The Abundance Of His Fullness
1st Sunday After Christmas
Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines
December 29, 2019
Readings: Isaiah 61:10 – 63: 3
Galatians 3: 23 – 25
John 1: 1-8
Christmas was an expression of God’s love to man. Mark, Matthew and Luke all start with the birth of Christ. John’s gospel, however tells of the beginning. That, in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
We often look at the Old Testament and wonder why there were so many killings and slayings. Perhaps, it is because at this time, the light had not been revealed yet. But God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Isaiah 61:10 I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.
The “Word of God” in Greek basically means it’s all that a person is, and all that a person does. And so what God says, and what He does is who He is. Unlike man, God speaks who He is. He is a God of love, a God of compassion. Therefore we should not see ourselves as frail and weak human beings because we were created in His image and likeness.
Everything God created was good. When we are being disciplined, it is for our own good. A good father disciplines his children. It is unfortunate today that the world is full of children who are not being disciplined.
We were in darkness and that was why we didn’t understand that God was there from the beginning. God has placed the abundance of His fullness in us. We are supposed to burst in vibrancy instead of thinking we are weaklings. God has given to us grace upon grace, gift upon gift, blessing upon blessing. Christmas shows us that Christ came to break the darkness,
Ephesians 1:23 And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.
Christmas reminds us that we are no longer in slavery. We are strong in God, we are secure.
Ephesians 3:19 and to know this love surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 4: 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
God has clothed us with the garments of salvation and wrapped us in the robes of righteousness. When we are in a bad situation, we may not see the good in it, But God intends this for good and can turn the situation into good. There is nothing greater than the power of God.
“Let there be light,” was the very first command, His very first message. Colossians 1:16 – For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.
We are worthy people. God’s love is overwhelming. He manifested Himself in the flesh at Christmas but was there from the very beginning.
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