9.30am Sunday 21 December 2003
Rev Des Botting
Reading: Luke 1:26-38; Hebrews 10:5-10
How is your Christmas shopping going? Are you finished yet, or are you still trying to work out what to buy for some people? Certainly Christmas shopping is much easier if you know what a person wants. At least you have the assurance that what you give will be appreciated, especially if they dont know that you know what it is that they want, so that it comes as a surprise. I know one person who does their Christmas shopping in June to save having to shop when there are crowds of people around. After spending a couple of hours at St Lukes on Friday I can understand why.
Have you ever wondered what God wants for Christmas? Or maybe youre thinking that its a bit presumptuous to even suggest such a thing? What do you think God really wants for Christmas? Our two Bible readings provide a clue. We see it in Marys response to the angel; her willingness to do what God wanted. Notice, Mary did have a choice, as we all do. She could have said, No, I dont want this to happen to me, and God would have respected that. But she was willing to allow her life to be set apart for the purpose of God, even although she would have known the heartbreak and misunderstandings it would involve.
This is what God wants for Christmas holy people. That is, people who are wholly devoted to him. Twice in our reading from Hebrews it says of Jesus, I have come to do what you want.[1] God wants people, just like his Son, who have as their greatest desire to do what God wants. What about you? Are you willing for your life to be set apart for Gods purpose? Are you willing to be wholly devoted to him, to put aside your own dreams and ambitions and to take on board Gods agenda for your life?
Have you noticed how often the word holy comes into our celebration of the Christmas story? We read in Luke that the angel said to Mary, The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and Gods power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God.[2] The place where Jesus was born is known as the holy land, and the book that tells us about Christmas is called the Holy Bible. Many of the carols we sing at Christmas use this word Silent night, holy night, holy infant so tender and mild, and O holy night.
Why does God want holy people? Because holiness is of the essence of Gods being and character. Basically holy means of God. The holy land is the land of God. The Holy Bible is the book of God. The holy child is the child of God. Holy communion is the fellowship of God. Holy people are the people of God. The Bible tells us that Jesus came in order to make holy those who would be made holy. We read in Hebrews, So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all. [3] The purpose of Christs coming was to sanctify, to make holy, and Jesus is the one who sanctifies us. The carol, Away in a manger has the words, Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay close by me forever and love me, I pray; bless all the dear children in your tender care, and fit us for heaven to live with you there. One of the verses of The Battle Hymn of the Republic has these words, As he died to make men holy Jesus came to sanctify, to make holy; to make people of God, to give humanity that which is of the root and core of Gods being.
This very special Christmas present has two aspects to it.
1. First, there is the holiness that comes through what happened on the cross. This is sometimes called Positional holiness. By this is meant that through the death of Christ we have been made holy and, have therefore, been placed in a different position before God. God wants us to be holy so that we can come into his presence. He knew that we could not do that for ourselves, and so he had Jesus die to take away the sin of the world. In the verse we read a few moments ago it said that the death of Christ was once for all. Every human being has been included in what happened on the cross. Christs death was for the whole human race as well as creation. It is completely adequate to cover all sin. Paul speaks of this in his second letter to the Corinthians where he says, We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died. And Christ did die for all of us.[4] The debt Jesus paid when he died on the cross was paid for all. Nothing, so far as the sins of humankind is concerned, is outstanding. Therefore, there is nothing to stop every single human being from coming to God and being accepted by him. This is our positional holiness. Jesus Christ has put us in the position of being made holy before a holy God. All that is required is to believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins, to turn from our sinful ways, and to receive his forgiveness. This is the first aspect of holiness positional holiness.
Before we move on, Paul goes on to say in the passage mentioned above, He died so that we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us. That is, a willingness to live a life that is set apart for the purposes of God, just as Mary did.
2. The second aspect of this holiness that God makes possible for us is what is called Progressive holiness. This is the on-going work of Gods Spirit in our lives to make us holy. It is the process of sanctification. The Holy Spirit is constantly at work within us, and evidence of his work is seen when the fruits of the Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control begin to show in our lives. His purpose is to make us more like Gods Son. This is a life-long process that Paul says God has undertaken and will finish. God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he wont stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.[5] For the work to continue to completion requires our cooperation and willingness to surrender to the Holy Spirit on a daily basis.
Holiness is absolutely essential, not only that we may one day stand before God, but also that we might be what God what us to be here on earth. We cannot underestimate the influence of a holy life. Such people have transformed whole communities and cities. Let me tell you about one such person. In the 1490s there arose in the city of Florence, Italy, a man whose name was Jerome Savonarola. He was assigned to a monastery in that city to teach Bible courses to the monks, but the courses became so popular that they were moved to larger and larger auditoriums. Finally, the authorities of the city asked him to become the preacher of the cathedral in that city.
Florence was at that time a very corrupt place. Sexual immorality was taken for granted. Murder and other crimes were committed without fear, because the government was so corrupt. At the same time, poverty was found everywhere, alongside great wealth. The regular preachers at the cathedral ignored the vices and corruption, because to condemn it would be to step on the feet of very powerful people.
When Savonarola began preaching in the cathedral, however, he called for changes in morals. He condemned the leading citizens and the officials who had allowed the city to become another Sodom and Gomorrah. Those he condemned were furious, but the common people heard him gladly. They flocked by the thousands to hear him. Before daybreak on Sunday mornings, they would begin to gather in the square before the church. The church doors would be opened at eight oclock, but Savonarola would not preach until noon. These crowds, some as large as 15,000 people, stood quietly as they waited. When he entered, the crowd took up the chant, Father Jerome, Father Jerome.
His preaching had enormous power. The people who listened were deeply affected. The effect on the city was equally profound. Because of his popularity, the leaders did not dare try to stop him.
The city authorities decided to introduce a new kind of government. They asked Savonarola to serve on committees, but he refused. He began to preach on the Christian principles that should be the basis of government. These principles were included in the new constitution, and the city was changed almost overnight. Even the streets, which had formerly been filthy, were washed, as new life was begun in nearly every part of the city. For a time, God was king of the city of Florence, because of the sanctifying influence of Jerome Savonarola, who patterned his life and preaching on the original sanctifier, Jesus Christ, who preached the same sanctifying message under identical circumstances many years before.
God wants us to have a wholesome influence on the world around us; to help transform society so that it becomes all God wants it to be. He wants his holy people to be like salt and light in that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.[6] David Livingstone once asked an African chieftain, What is holiness? To which the chieftain replied, When showers have fallen in the night and the earth is washed clean, and when the sun sparkles on every leaf and the air is fresh that is holiness. So quoted Margaret Applegarth in Heirlooms. This is the kind of effect God desires for his people to have.
For that to happen we must take time to be holy. The life of holiness will not always be a perfect life, but it declares our intention to live, as Jesus would have us live, the sanctified life that came as Gods gift to us at Christmas. To begin, we have to be willing to accept what Jesus has done for us, in putting us into a new position with God, for progressive holiness is not possible without positional holiness. Then we must allow Gods Spirit to progressively work in and through us as we seek to do all that God requires.
[1] Hebrews 10:7, 9 (All Bible references are from the Contemporary English Version unless otherwise stated.)
[2] Luke 1:35
[3] Hebrews 10:10
[4] 2 Corinthians 5:14b-15
[5] Philippians 1:6
[6] Matthew 5:16