他的使徒都曾在耶穌在世的時候見過他的榮光。這是怎么回事呢？在耶穌行了第一個神跡將水變成酒以后，約翰說：“ 这 是耶 稣 所行的 头 一件神 迹 ，是在加利利的迦拿行的， 显 出他的 荣 耀 来 ；他的 门 徒就信他了。”（《約翰福音》 2:11 ）約翰接下來又記錄了耶穌所行的其他六個神跡。每一個神跡都彰顯了耶穌的榮耀。這些神跡的目的在于表明耶穌是神的獨生子的身份，他就是神。 如果人信靠了耶穌，就能得到永生。

在一座山 顶 上，彼得、雅各和約翰親眼目睹了耶 稣 在同摩西以及以利 亚说话时 所 发 出的 荣 光。（《 马 太福音》 17 ： 2 ）

约 翰和其他的使徒最早 见证 了耶 稣从 死里 复 活。 复 活以后，耶 稣 依然是完全的神和完全的人。四十天以后，耶 稣 被接升上天。 这 些都是耶 稣 的 荣 光在 众 人面前的彰 显 ，是 约 翰和 众 使徒 亲 眼目睹的。 这个荣 耀 单单属 于 弥 撒 亚 ，神的 独 生子，也就是神本身。 当 人 们 看到 这个荣 光的 时 候，就知道耶 稣 是神的 独 生子，他就是神；如果信靠了他，就能 获 得永生。

我 们 中 间 有些人也見證了神如何改 变 我 们 的生命，挽救我 们 的婚姻，把我 们从 痛苦的病痛和 医 治 过 程中解救出 来 。甚至在威信的去世 , 也有人因他的感染而信了主 , 这 是耶 稣 彰 显 他的 荣 耀的表 现 方式。 既然 经历 了 他的大能與榮耀，我 们 就要來到他面前，曲膝敬拜他，更多地 爱 他，并且緊緊地追隨他。

不單如此 , 這 位基督嬰孩也 将 我 们 指向未 来 。他告 诉 我 们 ： 将来 有一天，他 会带着 能力和榮耀再次回到我們中間。如果那一天，你我依然 还 活 着 ， 将亲 眼目睹他完美的榮耀；如果你我已 经 死了，也 会 被接到與他的同在。 无论 是他 亲 自 来 接我 们 ， 还 是我 们 死了以后再回到他那里，都 将 和我 们 所敬 爱 和所事奉的主基督的永 远 同在，那是一 个 充 满 了榮耀的團聚。

III •  神成了人，在我 们当 中，充 满 了恩典和真理。

神成了人，居住在我們當中。在世上的時候，他充滿了榮耀。不僅如此，約翰和其他使徒也看到了充充滿滿的恩典和真理。讓我們仔細來學習什么是恩典和真理。

1 •  恩典

今年你的工作業績超出預期，非常出色，給老板留下了深刻的印象。你的某個同事卻工作態度懶散，滿足于完成最低的業績目標。今天，你們各自從公司領到了獎金。但是，你卻發現兩個人的獎金一樣多。你會有什么感受呢？你沒有拿到應得的獎金，這是不公平的。你的同事卻得到了本不該屬于他的獎金，這就是恩典。恩典是得到本來不配得的獎賞，就是所謂的無功之祿。

在 圣 經里，恩典是神的屬性之一。我們的神滿有憐憫和恩典。意思是，他永遠遵守與人類所訂的契約，無條件地愛著人類。即使他的兒女被判和離棄了他，神卻依然堅守承諾，愛護著他們。

那么，耶穌是如何彰顯恩典的呢？在《約翰福音》里，我們看到他治好了瘸腿三十八年之久的人；使一個天生就瞎眼的人見到光明；令饑餓的人有食物吃；醫治無人敢靠近的麻風病人；他鼓勵心懷擔憂的人克服障礙；向懷疑他復活的門徒親自顯現；他雖然是主，卻謙卑地為門徒洗腳；當人還與他為敵的時候，耶穌就為了他們的罪死在十字架上。即使被釘在十字架上，他仍然求天父饒恕他們。這一切都是人所不配得的。這是恩典 .

