Jesus is the Word through whom all crea\u00adti\u00adon was crea\u00adted. This Word is full of life and light. Christ\u00admas means that this Word came into the world as a human being with a body. It is true that the crea\u00adtor Jesus was for the most part neither reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded nor recei\u00adved by his works, but this did not detract from his lumi\u00adno\u00adsi\u00adty. But whoe\u00adver recei\u00adves this Word made man has the pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adge of being a child of God with inde\u00adscri\u00adba\u00adble advantages.<\/p>\n
We are used to the Christ\u00admas sto\u00adry being embel\u00adlished with a touch of romance. The sto\u00adry accor\u00adding to John is less colourful, but extre\u00adme\u00adly powerful and inspi\u00adring \u2013 and it forms an excel\u00adlent con\u00adclu\u00adsi\u00adon to our the\u00adme for the year \u00abCrea\u00adtio \u2013 Hope and Responsibility\u00bb. Jesus is the Word through which all crea\u00adti\u00adon was crea\u00adted. This Word is full of life and light. Christ\u00admas means that this Word came into the world as a human being with a body. Alt\u00adhough the Crea\u00adtor Jesus was for the most part neither reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded nor accept\u00aded by his works, this did not detract from his lumi\u00adno\u00adsi\u00adty. Whoe\u00adver reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00ads\u00ades this incarnate\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7000","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThe Crea\u00adtor \u2013 Alpha and Omega
\n\u00abIn the begin\u00adning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. He (mea\u00adning Christ \u2013 cf. v. 14) was with God in the begin\u00adning. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing that exists was crea\u00adted through him. The\u00adre is not\u00adhing that he, the Word, did not crea\u00adte\u00bb (John 1:1\u20133 NLB<\/span>). John sto\u00adle the first sen\u00adtence from the crea\u00adti\u00adon sto\u00adry, whe\u00adre it says: \u00abIn the begin\u00adning God crea\u00adted the hea\u00advens and the earth.\u00bb What was befo\u00adre the begin\u00adning? Adam had neither a father, grand\u00adfa\u00adther nor a histo\u00adry book. Befo\u00adre crea\u00adti\u00adon the\u00adre was abso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly not\u00adhing, except God. What is not\u00adhing? Not\u00adhing does not exist. We are inca\u00adpa\u00adble of thin\u00adking about not\u00adhing. As soon as we think, we think about some\u00adthing. A good defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon can be found in Jona\u00adthan Edwards: \u00abNot\u00adhing is what slee\u00adping rocks dream.\u00bb An artist who crea\u00adtes some\u00adthing needs mate\u00adri\u00adals. No pain\u00adter paints wit\u00adhout colour, no wri\u00adter wri\u00adtes wit\u00adhout words. An artist has to start with some\u00adthing. He can\u00adnot work with not\u00adhing. God crea\u00adted the enti\u00adre cos\u00admos out of not\u00adhing. The\u00adre was not\u00adhing befo\u00adre. And then, at the word of God, the\u00adre was a uni\u00adver\u00adse. This word, which crea\u00adted ever\u00ady\u00adthing very well from not\u00adhing, is Jesus.
\nThe Bible says: In the begin\u00adning was the Word. The God we ser\u00adve is the God who has always been. HE<\/span> is the One who has life from Hims\u00adelf, HE<\/span> alo\u00adne is eter\u00adnal, HE<\/span> alo\u00adne has power over life and death, HE<\/span> alo\u00adne can bring worlds into exis\u00adtence through the power of His words.
\nIn the very begin\u00adning, befo\u00adre the world was crea\u00adted, the\u00adre was the Word. It is the ori\u00adgi\u00adnal, the cube of power, the nuclear ener\u00adgy from which ever\u00ady\u00adthing came into being. The\u00adre is not\u00adhing in this world that would exist if the word had not come first. Some time ago, Sil\u00advia and I hik\u00aded to Lake Toma, which is con\u00adside\u00adred to be the source and ori\u00adgin of the Rhi\u00adne. When you look at the roman\u00adtic lake, it\u2019s hard to ima\u00adgi\u00adne that it beco\u00admes a river that pro\u00advi\u00addes ener\u00adgy, ensu\u00adres the trans\u00adport of goods from the sea to inland Switz\u00ader\u00adland and beco\u00admes a life\u00adline. It is even more impres\u00adsi\u00adve that the enti\u00adre cos\u00admos was crea\u00adted from this one word.
