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In the beginning was the Word
SERMON - 11.00am, Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Saturday 25th December 2004
Revd. Matthew Vernon
(this sermon includes questions/responses with the congregation)
"In the beginning was the Word".
Think of some Christmas words: Christmas Tree; Father Christmas; Mary; donkey; presents…
Many people play games at Christmas. Sometimes these are word games: Scrabble; Boggle. I don't play these games because Kate, my wife, always beats me.
One Christmas word is baby.
What words do babies say?
How about in Cantonese or other languages?
What was the first word Jesus said? … it was the cry of a baby.
We believe that the baby born at Christmas is the Son of God, the baby Jesus who shows us what God is like, who is God himself.
Jesus' crying as a baby tells us about the words God uses. God uses simple language. Words like: vulnerable; naked; risk. It is the language of love.
We like big words: complicated and grown up words.
Perspicacious.
Sophisticated.
Cosmopolitan.
Correspondence.
What "big" words do you know?
Us adults have professional languages too: doctors; engineers; lawyers.
And clergy too: incarnation; revelation; realised eschatology.
It feels nice to belong to special groups and to understand special, important language
We tend to use our language as a security, defensively, for superiority.
And its not just adults.
Young people, very young children learn to speak for their own gain.
Its fascinating to listen to my 2 year old, Samuel's language develop.
One of the clearest words he says is "mine".
He also knows "share". But when he tells you to share something it really means "for me".
God speaks to us in a new born baby: the simple cry of need and love.
God's language undermines our power games; our rhetoric.
God's words are non-manipulative; not ego driven.
God doesn't engage in our human shouting matches and arguments.
The cry of a newborn baby is embarrassingly simply.
We must use words with care.
Words are very powerful and affect other people deeply.
We can use words kindly and carefully, rather than cruelly and critically.
To build up or knock down.
They can hurt or heal.
They can confuse or clarify.
They can wound or weave
They can attack or affirm.
They can scratch or they can support.
At Christmas, God reminds us to speak simply and lovingly.
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