The Light of Grace and Truth

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church.

Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota.

We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

And now here's a message.

From Pastor Chris Roseberg.

The Holy Gospel according to St. John the first chapter.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made.

In him was life and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness is not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him.

He was not the light but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

He was in the world and the world was made through him yet the world did not know him.

He came to his own and his own people did not receive him.

But to all who did receive him who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God who were born

not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man but of God.

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.

This is the gospel of the Lord in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Merry Christmas.

It's great to see you all this wonderful wonderful day.

You'll note that there's a lot of noise as it relates to Christmas.

This is an interesting way to start but I've tweaked a few things in my sermon since the last service but here's

the idea.

Have you noticed there's a bunch of people out there I call them Christmas Karens.

I feel bad for anybody named Karen nowadays.

These are people who sit there and say you you can't celebrate Christmas.

It's a pagan holiday.

Jesus wasn't really born on December 25th and on and on and on they go.

I always like to point them to the liturgy.

You point them to the hymns we're gonna sing.

Point them to the biblical texts we're gonna read and I say could you point out the pagan part for me right you know just let me know which parts the

pagan party when when you see it let me know.

And and of course that that never really satisfies them and they say well we are nowhere commanded to

celebrate Christmas to which I say and we're no we're no we're forbidden to celebrate Christmas either so

there right you know we're not Jehovah's Witnesses we're something different you know and so

over and again this is kind of a fascinating thing but here's the thing.

This isn't about December 25th.

This isn't about paganism at all.

In fact if anything paganism can only like mimic can only like pervert can only like counterfeit

the real thing.

This is about the celebration the hopeful and repentant

celebration of the incarnation of the Son of God and he has come

as the brightest light in all of the darkness that we find ourselves in.

You'll note that when God created the heavens and the earth everything was in

darkness and that's really kind of the point of our gospel text.

John chapter 1 is referred to in some places as well the the the

Genesis 1 of the New Testament it is and it reveals something kind of behind

the scenes in Genesis 1 that we wouldn't get anywhere else.

No unbelieving Jew no Jew who doesn't believe that Jesus is the Messiah would have this other

information.

In fact they can't quite understand the doctrine of the Trinity nor do they understand how to deal with those

verses in the biblical text in the Old Testament that talk about God God in a plurality of

persons.

Kind of a fascinating thing but the very first sentence very first sentence of the Bible

begins with these fantastic words.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and

it goes on and says the earth was without form and void and listen

to the word and darkness was over the face of the deep the Hebrew word to home

there's the Spirit of God this was the Ruach Elohim was

hovering was was brooding was hovering over the face

of the waters like a well like a bird getting ready to what we're protecting

its clutch you know of eggs something to that effect and so the very first thing we learn about the

creation is itself is there's chaos.

There's the Tohu Vabohu there's the to home and the deep and their God is

at work in the darkness and the Holy Spirit itself is hovering

and like a bird Merikaphet it's an interesting verb in Hebrew it's only used of birds

and the Holy Spirit kind of a fascinating thing.

And then the first thing that happens is the Logos the Word of God the

Devar Elohim the Word of God the Devar Yahweh.

He then speaks let there be

light.

And there was light.

Oh man.

And you see that's kind of the thing.

And so if you were to just take that little part God spoke God

spoke and said let there be light.

Well in our gospel text it begins with these words anarchy and

halagas kialagas and proston down cathedrals and halagas in the beginning was

halagas the word and the word was face -to -face

with God was with God and the word was God.

And now your mind is blown because the scriptures say there's only one God.

I know there's only one God.

And yet there are three persons in the one true God.

And here we see two of the persons of the Trinity in action.

God the Father.

God the Son in the beginning going all the way back to where where Genesis begins.

Barashit.

In the beginning there was the Word of God Jesus the second person of the Holy Trinity

face to face with the Father.

And not only is he with God he is God.

And he was in the beginning with God and all things were made through him.

