LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMAS

Preaced by Gregory Lee
18 December 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 3:16 [read 3:16]
-- this morning marks for us the fourth Sunday of Advent -- for several weeks now, we have been looking at what Christmas really means as we have been preparing ourselves to celebrate the birth of Christ -- but sometimes I wonder if the church hasn't forgotten the true meaning of Christmas
-- we're quick to take offense is someone tries to secularize this holiday -- we're quick to point out that the meaning of Christmas is the birth of Christ -- but that's not the whole story, is it?
-- Christmas is not just about the birth of Christ -- that would be like saying that Martin Luther King, Jr day is just a celebration about the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. -- that's not why we celebrate that holiday -- we don't celebrate that day just because a man was born -- no, we celebrate it because of what Martin Luther King, Jr. did with his life to gain equality for blacks in this country
-- in the same way, Christmas is not just about the birth of Jesus but about what the birth of Jesus meant for us -- about what the man who was born at Christmas did on our behalf
-- Christmas is the day when we celebrate the fact that God came down to earth and wrapped Himself in flesh -- He became for us "Emmanuel" -- God with us -- for a purpose and a reason -- no, the story of Christmas is more than just the story of a baby born in a manger on a cold winter night in a small town in the Middle East -- it is the story of God loving us so much that He became a man to save us when we couldn't save ourself

-- there once was this little boy who loved sailboats -- one day, he decided to make his own toy sailboat -- he took a block of wood and he started carving -- every day, he would work on his boat, carefully and patiently shaping it and molding it until it looked just like a real sailboat -- he painted it and built a sail for it and it was perfect
-- when he was finished creating his sailboat, he carried it down to the river near his house to play with it -- he tied a small line to the stern so that he could reel it back in after he was done -- he set it in the water and it floated and began to sail on the surface of the river just like a real boat
-- but, suddenly, a storm came up and the wind caught the sails of his boat and his line broke -- all he could do was watch as his boat sailed away -- that which he had created was gone -- he looked and looked for it, but he never could find it
-- one day, as he walked past the local toy store, he looked in the window and there was his boat -- he rushed in and grabbed it up and said "it's mine -- it's mine -- I have my boat back at last" -- but the storekeeper said that if he wanted the boat, he would have to buy it
-- so the boy worked all summer and saved his money -- finally, when he had enough, he went back to the toy store and handed his money to the owner and took the boat out of the window -- he hugged it to his chest and said, "You're mine -- you're mine -- I made you and you got away -- but I've got you back and I'll never let you go again"


II. Scripture Lesson
A. John 3:16

-- Christmas is the day we celebrate the fact that God loved us so much that He refused to let us go even though we were lost -- in fact, He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to earth to die on the cross for us -- to pay the price to buy us back from bondage to sin and death -- to get back that which He had created and to never let us go again
-- in the familiar verse that we opened with -- John 3:16 -- we see the true meaning of Christmas -- because God loved us so much -- He "gave" His only Son -- that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life
-- the Father gave us His Son -- it was His gift to us -- it was the gift of Christmas, wrapped in love, and delivered through a peasant girl to a world of sinners -- Chuck Swindoll said that "God's gift to us came wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. Talk about doing the unexpected for the undeserving!"
-- have you ever experienced the unexpected when you were undeserving? -- just like all of you, I exchange presents with my family and friends at Christmas -- and, if you're like me, when you pick out your gift, you're always trying to match what you think they're going to spend on you -- especially if it's just a friend -- you kind of guess what they're going to spend based on how close your friendship is and what they got you last year and then you go out and get them something in that price range -- we all do it -- every single one us
-- but there have been occasions when I have exchanged gifts with someone and they've gotten me something that was more than I expected -- something that was just so valuable -- so precious -- so thoughtful -- that my gift paled in comparison
-- I was left speechless -- holding the unexpected and feeling so undeserving of what I had received -- knowing that my gift was nothing compared to what they had given me -- that, my friends, is grace -- and that is the gift of Christmas
-- as it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast."
-- yes, Christmas is more than just a day we celebrate the birth of a child -- for the child born in the manger at Christmas -- the holy and perfect child of Mary -- was God's gift to us -- God clothed in flesh -- Grace clothed in flesh -- Love clothed in flesh