更加 , 他同罪人以及被社會所拋棄的人一起吃喝。他溫柔地指出撒瑪利亞的婦人曾經有過五次婚姻，現在正和另外一個男人在一起。他沒有責備她，只是令她意識到她的所作所為是錯誤的。有一次，一伙宗教領袖將一個犯了奸淫的婦人帶到耶穌面前，人群試圖拿石頭砸她。 耶穌怎么做的呢？ 8 ： 11 “耶 稣说 ：我也不定你的罪。 去 罢 ， 从 此不要再犯罪了！”耶穌無條件地饒恕了本該接受懲罰的人。你已經被饒恕了，所以不要再犯罪了。這與普通人的邏輯正好相反：以后不要再犯罪了，那么我就饒恕你。耶穌反其道而行，首先饒恕了我們。這就是恩典。

十七世紀時，有一個男孩出生在一個基督徒的家庭。在生命最初的六年里，他被家人的愛和關懷所圍繞。可是后來，父母去世了，男孩只得寄宿在親戚家里，從此他飽受虐待和欺凌，人們對他的基督信仰更是冷嘲熱諷。他逃離了親戚家，加入了皇家海軍。在海軍服役時，他依然命運坎坷。后來，他離開海軍，逃到了非洲，跟當地的奴隸販子有了勾結。他的命運從此達到低谷，甚至一度趴在地上做清潔工。過了不久，他又上了另一艘奴隸船，生活仍然沒有任何起色。他偷喝船上的威斯忌，喝得酩酊大醉，從甲板上摔落到海里。就在他差點被淹死的時候，船上的一個水手用捕魚的魚叉把他拉回了船上。他撿回了一條性命，可是，從此身上卻留下了一道深深的疤痕。最終，在一場大暴風雨中，他開始反思小時候所聽過的 圣 經經文，訣志信主，成為了神的兒女。他的新生可以用他自己所創作的《奇異恩典》的歌詞來形容：“奇異恩典，何等甘甜，我罪已得赦免。前我失喪 今被尋回， 瞎眼今得看見。”你可能已經猜到他是誰了吧？ 不錯，他正是約翰·牛頓，后來成為十七世紀最偉大的布道家之一。這一切都是出于神的恩典。

即使在今天，我們依然每天都經歷神的恩典。我們根本不配得到生命里一切美好的事物。我們的家庭，居住的房子，工作都是神所賜的。不是因為我們本身是好的，而是因為神滿有仁慈和憐憫。這都是出于他的恩典。

當我們來到神的面前，我們看到自己的罪。我們的所言所行都不蒙神的喜悅，這是過犯的罪行（ sins of commission ）；我們說了不當說的話，做了不該做的事，這是忽略的罪行 (sins of omission) 。我們也要每天來到主耶穌面前，承認我們的罪，祈求他的饒恕。只要我們認罪，他都會赦免我們。祂的恩典赦免了我們的罪 , 祂的恩典使我們成長更象基督 . 這都是恩典。 1 ： 16 “ 从 他丰 满 的恩典里，我 们 都 领 受了，而且恩上加恩。 ”我們是他源源不斷的恩典的領受者。

2 •  真理

真理是由神向人類啟示的。它是判斷一切是非的終極標準。任何與真理相違背的事物都是錯誤的。沒有真理，恩典和憐憫都失去了存在的意義；沒有真理，我們不可能知道自己的罪性，也就根本談不上理解恩典的意義；沒有真理，我們無法區分對與錯 , 也不能指責猶太人被 大屠殺的邪惡。沒有真理，生命是黑暗 , 混亂與無意義。

但是 , 隨著真理的來臨 , 在黑暗中有了光 , 真理給了我們道德判斷的基礎 . 給生命有方向 , 有意義 .

這個基督嬰孩，彌撒亞，向我們彰顯了真理，他就是真理。 他的生命以及他的教導都是判斷一切是非的終極標準。以他作為最終的參照物，我們才能清楚地認識自己的罪性和破碎，令我們明白是多么需要他的愛和恩典。

這就是那位基督嬰孩所要帶給我們的東西：恩典和真理。

結論：

《納尼亞傳奇》、《指環王》、《星球大戰》和米爾頓的《失樂園》有什么共同之處？在這些作品里，故事的開始一切都是美好和善良的，可是后來都產生了腐朽，破碎和失落。在二十一世紀里，我們總是提倡創新的思維和行事方式。特別是在總統選舉的時候，我們希望自己帶著發展的眼光向前看。但是，最近一期的《新聞周刊》指出：我們依然受到歷史上 1968 年的影響。在 1968 年，就已經奠定了今天的發展方向，影響了包括希拉里和奧巴馬等在內的一些政治人物。為了了解當代社會，我們需要明白歷史。了解兩千多年前所發生的事，能幫助我們認識今天的世界。