Without him was not anything made that was made.

And in him was life.

And listen to these words.

And the life was the light of men.

And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

In fact I think a good way to think about it is that since none of this are fallen to

sin that complete destruction in the pandemonium that we've brought upon ourselves none of it is the

caught God off guard.

In fact he knew it was coming.

And the very darkness that God creates the earth the heavens and the earth in is a

foreshadow.

It's a foreshadow of where we find ourselves.

Think of it this way.

You and I were all conceived and born in sin.

As King David says in sin did my mother conceive me.

Paul makes it clear that none is righteous.

Quoting from the Psalms.

And the Psalms say this.

And you know in two other parts that none is righteous.

No not one.

No one understands.

No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside together.

They have become worthless.

And this worthlessness of sin have you noticed that sin just leaves you

empty.

It hollows you out.

It make doesn't make you a human being.

It makes you less than a human being.

How many of you can look back on your sin and sit there and go.

Yeah that was the best thing ever man.

Yeah that that sin was so great.

None of us can do that.

In fact every one of us look back at our sin and sit there and go.

Boy what was I thinking.

Right.

We look back with shame and guilt.

And the scriptures describe sin as what darkness.

But see this is what makes Christmas so amazing is that Christ he is the

light.

And he is the one that shines in the darkness.

If you were to kind of think of it in these terms we've all received or probably even given those Christmas cards that

kind of wonderfully sentimentally depict there's the city of Bethlehem on the night that

Jesus is born.

Right.

And the stars are twinkling.

And then you got that one ginormous supernova star out in sky.

Right.

Jesus is that light.

You see scripture says it this way that when we we have been

strengthened with all power because of Christ according to God's glorious might for all endurance and

patience with joy.

Therefore we give thanks to the Father.

Why do we give thanks to the Father.

Because he has qualified you.

He's qualified me through the shed blood of Christ through the vicarious sufferings

of our great God and Savior for us on the cross.

He has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the Saints

in light.

You see in the earth that is coming the new creation the new heavens the

new earth.

Not only is there no sin.

We are described as existing in an inheritance that is bathed that is

marked by nothing but light.

It goes on he Christ he has delivered us from the dominion

from the kingdom of darkness.

Yeah that's right.

He has.

You see we were born in the darkness of sin conceived in it.

We've we've all lived in it.

Hate to say this.

But many we're guilty of like adjusting ourselves to the darkness

and thriving in it enjoying it.

But see Christ has delivered us from the dominion of darkness.

He has transferred us to the kingdom his own kingdom in whom then we have

redemption and the forgiveness of our sins.

We have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness.

And we all know a thing or two about the darkness.

Yeah think of it this way.

You know how many of you like to hear it's.

It's the dead of winter now in North Dakota.

And oh I was like in yeah at the end of the day getting into bed in the wintertime.

Why.

Because the beds just a little cool the sheets are a little cold.

Right.

And you know there it is.

It's dark at night we've got the shades drawn and I pour myself into bed and oh it's

just a little cold at first but then my body heat catches up and the then I've got this nice

cozy little warm spot.

Right.

And there I am just enjoying my little warm spot in the darkness.

And then somebody turns on the light in the end the hallway.

What what.

Turn that thing off.

I'm trying to sleep here.

I was enjoying all those and here's the thing is that in a similar way like the hallway light annoys

you in the middle of the night when you're trying to sleep.

Sadly the light of Christ annoys us sinners because

we've grown accustomed to the dark.

We like the dark and and as scary as it is we've become

well monsters of the dark because of sin.

And so the light of Christ is the thing that shines at Christmas.

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

And oh the darkness tries oh the darkness tries to overcome the light.

Man I've been saying this since kovat.

Have you noticed that the world has completely collectively lost its mind.

Right.

So you know here in the United States you know our Congress and our Senate they just recently

passed a bill supposedly to protect the sanctity of marriage.

