Introduction: [“Flicker” video from Sermonspice.com]
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-14 (NIV)
The epic battle between dark and light is one we are familiar with. It fills our movies from Star Wars to Lord of the Rings to the classic James Bond films to the old westerns starring John Wayne and Gary Cooper. It fills our books, our TV shows and our legends and myths. Good versus bad. Dark versus light. And in most of the stories, the good guys…the light…wins. Sure there are moments when we worry. Moments when it looks like the darkness will overtake the light, snuffing it out and leaving the world shrouded in perpetual night, but then out of the overwhelming darkness the light flickers back to life. It grows until it shatters the darkness bathing the world in it’s life giving warmth.
We love those stories. We love to watch the battle of light and dark because we know that…in most of the stories…the light prevails. This morning, as we finish exploring the dark side of Christmas I want to conclude our series with this truth. THE LIGHT DOES INDEED PREVAIL. The LIGHT comes out of the darkness, shattering that darkness…giving life to those who choose to accept it.
This morning, I want to take a few minutes and look at the darkness that seemed to engulf the Jewish people...and the whole world…that first Christmas. I want to look at how dark it seemed to be and how permanent that darkness must have appeared to those who were living in the midst of it…but I also want to look at the light that came from the darkness…the Light that brings life to us all if we choose to accept it.
Movement 1: Darkness
Review of themes previously covered
Despair
For more than 400 years leading up to the birth of Christ, the Jews had known despair. The Babylonians had conquered them, the Persians had conquered them, the Greeks had conquered them, the Ptolemic Dynasty, followed by the Seleucids Dynasty had conquered them. They had a brief moment of hope when they overthrew Antiochus Ephiphanies, but then their own people oppressed them until finally Rome conquered them and placed Herod on the throne as the king of Israel. Despair hung heavy on the Jewish people, hope was all but extinguished.
Shame
Mary and Joseph, the young couple at the center of God’s plan for redemption, had to deal with shame. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. Joseph had chosen to accept her shame and taker as his wife. If the people of Nazareth knew the story, it would be a tough life for both Mary, Joseph and their unborn child.
But Mary and Joseph weren’t alone in their shame. The people of Israel wore the shame of a conquered nation like a cloak. God’s chosen people under the rule of a pagan gentile, one who’s army had slaughtered the priests as they went about their sacred duties.
Frustration
Mary and Joseph wrestled with the frustration of a long journey to register for the Roman census. They dealt with housing accommodations and paying taxes and the birth of a child away from home, ultimately in a stable of some sort. I’m sure their frustration was great.
Israel too faced frustration at this time. The Census effected the entire nation. The taxes were unbearable, the Roman army was everywhere. Frustration had become a way of life for the people of God.
Herod’s Rage
Add to all of this darkness contained in the events surrounding the birth of Christ the jealousy and rage of a very insecure king. Herod was a man of limited mental and emotional balance. He was prone to mood swings. He wanted desperately to be loved and adored by his subjects but he was hated.
He was hated because he was a gentile. He was hated because he was a king put in place by the occupying Romans. He was hated because of his bizarre behavior. He was hated because he represented everything that brought darkness to the Jewish people.
He was a man of such jealousy that he had the wife he loved dearly executed because she disagreed with him. He had three of his own sons murdered for fear that they may one day rule in his place. He always felt threatened and ruled that way.
You can imagine how well he accepted the news when a group of Persian dignitaries appeared before him looking for the one who was born “King of the Jews.” It says that Herod was troubled and all of Jerusalem with him.
When God warns the wise men to return home without speaking to Herod and revealing the location of the child, Jesus, Herod goes into a rage and has every male child in the vicinity of Bethlehem that was under the age of two put to death. He would be sure to eliminate the threat to his throne.
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.
Matthew 2:13-15 (NIV)
Darkness. A people who have been trampled upon for centuries. A people who’s national and religious identity was at risk. A people who were oppressed. A people whose children were slaughtered due to the rage of a jealous king. Darkness.
