God is eternal yet came to earth small. He has all power yet entered this world as a baby. He created everything yet was born. He is infinite but felt the limitations of the finite. On Sunday, we begin our Christmas series: Little Lord Jesus. The theme is simple. God was small at Christmas. The lyric is familiar: “Little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.” Consider this truth. The Giver of everything good was once a tiny, helpless baby.
The Christmas story demonstrates the willing vulnerability of God. Jesus came as a fragile newborn. Salvation required God to become weak and vulnerable. Sunday’s sermon will cover John 1:1-18. The gospel accounts all have a different beginning point. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus. Mark begins with the testimony of John the Baptist. Luke begins with the birth narrative. But John begins where Genesis 1 begins—when there was only God. Jesus is the beginning, which makes Him God.
Take a moment and read John 1:1-18. Focus specifically on verses four and five. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:4-5 (NLT) There are two words for life in the Greek language: Zoe and Bios. The term Bios is used to explain the physical nature of life—breathing, seeing, and feeling. But the term Zoe is spiritual. John uses Zoe to describe the life of Christ. John writes that Christ has “life” in Himself. His eternal nature allows Him to be life, which means He is the only one who can give life. When Christ gives “life,” it’s not referring to our mere “existence” (the Greek word Bios) but rather life eternal as only God can provide (the Greek word Zoe).
Your salvation was planned before you were born. Indeed, your salvation was planned before Christ was born. The manger isn’t just a good stage prop, a unique feature of a popular story we tell in December. The manger holds Life itself. The small baby Jesus came to give a very big life.