First Sermon at Emmanuel Church in Cumberland, RI

Year B, First Sunday after Christmas, RCL
John 1:1-18

(I think I edited this a little on my parents computer so this isn't how it was actually preached, I'll work on finding that copy)

Merry Christmas… not seasons greetings… not happy holidays… Merry Christmas. We are here today, we came here three days ago, not because it is winter, not because pine trees look good in our living rooms with a little bit of tinsel. We are here, today, right now, because God so loved the world, that he sent his son to walk amongst us, to eat with us, to teach us, cry and laugh with us, to share in our lives. And by having shared in our life, we are able to share in his life, we are able to become children of God. In today’s Gospel John tells us just this. “The word became flesh” he says, and he goes on, “all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God”. This is why we are here today, because the Word became flesh and we realize just how awesome that was, and still is.
John then goes on to talk about Jesus’ glory, he says, “we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth”. What makes Jesus’ glory different than ours, what makes it “full of grace and truth” is that he does not seek his own glory, but rather he seeks the Father’s glory. For the Father’s glory is full of grace and truth and thus Jesus’ glory is full of grace and truth. While Jesus walked amongst us he taught us that we are not to seek our own glory, but rather, we are to seek the glory of the father and by doing so we will receive “grace upon grace”.
When I think of glory what always comes to mind is “the Battle Hymn of the Republic”, the chorus always runs through my mind when glory comes up, you know, “glory, glory, hallelujah” except in my head it sounds better than I can sing it. But when I really settle down and think about it, I have images of a fanfare of trumpets, angels, and bright lights and halos. The image of Jesus returning in glory to me is this overpowering and truly awesome presence. Glory, however, is not always this breathtakingly awesome. Glory also refers to our reputation, our fame, our honor, our prestige.
Now, the glory of God the Father is of the breathtakingly awesome kind. And I believe we will see Jesus in his return in the same glory. But, Jesus walked around as one of us, remember that’s why we’re here today, because the Word became flesh, and I doubt that during his earthly tenure he was accompanied by trumpets and angels wherever he went, he did not have the chorus of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” playing on loop in the background. In his earthly life he pointed to this greater glory of God, by seeking God’s fame, God’s honor, God’s prestige, not his own. And thus, his glory is “full of grace and truth”.
Whose glory do we seek? What is our glory filled with? Are we more concerned about how we are viewed, how others see us, are we more concerned with our honor, than we are with God’s honor? These may seem like simple questions, but they are not. They are some of the most difficult questions I have ever been asked or asked myself, and they are difficult because they are important, remember, Jesus tells us not to seek our own glory. Why should we follow Jesus’ example, and seek God’s glory and not our own?
You may have seen the movie Bruce Almighty, it came out a few years ago and is about a TV news reporter named Bruce Nolan. Now Bruce does human interest stories, stories about the anniversary of the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls or a local bakery making the worlds largest cookie, he wants more than this though. He wants to be a news anchor, he wants to be somebody. Things, however, do not work out for Bruce exactly as he wants, and in response to Bruce’s anger about this, about not being somebody, God temporarily gives Bruce his powers, thus Bruce Almighty. Well, as to be expected Bruce, at first, uses his newfound power to benefit himself, to become somebody, to seek his own glory. The movie details how when Bruce is more concerned with being somebody, with his own glory rather than God’s, bad things happen to Bruce and to those around him.
Bruce is more concerned with his glory than with God’s and no matter how hard he tries things just don’t work out. They may seem to go his way at first, but everything starts to fall apart, and he soon realizes just how empty his life is becoming because of his obsession with being somebody, his obsession with his glory no matter the cost. In the end, Bruce sees beyond himself, and his quest for glory, and he is able to set things right.
When we seek our own glory, when we become obsessed with our own glory, as Bruce was, our glory is not full of truth and grace, as is Jesus’. Our glory turns out to be vain and empty. Now, fame, honor, recognition these are all good things. By no means, is it inherently bad to be held in high regard by others. These things, honor, fame, regard, glory become a problem when we seek them over everything else, especially when we value them greater than God. Seeking our glory becomes a problem when we overlook God’s glory.
When we do look beyond our own glory, and put God’s glory before us, amazing things can happen. In Bruce Almighty, Bruce is able to reconcile with the love interest of the film whom he had pushed away in his pursuit of glory, and he realizes that he is able to do more good through stories about giant cookies, and old ferry boats than he could if he was an anchor. He recognizes his calling and how his gifts and talents help others, he points beyond himself, points to a greater glory than his own.
When we look beyond our glory, we are able to point to the greater glory of God, as Jesus did, as Jesus showed us to do, and still shows us to do. When I began talking with you all this morning, I made a point about it being Christmas, about our being here today because God so loved us that that he sent his son to walk amongst us, to live a human life. In his life, Jesus did a lot, and in his death and resurrection he did even more. Yes, his death and resurrection are of utmost importance to the church and us as Christians. But what we are remembering, what we are celebrating today is that the Word became flesh. We are celebrating that the Word walked amongst us and showed us what true glory is.
I believe that what we have been talking about with glory today, seeking God’s glory, and not our own, underlies all of Jesus’ teaching. In Matthew’s Gospel we hear that the greatest commandments are “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” and also “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This is what it looks like to seek God’s glory and not our own, putting all we have in to love, loving God and loving our neighbor. Jesus did not tell us to turn away from prestige or honor or fame. No, he told us not to seek those things for themselves. Rather, love God… love your neighbor… let your glory come from these things. Jesus showed us this in his life, he showed us the beauty of seeking God’s glory and not our own, he showed us a glory that is full of grace and truth
So, the “Word became flesh”, God became one of us. In doing so he opened a whole new life to us. We can be children of God, because Jesus walked amongst us, because Jesus showed us the way. Through parables, through prayers, through his life Jesus showed us how we can put God’s glory before us. Jesus showed us how we can be who we were created to be, who we are called to be. We can love God with our hearts, our souls and our minds and we can love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We can seek the glory of God, because Jesus walked amongst us, shared in our lives, and showed us how.