The Second Person of the Trinity Came Down to Earth
Pastor Tan Thai · Dec 23, 2016
This Christmas Eve 2016 sermon reflects on the profound meaning of the Second Person of the Trinity leaving heaven to become human. Through the imagery of home, family, and the longing to return, the pastor leads the congregation to the central message: Jesus came down so that every sinner might one day return to heaven, the eternal home.
This sermon was delivered on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2016, opening with familiar Christmas imagery: gifts, Christmas trees, peace, and family. The pastor recounts a true historical event from World War I, when German and Allied soldiers briefly ceased fighting on Christmas Day to exchange gifts and sing Christmas carols together. From this, he introduces the central theme: the deepest longing of the human heart at Christmas is to go home, to be with loved ones.
The pastor observes that in the first Christmas story, many characters were far from home: Joseph and Mary left Nazareth for Bethlehem, the Magi traveled from the East following a star, and the shepherds left their flocks in the fields. But the one who was farthest from home was the infant Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, who left the glory of heaven to enter a dark, damp, and foul-smelling stable. The distance from heaven to earth is immeasurable, and this represents the incomparable sacrifice of the Creator.
The Christmas message is presented clearly through John 1:9-14: the Word became flesh, full of grace and truth, so that all who receive Him are given the right to become children of God. The pastor emphasizes that Jesus did not come down merely to dwell in lowliness, but through His atoning death on the cross, He opened the way for every sinner to return to heaven — the eternal home that can never be taken away.
The sermon draws on the beloved wartime Christmas song "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and the Vietnamese Christmas song "Ngôi Hai Xuống Đời" by composer Hùng Lân, set to a Southern Vietnamese folk melody. Both works capture the longing to return home and the noble sacrifice of Christ, who left His riches and glory to take on frail and humble human form out of love for humanity.
The pastor closes with a call for the congregation to take time in quiet reflection on the mystery of Jesus Christ during this Christmas season. He prays that those who have never received Christ will open their hearts to Him on this Christmas night, and he blesses every family with peace, joy, and the grace of the God who loves them.