我們今天所處的世界并不太平。新聞里每天都有壞消息。這和創世之初的情景是截然不同的。即便是按照神的絕對真理來衡量，當時的一切也都是美好的。但是，由于人類的背叛，世界墮落了。這對于我們今天所處的世界影響深遠。我們的個人世界也是破碎不堪。我們目睹癌癥不斷侵襲著各個年齡階段的人，我們被罪和破碎的關系所包圍。 當我們一邊慶祝新婚的喜悅時，一邊又看到不少婚姻失敗的家庭的痛苦。我們對未來的生活失去信心，一切仿佛都失去了控制。 我們時常不知道如何辨別是非，心中充滿著困惑。

就是在這樣的一個世界里，我們齊來慶祝基督的誕生。 他來不是為了定我們的罪，而是為了饒恕我們。 他來不是為了給我們應得的，而是為了賜給我們不配得東西。 這就是恩典 . 讓我們來接近這位滿有恩典與真理的神 。

Date:   12/23/07

Text:   John 1:14-18

Title:   A Merciful Dwelling

Theme: 我們能慶祝耶穌的誕生，因為衪是神成了人，來到我們當中。 We can celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, because he was God became man and lived among us.

Introduction:

  The “Magician’s Nephew”, of CS Lewis Chronicle of Narnia, is about the beginning of Narnia. It described how the Lion, Aslan, was pacing to and fro about the empty land and singing his new song. Through his songs, he called up the stars and the sun. And as he walked and sang, the valley grew green with grass. It spread out from the Lion like a pool and ran up the sides of little hills like a wave. In a few minutes it was creeping up the lower slopes of the distant mountains, making that young world every moment softer. The light wind could now be heard ruffling the grass. This was a joyous, bubbling, lively and yet soft event. The created Narnia was perfect and all the living things got along with each other. Lewis’ world was interesting, attracting the attention of children and adults alike for over 50 years.

  Lewis’ books are also instructive in showing what our world was once like. When we read Genesis 1 the first time, we may find it fascinating. We read how God created one thing after another, it was energetic and orderly. God considered everything He created was good. The first man and woman had perfect bodies and health. They had a perfect relationship with each other, with no complexes, no problems with their family of origin. They also had that perfect relationship with God. It was indeed a perfect creation.

  However, in Genesis 3 we learn a lot about sin. Because of disobedience, the perfect world was corrupted. Man’s relationship with God, with self and each other were all corrupted. When we continue to read on, we see a world full of darkness and violence. People lost the sense of right and wrong, confused about evil and goodness. The rich and the powerful oppressed the poor and weak. Religious leaders abused their authority, bringing instead, more burdens and bondage to the people whom they were to serve. It was a world of chaos.

  It was in this world of darkness, injustice, void of right and wrong that Jesus was born. John, a disciple of Jesus, wrote later in his life about this Jesus, “ 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. …. 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” John succinctly told us that this Jesus is God, became human, and lived among men, full of grace and truth. And in the rest of this book, John showed us how Grace and Truth were being manifested throughout Jesus’ life.

  Don’t we sometimes also feel our world is dark, confused about what is right and wrong? Behaviors 40 years ago which were clearly considered wrong, are ok now. We see brokenness in our relationship with God. Human relationships are often corrupt as well. So what does ‘God became flesh and live among us’ mean to us today?

I •  God became man and lived among us.

John said, “ 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” In the beginning of this chapter, John told us that the word was God. So, God became man and lived among us. In the OT, God lived among his people in the Tent, and then later in the temple. But now, the tent, the temple is flesh in the form of Jesus. God became man in Jesus. This is something hard for the Greek minds to understand. They separate the spirit from the body. Therefore in the early centuries, there were teachings that Jesus was really not human, for God cannot be man at the same time. He only appeared to be like a human being. But John unequivocally stated that God became man and lived among us. Jesus was truly God and human at the same time. This living among us was also temporary; because after 33 years, he ascended into heaven.