\nJesus is the media\u00adtor of crea\u00adti\u00adon. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing was crea\u00adted through Him and for Him: \u00ab[\u2026] Through Him He crea\u00adted the who\u00adle uni\u00adver\u00adse and ever\u00ady\u00adthing in it, and He appoin\u00adted Him heir of all things. The Son reflects the glo\u00adry of God, and ever\u00ady\u00adthing about Him is an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of the natu\u00adre of God. He sus\u00adta\u00adins the uni\u00adver\u00adse by the power of his word [\u2026]\u00bb (Hebrews 1:2f NLB<\/span>). Jesus is the Alpha and the Ome\u00adga. Through Him, crea\u00adti\u00adon was crea\u00adted, through Him it is sus\u00adtained and recrea\u00adted. His Word is also the exe\u00adcu\u00adtor of jud\u00adge\u00adment and new creation.
\n\u00abLife its\u00adelf was in him, and this life gives light to all peo\u00adp\u00adle. The light shi\u00adnes in the dark\u00adness, and the dark\u00adness could not extin\u00adgu\u00adish it\u00bb (John 1:4f NLB<\/span>). In the Word, in Jesus, is life. The Greek distin\u00adgu\u00adis\u00adhes bet\u00adween bio\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal life (bios) and divi\u00adne life (zoe). Here it says zoe. Through Jesus, divi\u00adne, eter\u00adnal life comes to peo\u00adp\u00adle. That is Christ\u00admas. The tree of life, which is no lon\u00adger acces\u00adsi\u00adble to anyo\u00adne sin\u00adce the deba\u00adcle in para\u00addi\u00adse, comes back within reach. zoe brings a gift to all peo\u00adp\u00adle: Light! This is not about elec\u00adtro\u00adma\u00adgne\u00adtic radia\u00adti\u00adon in the visi\u00adble spec\u00adtral ran\u00adge. St Paul descri\u00adbes it: \u00abEven if you were once in dark\u00adness, you are now fil\u00adled with the light of the Lord; the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre live as child\u00adren of light! For this light within you pro\u00addu\u00adces pure good\u00adness, righ\u00adteous\u00adness and truth\u00bb (Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 5:8f NLB<\/span>). The light, which can\u00adnot be extin\u00adgu\u00adis\u00adhed by any\u00adthing, fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly chan\u00adges indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal peo\u00adp\u00adle and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre the who\u00adle world.
\nThe trail\u00adbla\u00adzer \u2013 unvar\u00adnis\u00adhed and testimonial
\nGre\u00adat events cast their shadows before\u00adhand. And so it was befo\u00adre the gre\u00adat artist ente\u00adred his work: \u00abGod sent John the Bap\u00adtist to tell all peo\u00adp\u00adle about the light, so that through him ever\u00adyo\u00adne might belie\u00adve. John hims\u00adelf was not the light; he was only a wit\u00adness to the light\u00bb (John 1:6\u20138 NLB<\/span>). Like other kings, Jesus has a van\u00adguard, a trail\u00adbla\u00adzer, a van\u00adguard. An avant-gar\u00adde is a group of pio\u00adneers of a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment. He blunt\u00adly demons\u00adtra\u00adtes to the spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal lea\u00adders of the coun\u00adtry that they need to turn back: \u00ab[\u2026] You brood of vipers! Who gave you the idea that you could escape the coming jud\u00adge\u00adment? Bear fruit that shows you are serious about rep\u00aden\u00adtance, and do not think that you can cla\u00adim that you have Abra\u00adham as your father [\u2026]\u00bb (John 3:7\u20139 New Tes\u00adta\u00adment). Rep\u00adent ins\u00adtead of rely\u00ading on your ori\u00adg\u00adins! This pio\u00adneer is awa\u00adre of his role. He \u00abwas not the light; he was only a wit\u00adness to the light\u00bb. He is not the one who brings redemp\u00adti\u00adon and crea\u00adtes new life, but only a sign\u00adpost. John is not the light, but a wit\u00adness to the light that brings sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon. Every per\u00adson who has tur\u00adned back and is now tra\u00advel\u00adling with Jesus also beco\u00admes a wit\u00adness for life. We do not have to pro\u00adve or defend God or speak stron\u00adgly, but be a wit\u00adness for Him who has chan\u00adged our lives.
