Isn’t it Absurd? from Colossians 1:13-20. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, December 24, 2017
Introduction:
You have to agree…it sounds strange. In fact you might go so far as to say it sounds absurd. Absurd refers to something that is “unreasonable” or “incongruous.” When we consider the birth of the Lord Jesus there are aspects that “seem” unreasonable. There are things that just don’t seem to fit.
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Who would dream that the story, of the high, holy, exalted moment when God came to earth, would center around an unwed mother? To say nothing about angels visiting shepherds, strange and mysterious visitors “from the East” and the birth of God in a stable! Is that any way for God to make an entrance?
Because we’ve heard the story so often, because the story seems so “far fetched” many look at the Christmas story the same way they look at Dickens’s Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life. It is a nice sentimental, feel-good story. It’s part of our Christmas tradition and nothing more. But it is something more, something much more. Christmas is the story of God’s invasion of our world. It is the story of God’s great act of liberation. It is the story of how God in love and grace restores broken lives.
Text: Colossians 1:13-20
Christmas is not just the story of an “unusual” birth.
We do not worship a baby born under unfortunate circumstances in an obscure village.
Apart from his life, death and resurrection, his birth is without meaning.
The reason we sing, celebrate and remember is because of who he is and what he came to do. Christmas is about the Gospel. For that reason our text is an appropriate Christmas text.
From it we are reminded that:
Thesis: Christmas marks the arrival of the incomparable Lord of Glory.
This is one of my favorite texts and there are three things I want to note from this text related to the meaning of Christmas.
- The child born in Bethlehem is our conqueror and King. (1:13-14)
- This child in the manger is the sovereign creator of all that is. (1:15-17)
- The one worshiped is our redeemer and Lord. (1:18-20)
Conclusion:
Tomorrow is Christmas. We will gather with family and friends. We will exchange gifts and feast. All of that is well and good but meaningless apart from the wonderful, absurd story of a God who so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes would not perish but would have everlasting life.
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