However, before he left, he told his disciples that after his departure from this world, his spirit, the Holy Spirit will come and live with us. Yes, Jesus, the God man is no longer with us physically, but through his Holy Spirit is still with us today. As we look back over this year, I see many of us have gone through some very difficult moments. You recieved news that your body was invaded by cancer cells. Those painful treatments and their after effects. Last Christmas we were all saddened by the sudden death of Emmanuel Chen, a young man at the prime of his life. Then there were those who have gone through a terrible time in your marriage. Back in the Spring, you were not sure if your marriage could survive through this Christmas. There were times, you were not sure if God was there. But as we look back, isn’t it true that God had never left us; His fingerprints were everywhere. He was always there.

Knowing that he was with us will help us to know and appreciate that he is with us now. As we will be going into a new year in another week, we also have the assurance of his dwelling with us. Moreover, we also know that there will come a day when he will come again to take us to be with him forever.

II •  God became man and is full of glory.

John said, “…… and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” John and other disciples of Jesus saw the glory of Jesus while he was on earth. How so? After Jesus performed his 1 st miracle of changing water into wine, John wrote, “ 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee , and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” (John 2:11). John then went on and recorded 6 more of Jesus’ miracles. Each of these miracles was to demonstrate Jesus’ glory. The purpose of these miracles is to show that Jesus is indeed the son of God, he is God. And by believing in him, man will have eternal life.

On a mountain top, Peter, James and John saw Jesus revealing his glory while talking with Moses and Elijah. (Matthew 17:1ff)

John and other disciples saw Jesus after his resurrection. And then 40 days later, Jesus ascended into heaven. These are the open and public manifestation of His glory. The disciples were eye witnesses of his glory. And moreover, this glory belongs to no one except the Messiah, the son of God, God himself. And when men and women saw this glory, they would know that Jesus is the son of God, he is God and by believing in him, we’ll have eternal life.

Some of us have seen how God changed our lives, restoring our marriage, relieving us from the pain of those terrible sicknesses and treatments. Even in Emmanuel’s death, several individuals came to know Christ. This is one way Jesus manifests his power and glory to us. The purpose of this manifestation is to cause us to come and bow before him, love him more and to follow him more closely.

Not only this, the birth of Jesus also points us to the future. He tells us that one day he will return to this earth in great power and glory. Those of us who are alive when he comes will see with our own eyes his full glory. Those of us who die before his return will also be ushered immediately into his presence. Whether he comes to take us to him or we go to him through death, it will be a glorious reunion with the Christ we love and serve.

III •  God became man and is full of Grace and Truth.

God came and became man and lived among us. While he was on earth, he manifested his glory. There is more than glory. John and the other disciples also saw him full of Grace and Truth. Let’s take a closer look at these two.

1 •  Grace. You have worked very hard this year, your performance is beyond expectation, and had made an impression with your boss. You have a colleague who was kind of lazy, didn’t do much except to meet the minimum requirement. Now, you both receive a bonus from the company. Then you find out your bonus is the same as that colleague of yours. How would you feel? You didn’t get what you deserve, its unfair. On the other hand he got what he did not deserve, its grace. Grace is receiving a favor one does not deserve. It is unmerited favor.

In the scripture, grace is used to describe one of God’s attributes. He is a God full of grace and mercy. This means that God always keeps his covenant love with his children. Even though his children rebel and stray away from him, yet he remains faithful to them.

Now, how did Jesus manifest this grace? John told us that he healed the lame, restored sight to the blind. He fed the hungry and healed the lepers, those whom no one dares to get near to. He ministered to those who worried about life and those who doubted his resurrection. He being the master yet humbled himself by washing the disciples’ feet. While individuals were still his enemies, he died for their sins on the cross. Even on the cross he asked God to forgive them. These are all undeserved favor. It is grace.

Moreover, He ate and drank with the sinners, the social outcasts. He gently pointed out to the Samaritan woman that she had been married 5 times, and now living with another man. He did not condemn her but caused her to realize what she did was wrong. One time the religious leaders brought to him a woman caught in an adulterous relationship. The religious leaders and the crowd wanted to punish her by stoning her. What did Jesus do? 8:11, “ …….. And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Jesus was saying, I am not condemning you. I have forgiven you, and now go and don’t sin anymore.” Do we see what is happening here? For those who deserved punishment, he offered forgiveness. You are forgiven, therefore sin no more. Its not the other way round. Don’t sin, then I’ll forgive you. No, it’s the opposite. He forgives us first. This is grace.

