Christmas Eve- The 5th and Final Advent Candle

Tonight in churches all over the world the last candle of Advent will be lit: The Christ Candle. This white candle in the middle of the wreath reminds us that Jesus is the spotless lamb of God, sent to wash away our sins! His birth was for his death, his death was for our birth! And the attributes of the four other candles are centered on who he is and what we become as we follow in his likeness. “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!‘” (John 1:29) “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.’ In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.‘” (John 3:1-8)

Jesus came to give life and life eternal. Many people in my generation have seen the things of God, either in their own life or in the lives of people they know. Yet, the question remains: Is Jesus the only way? Millennials sometimes doubt Jesus cares or that he was more than an honorable man. 

Culture and postmodernism have taught the twenty-somethings (unfortunately myself included) that the answer is in the question. As a result, we question everything to death. We ask things like: Did Jesus really come as a baby just to grow into a man to die for our sins? Is Christianity the path to eternal life? What is the incarnation? Did God become man?

John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation. John 1:1-14

      "IN the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, Full of grace and truth."