The Pastor’s Piece Pastor Kevin Cernek – Chaplain

December 15, 2024

FCFI
December 15, 2024
It is impossible to miss the supernatural element in the birth of Jesus. Angels pop up all over the
Christmas story. An angel tells Mary she will give birth to Jesus. An angel tells Joseph to call His
name Jesus. An angel warns Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt. An angel tells them when it’s
safe to return to Israel. An angel announces the birth of Christ to the shepherds, and then the
angelic choir serenades them. But that’s not all. You have the mysterious star that led the Magi
from some distant land all the way to Bethlehem to the very house where they found the baby
Jesus. And the Magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod but to go home another
way.
So there you have it- angels and stars and dreams. Supernatural stuff everywhere- and this
illustrates one aspect of a truly Christian worldview. We believe in something absolutely
amazing. I think we have heard these things so often that we have forgotten how astounding
they are. We believe that this world that we inhabit is not the real world. This is just a temporary
world. This place we call home will not last forever; only God is eternal. We believe there is
another world that is the real world. It’s the world of God and angels, of Christ and the Holy
Spirit, of heaven and the saints who dwell in glory. These two worlds exist side by side. We live
in one world but we believe in another world. Or to use a New Testament word picture, we live in
this world but our citizenship is in another world.
That’s why the Bible calls us aliens and strangers on the earth. We are pilgrims on a journey
from this world that is passing away to a world that will last forever. We are looking for a city with
eternal foundations, whose builder and maker is God. It is at this point that Christmas becomes
so important to us. We are a dying race living on a dying planet. All that we see around us will
someday vanish without a trace. Despite our best efforts, there is nothing we can do to save
ourselves. If we are to be saved, salvation must come from somewhere else. It must come from
outside of us. That’s the true meaning of Christmas.
Many miracles surround Christmas- the angels, the star, the dreams, the prophecies, and most
of all, the virgin birth. But those miracles are just signs pointing to the greatest miracle of all:
That we who live in this world have been visited by Someone from another world. Someone
from the world of light came to the world of darkness. Someone from the eternal came to the
temporary. Someone from heaven came to live with us on earth! The Bible explains this in many
ways …
● “ForGodsoloved the world that He gave his only begotten Son,” (John 3:16).
● “Thegrace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,” (Titus 2:11).
● “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born
under the law,” (Galatians 4:4).
● “Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness
of men,” (Philippians 2:6-7).
● “Godwasmanifest in the flesh,” (I Timothy 3:15).
● “TheWordbecame flesh and dwelt among us,” (John 1:14).
Theologians use a particular word to talk about this. They call the birth of Christ the “Incarnation.”
That word means that God came to earth and shared our humanity. The infinite became finite. The
immortal became mortal. The Creator became the created. The omnipotent lived inside a young
girl’s womb. The Almighty became a helpless baby. The Deity was wrapped in rags. The King of
the Universe was born in a stable. That’s the Incarnation- it’s the central miracle of the Christian
faith. If you can believe that God visited our planet as a little baby 2,000 years ago, you’ll have no
problem with the rest of what we believe. The Resurrection is no problem for those who believe in
the Incarnation.
Sometimes the world around us may seem empty and we may feel entirely alone, but now and
then- Suddenly!- when we least expect it- when we’ve almost given up hope- when we’re tired
or bored or fearful or disgruntled- God breaks through and the angels start to sing. They sang for
some startled shepherds one night in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. They still sing today for those
who care to hear them. Can you hear the angels singing? They bring good news from heaven,
good news of great joy, the best news the world has ever heard: Joy to the World, the Lord is
Come, Let Earth receive her King!
(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin)