St. John Chrysostom’s Nativity Sermon

The Sabbath has its roots deep in the Old Testament. The core idea of the word “sabbath” is “rest.” The Hebrew word for the Sabbath comes from a verb that means to cease, come to a halt, to stop doing something. At the beginning of Genesis 2, we are told that God completed all the work he had set out to do in the first six days of creation, “so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (Gen. 2:2). God ceased from the work of creation and refrained from doing any work on the seventh day. For this reason, we are told, God set apart the seventh day as the Sabbath, the day of rest, and made it a holy day (Gen. 2:3-4). The precedent that God set by his own course of action in the creation week becomes the pattern for Israel’s work week and a sign of Israel’s covenant with God (Ex. 31:12-17). In the Fourth Commandment, God instructs his people to remember the Sabbath day, follow his example, and keep the day holy by ceasing from all their labor (Ex. 20:8-11). The Sabbath, then, is that holy day on which God’s people are to refrain from all their labors, to stop working, and to rest and be refreshed. When we rest on the Sabbath, we are acknowledging that God alone is the Creator. We are answering the call of Psalm 46:10, where God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” God invites us to enter his rest and to know him. Our lives are so busy, our schedules so full, our distractions so unending. Sabbath is about resting from all that work, unplugging from all that distraction, and giving God our full attention. Sabbath is about remembering that God is Creator, God is in control, handing our burdens to him, finding rest in his provision, comfort in his care, joy in his fellowship, and renewal in his rest. Sabbath not only points us to God our Creator but also to God our Redeemer. The God of Genesis is also the God of Exodus who liberated his people from slavery. Moses tells us to remember the redemption from Egyptian bondage as the basis of the Sabbath commandment (Deut. 5:15). Sabbath observance is a free man’s worship. We cease from work because we can. We are no longer slaves. We have no taskmasters who force us to work, for God has set us free. Referring to the exodus, God says, “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Ex. 19:4). Sabbath is about celebrating freedom, leaving bondage behind, and resting secure in the God who saves. On the Sabbath, we sing songs of redemption by a parted sea and rattle severed chains over Egyptian slain. For Christians today under the New Covenant, the ultimate significance and fulfillment of the Sabbath is in Jesus Christ. Through Christ, God created all things and is making all things new (Col. 1:16; 2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus is Lord of the new creation. In Christ, God has redeemed all his people from their sins (Rom. 3:24). Jesus says that “everyone who sins is a slave to sin,” but “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34, 36). Jesus is Lord of the new exodus. This same Jesus calls us to himself and promises to give us rest (Matt. 11:28-29). When we come to him by faith, we enter the true rest that the Sabbath foreshadowed (Heb. 4:1-11). Therefore, Christians ought to rest on the Sabbath day because we are justified by faith apart from works.  The Sabbath is ultimately a sign of our new covenant relationship with Jesus. It signifies that we are united to Christ, justified by faith, and enjoy his rest. Amid the bustle of life, remember the Sabbath. Keep it holy. Enter his rest. Be still and know your God. Because you are free, obey. “If you call the Sabbath a delight . . . then you will find your joy in the Lord” (Is. 58:13-14).