And by that what they mean is they're protecting the sanctity of marriage for people who marry who are of the same

sex.

And and the lawmakers in Washington are talking about taking this gender ideology that

that says you know it doesn't matter what your plumbing is it doesn't matter what you were assigned at birth.

You know that you can choose your gender.

You know and you got to choose your pronouns.

And they're going to take this ideology and ram it down our throats.

You can see this coming in the days ahead which will create all kinds of conflict in the

earth.

But here's the thing the darkness always tries to overcome the light and it never

succeeds.

I think of the assigned psalm for Christmas today.

And the assigned psalm is an appropriate one a good one if you were to think about it.

It is Psalm 2.

It tells the story of the kings of the earth plotting against God and

against Jesus Christ the Messiah.

Here's here's how it goes.

It says it says why do the nation's rage.

Why do the people's plot in vain.

And it is in vain if you're plotting against God.

Right.

The kings of the earth they have set themselves and the rulers they take counsel together against Yahweh

and against his Messiah saying let us burst their bonds apart let us cast away their

cords from us.

And he's just sit there and go.

That's happening today.

It's listen this is a time -honored tradition for humanity.

Sinful as we are born in the dark that we are in the darkness of sin under the power of the

dominion the kingdom of darkness.

We don't want God to tell us to what to do at all.

In fact we don't even want God defining what we are or who we are.

Okay not only do we not want God telling us what to do.

We don't want him telling us what we are.

If I want to be a cabbage then I'm going to be a cabbage.

And you can't stop me.

Right.

You just this is how this goes.

But the psalmist is clear on this.

This is just nonsense.

Why are the nations raging.

Why are the people's plotting in vain saying let us burst their bonds apart.

Let's cast apart the cords of God.

But he who sits in the heavens he laughs.

The Lord holds them in derision.

Then he will speak to them in his wrath.

He will terrify them in his fury saying as for me I have set my king on Zion

and on my holy hill.

Well oh now we've got a problem here.

At least the the gender people who are down with the patriarchy and all this kind of nonsense.

Have you ever stopped to consider that Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

He sits on the of David forever.

That means he's a king.

And yes he definitely is a king.

That means the universe is run by a patriarch.

The grand patriarch of all patriarchs Jesus Christ himself.

Oh man the nation's raging right now in all of their darkness and annoyed

by the light they've got another thing coming when that light becomes visible to them.

Right.

So I will tell of the decree.

Yahweh said to me you are my son today I've begotten.

You ask me ask of me and I will make the nation's your heritage the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Now.

Therefore Oh Kings be wise be warned.

Oh rulers of the earth serve Yahweh with fear and rejoice with trembling kiss the Sun lest he be angry and you

perish in the way for his wrath is quickly kindled.

And blessed are those who take refuge in him.

And that is us.

We are truly those who are blessed who take refuge in God.

And so we'll note the light of Christ this Christmas and every Christmas every Lord's

Day every day as the gospel continues to go out to all nations announcing to them

pardon and grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ the light continues to shine and the darkness

will never overcome it even though it tries.

In fact if you were to think about it when Jesus was hanging dead on the cross darkness couldn't say that it

won because Jesus says I freely lay down my life.

Nobody takes it from me.

But I lay it down from my friends for you for me.

And so now our gospel text reminds us of the messages we heard during Advent.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.

He came as a witness to bear witness about what the light that's Jesus so that all might believe

through him.

He was not the light but he came to bear witness about the light but the true light which

enlightens everyone.

It was coming into the world and he was in the world.

And though the world was made through him yet the world did not know him.

What a strange thing if you think about it you know that I've said it before.

I'll just keep saying it.

If Jesus were walking down the streets of downtown Grand Forks here in North Dakota and I was driving by in my

pickup truck I wouldn't stop.

I wouldn't recognize him.

I wouldn't sit there go.

Oh wow.

There's my creator there's Jesus.

Right.