The events surrounding the birth of Christ, the events that we romanticize and celebrate with cute little nativity scenes and sweet songs about silent nights, etc. were…in all honesty…pretty dark. The first years surrounding the birth of Christ were very dark years for the Jewish people and for the young family of Mary, Joseph and little Jesus.
Darkness hovered over the chaos of the world. Despair, shame, frustration and hatred seemed poised to swallow the little nation of Israel and the Jewish people as they sat under the oppression of Rome, waiting in the dark for God to send them his holy light. And as they waited, calling out to God…he heard their cry, for God always hears the cry of the oppressed. And through the darkness surrounding the birth of the Messiah…God brought His Light.
Movement 2: Light
It’s amazing how light works in the midst of darkness. In fact, just the smallest amount of light instantly eradicates darkness in it’s immediate vicinity and holds it at bay for quite some distance. Just the presence of light banishes darkness. That’s because darkness isn’t an entity in and of itself. Darkness is merely the absence or light. When you bring light into the equation, darkness flees.
That first Christmas the world certainly seemed dark. For many of the Jews it seemed like God had abandoned them. Even for Mary and Joseph, who had personally been given great news by an angel, it must have seemed as if God had pulled back and as he did, it must have felt like the darkness closed in around them.
Life was dark. Despair, shame, and frustration surrounded the people of Israel as they awaited their Messiah. Darkness seemed to reign. At the time it seemed that darkness might prevail forever. And yet out of that darkness…God brought to them the LIGHT.
The light started so small. A baby boy of questionable parentage, born to a humble couple in the midst of a shame-filled, frustrating situation. He was placed in a borrowed feeding trough, in some cave. It wasn’t a very auspicious start…but into the darkness the Light came, and even the smallest spark of light begins to banish the darkness.
Jesus, the very Son of God, came as the light into the darkness. And if we’ll receive him then his light will shine on the darkness in our lives that seems like it is about to swallow us up.
Jesus, himself, said it this way.
When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”
John 12:44-46 (NIV)
He came to be the light. In the midst of the darkness he came to be light and life for all who were dying in the dark. And his light takes on my darkness and your darkness in whatever form it may be found.
• When you are neck deep in the darkness of despair…He is the LIGHT OF HOPE
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
• When you are buried beneath the darkness of shame…He is the LIGHT OF JOY
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Romans 8:1 (NIV)
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:11 (NIV)
• When you are crushed under the darkness of frustration…He is the LIGHT OF PEACE
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (NLT)
As dark as the world was that first Christmas, God brought light out of the darkness. And he wants to do the same for you and for me. As dark as your world is, as dark as the circumstances you are facing are, as dark as life may seem to be right now…HE WILL BRING LIGHT OUT OF YOUR DARKNESS
So What?
What do we do with this? What’s the point of all of this, Pastor Steve? The point is that we need to celebrate the light! We need to worship God for the light!
At Christmas we celebrate HOPE
At Christmas we celebrate JOY
At Christmas we celebrate PEACE
We celebrate the LIGHT OF THE WORLD coming into our darkness and bringing to us that hope, joy, peace and ultimately His Life. Because of the darkness, because we understand that darkness, we can rejoice in and celebrate the light!
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
If you are sitting in a world of darkness right now, frustrated, ashamed, confused, despairing, you can still celebrate the light because God promises to bring light out of our darkness.
If life is going smooth for you right now. You’re right with God and your neighbor and everyone else. You are experiencing joy and peace and hope you MUST celebrate the light because it is God’s gift of light that we celebrate at Christmas.
I want this series of sermons to be an encouragement to you. Whether life is good or bad right now, whether you are rejoicing or mourning right now, I want you to be encouraged to celebrate and worship the light.
There certainly was/is a dark side to Christmas, but Christ…the light of the world…shatters the darkness and gives us his light!
Will you celebrate the light of Christmas with me this year?