B. Romans 5:1-8
-- if you would, please turn over to Romans 5 and let's look a little more closely at what the love of God at Christmas means to us -- verse 1 [read vs. 1-8]
-- What is the true meaning of Christmas? -- God giving us the gift of His Son to demonstrate His love to us -- even though we didn't expect it -- even though we were undeserving -- even though we were sinners -- separated from God by our own evil thoughts and desires and actions and held in bondage to sin and death -- God showed His love for us through Christ's death on the cross at Calvary
-- verse 8 tells us that Christ died for us "while we were still sinners" -- that shows us the extent of His love for us -- He didn't wait and die for us after we started coming to church -- He didn't wait and die for us after we put our faith and trust in Him -- He didn't wait and die for us after anything that we did or didn't do -- but before we ever thought of Him -- while we were still sinners -- Jesus died on the cross for our sins
-- Christmas demonstrates the Father's love for us just as the cross demonstrates Christ's love -- God had no assurance that we would love His Son, but He sent Him to earth anyway -- Jesus had no assurance that we would love Him, but He willingly went to the cross for us anyway -- He loved us even though He knew that we might never love Him or trust Him -- He loved us enough to die for us, even though many in this world continue to reject Him to this day
-- one Sunday a little boy looked up at his daddy and asked, "Daddy, how does God love us?" -- His father answered, "Son, God loves us with an unconditional love."
-- the boy thought for a moment and then asked, "Daddy, what kind of love is unconditional love?" -- after a few minutes of silence his father answered, "Do you remember the two boys who used to live next door to us and the cute little puppy they got last Christmas? -- "Yes" -- "Do you remember how they used to tease it, throw sticks and even rocks at it?" -- "Yes" -- "Do you also remember how the puppy would always greet them with a wagging tail and would try to lick their faces?" -- "Yes" -- "Well, that puppy had an unconditional love for those two boys -- they certainly didn't deserve his love for them because they were mean to him -- but, he loved them anyway"
-- the father then made his point: "God's love for us is also unconditional -- men threw rocks at His Son, Jesus, and hit Him with sticks -- they even killed Him -- but, Jesus loved them anyway"
-- 1 John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." -- the sinless dying for the sinner -- that is the definition of unconditional love -- that is the meaning of Christmas

-- Max Lucado wrote this perspective on the incarnation of Christ:
-- "Can anything make me stop loving you?" God asks. "Watch me speak your language, sleep on your earth, and feel your hurts -- Behold the maker of sight and sound as He sneezes, coughs, and blows His nose -- You wonder if I understand how you feel? -- Look into the dancing eyes of the kid in Nazareth; that's God walking to school -- Ponder the toddler at Mary's table; that's God spilling His milk."
-- "You wonder how long my love will last? -- Find your answer on a splintered cross, on a craggy hill. -- That's me you see up there -- your maker -- your God -- nail-stabbed and bleeding -- Covered in spit and sin-soaked."
-- "That's your sin I'm feeling -- That's your death I'm dying -- That's your resurrection I'm living -- That's how much I love you." -- that's...Christmas

III. Conclusion
-- Candy Chand wrote a story several years ago about the time her son Nicholas was in a kindergarten Christmas play -- for weeks, Nicholas had worked to memorize the songs that they would be singing -- finally, the big day arrived -- Candy got there about 10 minutes early, found a spot in the cafeteria, and sat down -- the seats began to fill with other parents and with other children in the school
-- each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor -- then, each group -- one by one -- rose to perform their song -- Candy said that since the school had quit referring to the holiday as "Christmas" but as "winter break," she didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment -- songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer
-- so, when her son's group rose to sing, "Christmas Love," she was surprised -- as the class sang the song, the kids in the front row -- center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song -- as the class would sing, "C is for Christmas", a child would hold up the letter "C" -- then, "H is for Happy" and on and on -- until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love"
-- the performance went smoothly until suddenly, the audience noticed her -- a small quiet girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -- totally unaware that her letter "M" appeared as a "W"
-- the audience snickered at her mistake -- but she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W"
-- the teachers tried to get the kids to quit laughing, but the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and then they all saw it together -- a hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen -- in that instant they understood the reason they were there -- why they celebrated the holiday in the first place -- why even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season there was a purpose for Christmas festivities
-- for when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: "Christ Was Love" -- Christ was Love -- Christ is love -- Christ continues to love us no matter what we do -- there is nothing that we can do that will make God love us more -- there is nothing that we can do that can make God love us less -- God loves us completely -- perfectly -- unconditionally -- because He is love
-- rather than just telling us about His love in the Bible -- rather than just speaking His message through the prophets and evangelists and apostles -- God showed us His love by sending His own Son to earth to die in our place

-- as Max Lucado wrote in the book "In the Grip of Grace" -- "From the cradle in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem we've pondered the love of our Father. What can you say to that kind of emotion? Upon learning that God would rather die than live without you, how do you react? How can you begin to explain such passion?"
-- "There is no way our little minds can comprehend the love of God. But that didn't keep Him from coming" -- Love came down at Christmas -- He came for you -- He came for me -- He came for all of us
-- God's love surrounds us and envelopes us -- He showed it through the birth of His Son at Christmas -- and He showed it again at the cross of Calvary -- the question before us this morning, then, is what will you do in response? -- will you return His love with your own or will you just go about your life as before?
-- just like gifts cannot be appreciated until they are received, love cannot be realized until it is accepted -- will you accept the love of God this Christmas? -- will you accept the love of God today?
-- I want to close by sharing with you a song by Point of Grace called, "Love Came Down at Christmas" -- as this song is played, if you have felt God tugging at your heart -- if you have felt a need to come to Him this year and to accept His love and demonstrate your love for Him -- then I would invite you to come to the altar and speak with Him this morning
-- God loves you so much and all He wants is for you to love Him, too -- that is the meaning of Christmas and that is why we are here
-- let us pray