We Have a Thorough Conviction

Christians talk a lot about faith. That is understandable. We all know faith is vitally important. You can’t be a Christian without faith. Believing in Jesus is how we get saved, but then what? Where does faith fit into the rest of my life? What does faith do? What is faith for? Does faith really work? These are natural questions, and finding the right answer will have a tremendous impact on your Christian life. Get the wrong answer, and it could lead to a dead end in your walk with Christ. So let’s turn to the words of Jesus to figure this out. In Matthew chapter 8, a Roman soldier approaches Jesus and pleads for help. This is very unusual. Roman soldiers do not typically ask Jewish peasants for anything other than submission. Rome had conquered the Jewish homeland, and this soldier is stationed in Israel to enforce Roman law and order by any brutal means necessary. And this is no ordinary soldier; this is a centurion, an officer with a unit of 80 troops under his command. This is a man of authority. Centurions do not ask conquered subjects for help, but this time something is different. The centurion says to Jesus, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly” (Matthew 8:6). No matter how much authority this man possesses, he has no say over sickness. Suffering and death are not his subordinates. He could command all he wants, but his servant could not obey his order to get well. He needed help from someone with much more power and authority than he possessed. That is why he came to Jesus. He felt powerless, helpless, desperate. Jesus was his last chance. Jesus does not refuse his request. He offers to go with the centurion to heal the servant in person, but, surprisingly, the centurion refuses. He says to Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matthew 8:8-9). The centurion recognizes his own unworthiness in the presence of Jesus and acknowledges that he is at his mercy. As a Roman soldier, he understands better than anyone how authority works. He merely says the word, and his soldiers obey without question. That’s how it works. He recognizes that Jesus has the power and authority to give a command that makes even sickness and death obey him. That’s how he works. What an amazing display of faith in Jesus! It was so amazing, in fact, and so unexpected, that even Jesus himself is astonished. Matthew tells us that Jesus was so astonished “he marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith’” (Matthew 8:10). What do we learn from this encounter? Jesus tells us that if we want to know what faith is and what faith does, look no further than this Roman soldier. The centurion’s faith has at least three parts to it: 1. Faith is a humble, confident trust in the power and authority of Jesus. 2. Faith looks away from self and pleads with Jesus to do for us what only he can do. 3. Faith listens expectantly to the mighty word of Jesus. Faith begins with the recognition that I am powerless and weak, but he is mighty and strong. I am helpless and needy, but he is generous and all-sufficient. I am most unworthy, but he is perfectly good and full of grace. We must see ourselves as we really are in the light of who he truly is. Once we see the matchless power and authority of Jesus, we cry out to him like the centurion, “Only say the word, Lord, and it shall be done just as you say!” We put our full confidence in him, we lean all our weight upon his word, and we rest assured that his word will never fail us. True faith is an unshakeable confidence that enables and emboldens us to stake our lives on the word of Jesus, to endure all things for his sake with hope and joy, and to follow Jesus in a life that is faithful, fruitful, and fulfilling. Faith like this is what Jesus wants from his disciples. It’s the level of trust and commitment he wants from you. If you feel that you are incapable of living up to this expectation, you are exactly right— and you just completed step one for having true faith. This kind of faith is a divine gift, granted to us by the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts. This is good news. If faith is a gift from God, then it is yours for the asking.

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As I write this article, we are only a few days away from the 2024 presidential election. There are many people in our country who believe this is the most important election for the future of the United States. There is a sense across the political spectrum that the stakes have never been higher. This is a common feeling that many people begin to feel every four years. Every election feels more important than the last. I was reading the other day and came across this comment that really struck me. “The salvation of America and of the human race depends on the next election, if we believe the newspapers. But so it was last year, and so it was the year before, and our fathers believed the same thing forty years ago.” This comment captures the current anxiety of the upcoming election that many people in the news are feeling and fostering. We need salvation, and only one candidate can deliver. How many of you feel this way right now? This comment, cynical as it is, feels fresh and current. In reality, these words were written in October of 1848 by Ralph Waldo Emerson! That year the election was between Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass. Remember how utterly crucial that election was? Me neither. But people at the time thought so. Has anything really changed? The 1848 election was 176 years ago. In 176 years from now, it will be 2200. What will those Americans think when they look back on the 2024 election? Chances are, Trump vs. Harris will seem to them what Taylor vs. Cass seems to us. I hear you scoffing, but they felt the same way in 1848 that you do today. This moment feels so big to us because we are in the middle of it. Time and distance give perspective though, and perspective gives a sense of proportion. Is this election important? It is. Are big things happening in our country? Definitely. But does “the salvation of America and of the human race depend on the next election”? No, certainly not. As Christians, we know where salvation comes from. We are the people of God, citizens of heaven, believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ, heirs of the coming kingdom. We do not look to politicians and the ways of this world to establish our own kingdoms. We should love our country, work and pray for its success, be informed, and vote. But never conflate your country with God’s kingdom, your party with God’s will, or your candidate with messianic hopes. When Jesus returns, he will establish his kingdom over all nations, including this one. When that happens, democracy is over. There is no democracy in a kingdom. No more voting, no more rights and freedoms as we enjoy them now. The conservative or liberal America that you are fighting for today will not exist in the kingdom. Jesus will rule this country with a rod of iron. His word will be law. His enemies will be subdued. Everyone will bend the knee. True salvation will finally come. Christians say they want this, but do we? Do we act like it? Do we live like it? For many Christians, the answer seems to be no. But what about you? Are you ready for a King?  Peace and grace, Pastor Wesley