“So What’s Next?” (Christmas Day)

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-12

Last night (Christmas Eve), we discussed some of the things that Jesus brought with him when he came to earth – those things he came to teach us and to show us and to give us. And today, we continue to celebrate his life in the deepest and fullest way possible, but what about tomorrow? Is the day after Christmas a huge let-down? For many, it is – it’s like the day after the “big game”, the day when our team wins the championship, and we are able to bask in the glory that they have won. But when the next day comes, and when the next week comes, the glory begins to fade. Folks find that their lives haven’t actually changed all that much and that the reality of that former and not so glamorous life is returning.
The reality of tomorrow can be a huge disappointment when we don’t quite know what to do about those joyful, albeit fading, memories of yesterday!

Isn’t it a shame that the days and weeks that follow such a wonderful and perfect time like Christmas have to begin to settle back into the old, depressing ways?

Read Hebrews 1:1-4

If our lives continue to be focused on the things of yesterday – especially the failures that can never be corrected, and the “what-ifs” that never were and never can be - we are apt to completely miss the “what-is” of today! The author of Hebrews works to tie the words of the prophets – the glory and promise of yesterday – to the hope and magnificence of Christ that we experience in today and tomorrow. When it comes to the Lord, there is no conflict between yesterday and tomorrow, for God never changes! The word that he offered thousands of years ago is the same one that is in place today. The only change is in the messenger – yesterday’s were through the voices of the prophets, but today’s comes directly from the voice of God.

The writer proclaims that Jesus is the “heir of all things” – not a receiver of possessions when his ancestor is no longer around, but as one who is co-existent from the age before time.
We are also told that Jesus is the one "through whom" the universe was created. For me, this statement is comparable to the concept of the Trinity. If Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, then he is co-creator of “all that is, seen and unseen”, as the Nicene Creed proclaims. So, if God – Father, Son and Spirit – created the universe, then it was created by and through each of them – not from one and via another, but through the power of all. That may be a rather complex thought for us, but there are some Godly concepts that stretch the imagination of humanity nearly to the breaking point. And that is OK.

But there are many who still find the ways of God not only strange and unintelligible, but inconceivable, and who find Christ’s words either offensive or irrelevant for their lives. I’ve never understood that – after all, how could any human believe that their understanding and their standards are more appropriate and more truthful that God’s, simply because they can’t frame them in their own minds? Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”! I believe that this is true, but how could any of us actually explain this in a rational and logical way? Well, we can’t – we can only accept it.

And the last two proclamations can be just as problematic. The thought is that after Christ died for our sins, he then assumed the position of Majesty. The point isn’t that he had no glory until he finished his task on earth – it’s that he was Majesty, but traded it for humility when he came to us in the flesh, and has now reclaimed his rightful glory in heaven.
And the writer doesn’t say that Christ died for us – just that he purified our sins, which in and of itself can be troubling. Does this mean that sin is now OK? That sin is now acceptable because it has been made pure? Rest assured – it has not! It means that we have been purified from our sin, and not that sin has been cleansed and is acceptable.
And in verse 4, we read that Jesus became superior to the angels, presumably because of his ascendency to the throne of God. That would seem to imply that he was not worthy to be greater than the angelic host before, and that he had to earn it. But if Christ has always been God, how could that be?
The thought only gains context if one believes that angels held a higher position in heaven than they actually do. This may have been an understanding in ancient Israelite times, but even the commentaries seem to dance around this one.

Is your head hurting yet? It gets even better! So let’s step back and think about the point of these verses, which will describe our first life’s step after Christmas – don’t try to figure the Lord out – just believe in who he is, and obey his word!