  In the 17 th century a young boy was born into a Christian home. For the first 6 years he was dearly loved. Then, his parents died. He went to live with his relatives and was maltreated, abused, and ridiculed for his interest in Christ. He ran away and joined the Royal Navy. In the Navy, his life went downhill. Finally he left the Navy and fled to Africa where he attached himself to a slave trader. His life reached its lowest point. There were times he actually ate off the floor on his hands and knees. He then associated himself with another slave ship. His life became desperately depraved. He stole the ship’s whisky and go so drunk that he fell overboard. He was close to drowning when one of his shipmates harpooned him and brought him back on board. As a result, the young man had a huge scar in his side. Finally, in a great storm, he began to reflect on the verses he had heard as a boy and was converted. The new life he found is reflected in these words: Amazing grace—how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found; was blind but now I see. As you may have already guessed this young man was John Newton, who later became one of the great preachers of the 17 century. All because of God’s grace.

  Even to this day, we still experience God’s grace daily. Our family, our place of dwelling, our jobs and all that we have, are all given to us. Not because we are good, but because he is good. It is grace.

  Furthermore, whenever we come before God, we see our sinfulness. We have done and spoken words that are not pleasing to God. It is the sins of commission. We have not done and also spoken words that we are supposed to. It is the sins of omission. We too, need to come to Jesus, every day, to confess our sins and seek his forgiveness. And you know, whenever we come before him and confess our sins, he always forgives. His grace forgives and saves us. His grace enables us to grow spiritually. From the very beginning to now, it is grace. In vs.16, “ 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” We are the recipients of his continuous grace.

2 •  Truth. Then there is also truth. Truth is God’s revelation to man. Truth is the absolute standard against which all else is measured. Anything that contradicts truth is not true. You see, without truth, grace/mercy really don’t make much sense. Without truth, we would not know our sinfulness and therefore know nothing about grace. Without truth, without this absolute standard, we cannot distinguish good from evil, we have no reason to condemn the horror of holocaust. Without truth, life is dark, confused, chaotic and meaningless.

However, with the coming of the Truth, a light is shone in darkness. Truth gives us the basis for our moral convictions. It provides us with direction in life, helping us to make moral decisions.

This Christ child, Messiah, manifested truth to us, he is truth. His life and his teaching are the absolute standard against which all else is measured. With him as our absolute and ultimate reference point, we see our brokenness and sinfulness, causing us to realize how much we need his love and grace.

This is what this Christ child brought to us: Grace and Truth.

Conclusion:

  What do we have in common in the Chronicles of Narnia, Fellowship of the Rings, Star Wars, Milton ’s Lost Paradise? They all include in their stories and poem about a beginning that was good and perfect. But then it was corrupted, broken or lost. Even though we live in the 21 st centuries, we advocate new thinking and ways of doing things. We want to consider ourselves as progressive, especially during the election year. But in a recent issue of Newsweek it pointed out that we are still greatly influenced by a time in recent history. 1968. 1968 was the year that set the direction and tone of what is happening today, and the various politicians including: Hillary Clinton and Obama. You see, in order to understand our present world, we need to understand what it was like during a time in history. Or knowing the beginning will help us understand our present world.

  Our present world is really not a very pleasant place, right? Our daily media always carry bad news. It wasn’t like this in the beginning. It was good and perfect, even according to God’s most absolute standards. But because of man’s disobedience, it became corrupted. Its corruption had a far reaching effect on us today. Our world is still full of hunger, injustice and oppression. Our personal world at times is not much better. We witness how the cancer cells viciously attack the young and old alike. We are surrounded with sins and broken relationships. While we celebrate the joy of weddings, we also witness the pain of divorces. For college Christians, what was wrong and unthinkable just 6 or 7 years ago, is ok now. We are confused and sometimes even discouraged about what life can bring us in the future.

It is in such a world, we are here to celebrate the birth of Christ. He has come to help us distinguish the right from the wrong. He has come not to condemn but to forgive us. He has come not to give us what we deserve, but to give us what we don’t deserve. This is grace. Let us come and draw near to this God, full of grace and truth.