I think about that song that you go was it all the way back in the 90s.

Terrible lyrics by the way what if God was one of us just a slob like one of us just like a stranger on

the bus trying to find his way home.

Every time that song would come on the radio I'd sit there go.

He is.

He became one of us.

That's the whole point of Christmas.

That's the whole point of the incarnation.

God has become one of us.

Why.

To save us to live that sinless life for you and for me

so that he can impute his righteousness to us as a gift.

He received our sin our iniquity bore it in his own body on the

cross.

That's why he came.

If you to think about it there's a there's a certain sadness to the celebration of

Christmas.

And that is is that we can all picture little baby Jesus wrapped up in swaddling cloths

lying in a manger.

And we know exactly how this is going to end.

Remember the movie back to the future.

Right.

When when Marty McFly goes back in time to the 1950s and he sees what he sees his uncle.

Right.

He sees his uncle.

And his uncle is still an infant.

And he's in one of those play pins you know.

So he's got he's in one of those kid play pins.

And back in the 50s they made him out of wood and they look like little prisons.

And he says to he says to his uncle who's this infant.

He says get used to these bars.

You know why.

Because you're gonna be in you're gonna spend a lot of time in prison.

He knows the future.

But when it comes to Jesus we know how the story ends.

This this infant this completely helpless infant born under these mean

circumstances in abject poverty who's going to about have his life snuffed out by

Herod who has to flee to Egypt by his parents have to flee take him.

And then he grows up in an obscurity in Nazareth.

We know how the story ends.

It ends with him on a wait a second.

That's not where the story ends.

Is it.

It ends with him walking out of the grave on the third day just as he said

proving that he is who he claimed to be God of God light of light very God of very God

Emmanuel God with us.

That's the point.

And so even though he comes to his own creation although the world was made through him

the world didn't know him.

I didn't know him.

That's because of the darkness of our sin.

He came to his own people the people of Israel.

If anyone would have recognized him it would have been the Jews.

Right.

Who is this man.

That he even forgives sins was one of the first questions out of the mouth of the people who are the

chosen tribe of the world.

The people of Israel came to his own people.

His own people didn't receive him.

But to all who did receive him.

To all that's including you.

Yes you Aussies.

To that includes you Aussies.

Can you believe it.

Right to all who believe him who received him he

gave the right to become children of God.

You and I now adopted being united with Christ in his death and his resurrection in the waters of baptism.

We being forgiven by God we are the children of God.

And we were not born of blood nor of the flesh nor the will of a man.

But we were born of God.

As Jesus says in John chapter 3 that which is born of the flesh is flesh.

That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

And you anyone who is born of water in the Spirit baptism truly truly

is born from above.

He came to give us that second birth born of God.

And so the word the Logos became flesh.

He is dwelt among us.

We have seen his glory glories of the only Son from the Father.

And listen to these last words of our gospel text because it tells us everything about Jesus.

Jesus he's full of grace and truth.

Have you noticed that we human beings because of the darkness of sin we can't really say of each other.

I can't say this of any of us that we're full of grace and full of truth.

Right.

We human beings are full of rancor of hatred of malice

and lies.

That's kind of the way it goes and especially so of all of our politicians just saying right

you get the idea that.

But Jesus is not like us at all.

And thank God he is instead full of grace and truth.

So this Christmas as we contemplate the mystery of the incarnation the great

rejoicing that we go through today as we as we share with each other gifts

and we sing to each other these great Christmas hymns.

Let us remember that we were all born in darkness.

But God said to you he said to me let there be light.

In fact not only do you say let there be light he is the light that has come to us so that we can now

be transferred from the dominion of darkness have an inheritance in the kingdom that he is established.

And there will be no darkness in what is coming.

And finally the darkness that's even in you and me because of our sin will be driven out of us on that day that he

returns in glory to judge the living and the dead.

Let this be the Christmas of lights.

Because Christ is the light that has come in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

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