Read Hebrews 1:5-7

These first 4 references to the Old Testament are intended to be both a connection and a clarification for the Hebrew people. Unfortunately, they also result in a lot of confusion for us. So here is a thought that might help us.
Of the first two references, the first which comes from Psalm 2:7-9, is similar to the Divine Proclamation that was given at Jesus’ baptism. But here is the issue – first, a son, for the ancients, is always lesser than his father, but second, if Jesus is fully God, how could he become secondary even to the Father? I believe that the point that the writer is making is that by becoming God in the flesh, Jesus willingly accepted a lower position, but since he is God, he must also have a direct connection to the Almighty. For Israel, it was believed that God could never be human or have human traits and weaknesses – that would be un-Godly! Therefore, as Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity must be both subservient in body as well as connected in Spirit – he would have to be the Son of the Most High God.
The second passage which comes from 2 Samuel 7:12-16, may be speaking of either the present King David or the future Lord Jesus, or perhaps even both. We need to read this, then, as a promise that the kingdom of God will be connected to the kingdom of Israel through the Davidic line.

So the second point for this morning is this – the Perfect and Majestic Creator of the Universe has intentionally allowed himself to become connected directly to fallen and sinful humanity. Again, don’t try to understand why the Lord would even think that this is a good plan because it sure doesn’t make a lot of sense – just accept it and rejoice that God wants it this way.

Regarding the next two Old Testament passages, the writer takes some liberty in the phrasing. The first passage, regarding God’s angels worshipping Jesus, Psalm 97:7 actually reads that the “gods” will worship him. The point, I believe, is that we are to be very careful as to whom we elevate in worship. When we begin to think that the angels hold a higher position than Jesus, or that the “saints of earth” are worthy of worship, we have just established a series of little gods, who are actually only worthy of respect, but never of worship.
In the second passage, which refers to Psalm 104:4, the writer again takes some liberty by reversing the references. The Psalm says that the winds will be God’s messengers, and flames of fire his servants, not the other way around. Again, the concept of angelic glory is being diminished by implying that both angels and the servants of the Most High are comparable to the elements of creation, and not to the glory of God.

We can read into this, then, that we, too, have worth and purpose to God, while at the same time, have little worth in relation to the ways of earth.

Read Hebrews 1:8-12

The final two Old Testament passages for today, the first from Psalm 45:6-7 and the second from Psalm 102:25-28, begin to glorify Jesus and his Kingdom once again. We are told that the blameless reign of God will never end – not by opposing spiritual forces, and certainly not by human interference and intervention. Even creation itself – both the heavenly and the physical, the seen and the unseen – will have no permanence. Only God and those judged worthy of his presence will be forever.

Psalm 45 is described as a “wedding hymn”, where the relationship is promised to be unbreakable, and where the love that will be shown will never be turned against “the bride”. And who is the bride? The Church – the Church who has been raised up above the opposing forces of earth.

Psalm 102, on the other hand, is a prayer of affliction. And as with nearly all of the Psalms, even though much of this song is a lament for the anguish being experienced in this life, the broken person finds hope and promise in the midst of it all, through faith in his eternal God.

So our last point for today is this – never doubt that God is on our side. He will never be defeated, he will never be turned, he will never change his heart for us, and he is forever. And regardless of what the world may throw at us, we can always find hope and comfort in the knowledge that those who serve him and obey him will live with him in eternity.

Never forget that Christmas is not the end. We may never be able to figure God out, but if we stick to the basics of “believe”, “trust” and “obey”, that will be enough. God knows that we will never be able to justify our life in him so he has created the relationship for us by taking on our suffering, our imperfections, and our failures, and purifying our lives by the love he shows in Christ Jesus.
Why would the Lord do all this? Because Almighty God has created purpose in us, and we acknowledge it by faith in Emmanuel. Never doubt this, never fear that it will be taken away, and never believe that God will change his mind if we aren’t good enough. Not only is God eternal, but his way, his glory, and his promise is eternal as well.

The glory of Christ is definitely the glory of yesterday, and by faith in Jesus, it is also our glory in and through this day and forever. That is the hope that comes through Christmas. “Rejoice in the Lord always, and I say it again - rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4-7) Amen.