Introduction
Since childhood, one sentence has followed me: "You talk too much." It didn't come from my parents or my teachers, but often from the adults at Sunday school. One day, reading the Bible from cover to cover for the first time, I was struck by a passage: James 3. "We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check." (James 3:1-9)
Reading that chapter, I trembled. If the tongue is a fire, a world of evil, then how can anyone go to heaven? How can I preach without wounding people? That question has followed me into my pastoral ministry. Once, while preaching on Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42), I unintentionally hurt some sisters from another church. They came to tell me, gently, at the end of the service. That day I understood that without the cross, I cannot live.
It's in that context that, on this second Sunday of Advent, the Word meets us in John 1:14-17: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, full of grace and truth." Four times in four verses, the word "grace" appears. God comes to us, and he transforms us.
Outline of the Message
1. Grace that frees us from the weight of our words
In Ephesians 2:8-9, the apostle Paul writes: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." At the start of every pastoral blessing, these are the same words we say: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." Grace comes first, because the first step of salvation is to believe in Jesus.
Every month, we share in Communion. The bread that recalls Christ's body, the cup that recalls his blood. Even when our words condemn us, the cross of Jesus forgives us. It doesn't just erase our faults, it purifies us and transforms us, day after day, from glory to glory, into the image of Christ.
We are not perfect from the start. A one year old I saw at church was taking his first steps. His mother told me he had started toddling quickly and needed watching. He is growing. He changes every day. Our Christian life is the same: it moves forward step by step, until the day we enter the kingdom of heaven.
2. Truth that gives our life a direction
There is an architect in Japan whom I greatly admire, Togo Murano. He built dozens of remarkable buildings and became a Christian after the war. He practiced his craft past the age of 90. He used to say, "It wasn't until after I turned 60 that I could truly put on paper what I had in mind." He also said, "I listen to my client ninety nine percent of the time, and I put in only one percent of myself. But that one percent changes everything." People call this "Murano's one percent."
When we come to Christ, our personality doesn't disappear. Every human being is created in the image of God, precious and good. But since Genesis 3, sin has entered our hearts, severing our relationship with God, pushing each of us to say "me, me, me" before listening to anyone else. The Word of Jesus makes us able once again to live as humans, in the place God prepared for us.
Jesus says in John 14:6-7: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." To receive Jesus is to set out on a road that leads to the kingdom of heaven. You can go wrong, say something you later regret, wander off. But if you remember Jesus and pray, he gladly brings you back onto his path. He waits for you, he welcomes you, he sets you right.
3. A word of salvation to share with others
"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5). In the Old Testament, darkness often points to death (see 1 Samuel 2:9).
About ten years ago, I was driving through the Ishinomaki region after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Crossing a bridge into the devastated neighborhoods, everything turned pitch black, literally. The young people laughing in the back seat fell silent. One of them asked me, her voice tight, "Pastor, will we be okay?" That darkness left a mark on me. It is frightening.
Living without Jesus is walking through that kind of night. I wish that on no one. So, with whatever the Lord entrusts to me, I speak about him. A tract, an invitation to church, a prayer for someone, a simple sentence like "I go to church," "I'm a Christian"…whatever I can do, I do. After that, it's the Holy Spirit who does the work.
In Matthew 25:31-40, Jesus reminds us that on the last day, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." That least, to me, is myself. And I believe God blesses those who do good to someone as small as me.
Our friends from the Dorcas group prepared gifts that a brother and I delivered to a nearby hospital this week. At the reception desk, as soon as we said "we're from Zion Church in Yokohama," the receptionist's face lit up. The nurses reached out their hands even before we handed over the packages. That kind of gesture warms the patients, but also the whole medical staff. The light of Christ travels through these small acts of love.
Key Takeaways
- The Word became flesh, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). This is the foundation of everything.
- The grace of the cross frees the one who wounds with words. Forgiveness is secured, and the Spirit keeps transforming us.
- Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Our existence has a direction, even when we stumble.
- The light shines in the darkness. Living without Christ means walking through a night whose depth you cannot imagine.
- Praying for someone, serving someone, saying a word for Jesus: the smallest gesture bears fruit. Whoever prays for another has no time left to stumble.
Personal Application
- What words did you say this week that hurt someone, even without meaning to? Dare to bring them to the cross.
- When you fail in the way you speak, what do you lean on: your shame, or the grace of Jesus?
- Where are you on your journey with Christ? If you have drifted, what prayer can you lift up today to come back to him?
- Who around you is living in a spiritual night? What can you do concretely, this week, to let them glimpse the light?
- Like the sisters of the Dorcas group, what small act of love can you offer in your neighborhood, your hospital, your building, before Advent ends?
Verses Cited
- John 1:1-5 · The Word, the life, the light.
- John 1:14-17 · The Word became flesh, full of grace and truth.
- John 14:6-7 · I am the way, the truth, and the life.
- James 3:1-9 · The power of the tongue.
- Luke 10:38-42 · Martha and Mary.
- Ephesians 2:8-9 · Saved by grace, through faith.
- Matthew 25:31-40 · The judgment of the nations, serving the least of these.
- Isaiah 6 · The prophet's purified lips.
FAQ
What does "the Word became flesh" mean?
This is the central declaration of Advent and Christmas. The eternal Son of God, through whom all things were created, came to dwell among us by taking on our human nature. John 1:14 states that he was "full of grace and truth": two inseparable words. In Jesus, God does not simply speak from a distance, he comes to sit with us.
Does the cross really forgive hurtful words?
Yes. The cross of Jesus covers every fault of the one who comes to him, including careless words, unfair judgments, and remarks that wounded someone. Forgiveness is complete, but it comes with a work of sanctification: the Spirit purifies our lips, as in Isaiah 6, and gradually transforms the way we speak.
What can I do, very concretely, to share the gospel during Advent?
Start by praying for one or two specific people. Then choose one simple action: hand out a tract, invite someone to a Christmas service, bring a gift to a neighbor, or simply mention in conversation that you're a Christian. As the pastor reminds us, whoever prays for another has no time left to stumble: serving others keeps us standing.
to take notes and ask questions.