The Prologue of the Gospel of John

Christmas 1, Year B, 2002
John 1:1-18 – The Prologue of the Gospel of John
(Psalm 147 or 147:13-21; Isaiah 61:10--62:3; Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7)

Sermon by Matthew Mead
Prepared for The Rev. Lillian Daniel
Religion 912a, Principles and Practices of Preaching
Final Sermon

Notes: I am trying a different style than I am have previously done. This is more of a theme sermon I think.

“To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” – John 1:12-13

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. Please be seated

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have been given the right to become children of God. I cannot imagine a greater responsibility than to be a child of God. In his epistle to the Galatians Paul tells us that we become not only a child of God, but an heir. An heir! I cannot imagine a greater load of responsibility.

We have seen Jesus speak before about children, we have seen him speak about heirs. Just a few weeks ago we read in the Gospel of Matthew about two sons. The first did not do what he told his father he would do. The second did what he was told only after initially refusing his father’s request. But it is in the Gospel of Luke that we hear Jesus telling us of the most famous children: the story of the prodigal son and his brother. One goes off and wastes away all of his inheritance. The other complains he has not been treated well enough for being loyal.

What does it mean to be a child of God? Are we destined to be like one of the children in the parables of Jesus? Are we doomed to waste what we have been given or complain when we don’t get all the attention we think we deserve? Will we ever be able to not only say that we will do what God asks, but also do it? What does it mean to be a child of God? What kind of responsibility does bring along with it?

It brings a lot of responsibility. When a family owns a business everyone must chip in to make it a successful business. All of the members of the family must play a part; everyone must take responsibility. But even more than playing a part everyone must always be ready to step up and do what is needed for the business to be successful.

As heirs of God we too must take responsibility. Our responsibility is to follow the teachings of Jesus because it is through Jesus and belief in Jesus that we are heirs to God in the first place. You’re probably asking yourself exactly which teachings of Jesus we are supposed to follow. Is it all in the Sermon on the Mount? Is everything I need to know in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John? Which letters of Paul are the best ones to start in? Where do I begin and what do I need to know?

A good place to begin is today’s Gospel. In the beginning was the Word. We hear only a few verses later about John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness as a witness to the light. He came as a witness to Jesus. As heirs to God we too are called to witness to the light. We are called to spread the good news of Jesus everywhere.

That does not mean that we must go out into the wilderness, eat locusts and honey, dress in rags and proclaim that Jesus has come. We are not all prophets like John and as children of God we must all play our own part. But as Christians there are some things that we are all called to do. We are called to witness to Jesus in everything we do. Whether it is our call to worship God and give Him thanks not just on Sunday but every day, or our call to love other people as we love ourselves. Jesus himself tells us that is what we need to do.

When we do that we will have accepted the responsibility of being children of God. Being a child of God is not something that you can do in one day. When you are a child of God you are part of the family and it is a lifelong commitment. Every day you must go out and try to do what Jesus has told us to do. And if you mess up and you fail, its ok, Jesus is there for you. Jesus understands and Jesus has forgiven you.

In the third chapter of the Gospel of John we are told that all who believe in Jesus inherit eternal life, life knowing and life with God. Because we believe in Jesus we know that God is forever on our side and God will forever look on us lovingly as a child. The father in the story of the prodigal son is like God. He loves his children no matter what. If they go off for a long time and waste away all of their gifts, he loves them when they return to him. If they stay with him and complain that they deserve more he is there to encourage them and assure them that he loves them with his whole heart.

As children of God we have great responsibility but we also have great joy. In the Old Testament reading today Isaiah speaks of the joy and happiness of being a child of God. He says: “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.”

As heirs of God we have everything we could possibly imagine and much, much more. We know God and we know that He is with us every step of the way. He is with us when we wake up in the morning and when we go to bed as night. He is with us when through good times and through bad times. He is there to comfort us when we are sad and to celebrate with us when we are happy. He is there to welcome us home when we have left Him, and he is there to assure us when we feel down that no matter what He loves us.

Believing in Jesus as Lord and God brings both responsibility and joy: The responsibility of being a part of a family and the joy of knowing and being loved by God. We have been given the gift of being children of God. I cannot imagine a greater gift than that. Jesus has given himself, he has lived and died on the cross and been raised from the dead. Because of that we have all been given the gift of being children of God. I cannot imagine a greater gift than that!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.