\nThe artist \u2011unre\u00adco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded and rejected
\n\u00abAnd the Word beca\u00adme fle\u00adsh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glo\u00adry, glo\u00adry as of the only begot\u00adten of the Father, full of grace and truth\u00bb (John 1:14 LUT<\/span>). Christ\u00admas means that the artist enters his work. He takes on an earth\u00adly body and joins his crea\u00adti\u00adons. In anci\u00adent times, the\u00adre was a hosti\u00adli\u00adty towards the body. Peo\u00adp\u00adle wan\u00adted to be enligh\u00adten\u00aded in their souls. The body stood in the way of this endea\u00advour. And the fact that a god was made of mat\u00adter was unthinkable, scan\u00adda\u00adlous. C.S. Lewis: \u00abChris\u00adtia\u00adni\u00adty is almost the only one of the gre\u00adat reli\u00adgi\u00adons that affirms the body through and through. From a Chris\u00adti\u00adan point of view, mat\u00adter is a good thing. God hims\u00adelf once took on a human body, and we will also get a body of some kind in hea\u00adven, which will then be an essen\u00adti\u00adal part of our bliss, our beau\u00adty and our strength.\u00bb It was a revo\u00adlu\u00adtio\u00adna\u00adry thought that God would come into the world with a body. The body is important to the Crea\u00adtor of the enti\u00adre uni\u00adver\u00adse. God gives it value and digni\u00adty. And it does\u00adn\u2019t mat\u00adter how we tre\u00adat our bodies. Even in the new world, we will not float around as dis\u00adem\u00adbo\u00addi\u00aded souls, but will recei\u00adve a body with new abili\u00adties. What is your rela\u00adti\u00adonship with your body like? It is a work of art of the Crea\u00adtor and He even uses it as a temp\u00adle for the Holy Spi\u00adrit (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 6:19).
\nSo God enters his work with a body. \u00abBut alt\u00adhough the world was crea\u00adted through him, the world did not reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse him when he came. He came into the world that belongs to him, and his own peo\u00adp\u00adle did not recei\u00adve him\u00bb (John 1:10f NLB<\/span>). It\u2019s cra\u00adzy; the world was crea\u00adted by God and bears his fin\u00adger\u00adprint. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, He, the artist, was not recei\u00adved by His works. This began even befo\u00adre He was born, when His par\u00adents could not find a home, and con\u00adti\u00adnues to this day. How arro\u00adgant is that? The world does not respond to God\u2019s plan. That\u2019s why Jesus was kil\u00adled and crea\u00adted out of the world. But God inter\u00adven\u00ades. He brought Jesus back to life in such a way that He beca\u00adme resistant to suf\u00adfe\u00adring, pain and death. The\u00adre had never been any\u00adthing like it on pla\u00adnet earth befo\u00adre. But it was the first step towards the gre\u00adat goal of which God speaks through the pro\u00adphet Isai\u00adah: \u00abSee, I am crea\u00adting new hea\u00advens and a new earth [\u2026]\u00bb (Isai\u00adah 65:17 NLB<\/span>).
\nThank God the\u00adre is an opti\u00adon to not accep\u00adting Jesus, name\u00adly accep\u00adting Him: \u00abBut to all who recei\u00adved him and belie\u00adved in his name, he gave the right to beco\u00adme child\u00adren of God. They did not beco\u00adme so by des\u00adcent or by human endea\u00advour or inten\u00adti\u00adon, but this new life comes from God\u00bb (John 1:12f NLB<\/span>). Objec\u00adtively, Christ\u00admas means that the Crea\u00adtor enters his work. Sub\u00adjec\u00adtively, we expe\u00adri\u00adence Christ\u00admas when we recei\u00adve the Word made fle\u00adsh and belie\u00adve in his name. Recei\u00adving Him and belie\u00adving in His name means reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00ading the incar\u00adna\u00adte Word and allo\u00adwing Him to begin to crea\u00adte in our own hearts by brin\u00adging life and instal\u00adling the gift of light. Ange\u00adlus Sile\u00adsi\u00adus puts it dra\u00adsti\u00adcal\u00adly: \u00abAnd if Christ were born a thousand times in Beth\u00adle\u00adhem and not in you, you would still be lost for all eter\u00adni\u00adty.\u00bb When we recei\u00adve Jesus, He imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly beco\u00admes crea\u00adtively acti\u00adve. The new crea\u00adti\u00adon con\u00adsists of a per\u00adson beco\u00adming a child of God (cf. 1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 5:17). And as such, they recei\u00adve new life (zoe) from God and their exis\u00adtence is floo\u00added with the light of God. As a child of God, a per\u00adson beco\u00admes an heir to the glo\u00adry of God and a par\u00adta\u00adker of the new hea\u00adven and the new earth.
\n
\nToday we cele\u00adbra\u00adte Christ\u00admas. It is the feast on which the ori\u00adgin of crea\u00adti\u00adon was reve\u00ada\u00adled to the world for the first time. The same crea\u00adti\u00adve spi\u00adrit that crea\u00adted the world set the new crea\u00adti\u00adon in moti\u00adon by forming an embryo in Mary\u2019s womb. The Word, mea\u00adning Jesus, has crea\u00adti\u00adve power and is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for the new crea\u00adti\u00adon to the same ext\u00adent as it was respon\u00adsi\u00adble for the crea\u00adti\u00adon of the uni\u00adver\u00adse in the begin\u00adning. Give the Word space in your heart. He will crea\u00adte some\u00adthing new.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"