Today is sometimes called “Candlemass” This morning at mass at my own church, we had candles EVERYWHERE. It was a pyromaniacs dreams - On the altar, under the altar, behind the altar, on the window sills, in every spare space and in people’s hands - Candles.
Why?
It goes back to the bible reading we have just heard when the old man Simeon prophesies over the baby Jesus “He shall be a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel”.
The bible also tells us that Jesus is “the light of the world” and that “the light has come into the world and the darkness has not overcome it” and that “The true light is coming into this world and the darkness is passing away”.
So today as we remember the words of the old man Simeon over the baby Jesus “a light to lighten the gentiles and the glory of your people Israel”. And we celebrate this great Bible truth that Jesus IS the light of the world.
So - several thoughts about light.
Firstly - LIGHT IS THE OPPOSITE OF DARKNESS
[as I finish saying this, an accomplice flicks the light switch and the chapel is plunged into darkness]
If I left these lights off for half an hour, changed the light bulbs for even brighter ones, and then suddenly turned them back on, you’d blink. It would hurt your eyes. The contrast between the darkness you had just been experiencing and the light would an immense shock
[get lights turned back on again before teenage audience start to misbehave]
If I had left all the lights off for long enough, blown out every candle and blacked out all the windows, at first it would seem pitch black. But then gradually your eyes would start to adapt. Imagin living all your life in that gloom. You would not even notice that it was dark. You’d be so used to it. But then suddenly someone switches on the light and the contrast would be immense. Well actually …. that’s how things are.
We don’t notice the fact that our world is dark. We have got so used to it that our eyes have adapted. We don’t notice the hurt and pain and mess that our world is in. But if you compare the darkness of the world with the holiness of God, if you flick on the light, you’d notice the difference. Jesus, God, is described in today’s passage as “the Glory of your people Israel”. And as St Paul tells us in the letter to the Romans (3:22) its a glory from which we have all fallen short. If you compare our lives with the brightness of God’s holiness, then however good they may appear - then compared with the brightness of God’s holiness, our lives are dark indeed.
LIGHT AS THE OPPOSITE OF DARKNESSS
secondly, LIGHT EXPOSES THE DARKNESS
Eight months ago I moved into a new house. My predecessor had had very dim light bulbs in the rooms. Gradually over time these 40w bulbs have broken and I’ve replaced them with 100 or 150w bulbs. And you know, it hasn’t been a pleasant experience.
I put in the new bulb - and it is SO much brighter. And in a room that I thought was clean, I notice dirt. dust. cobwebs.
Indeed [take out a previously hidden torch] if I take out my torch here and start shining it in detail around this chapel - well the chapel may seem clean, but shine a bright light in every nook and cranny, and I’ll soon find - dirt. dust. cobwebs. Light exposes the darkness
So when Jesus comes into our world, he exposes the dirt and the darkness in our lives. He exposes the cobwebs and spiders in our souls. As Simeon said in this bible passage “This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, so that the inner thoughts of men will be revealed” I can shine this torch onto your head as much as I like but I can’t see into your brain. I can try on you … or you … or you … or you [move torch beam around] but I still can’t see into your brains. But there is one who can see into every one of our minds. “This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, so that the inner thoughts of men will be revealed”
The headmaster; the teachers; the prefects. They may not have caught on. But deep within our hearts, each one of us knows that there are things we have done that are wrong; things that are hurtful;things that are mean; things that are spiteful. Indeed you may have been appointed to some high honour in the school. Maybe you have been made prefect or even head boy. Yet however much other people may admire you, deep within your heart you know that there are things you have done that are wrong.
And the light exposes the darkness. Jesus exposes the cobwebs and the spiders of our souls.
And thirdly (and for this I need my toy)
THE LIGHT DEFENDS US AND RESCUES US FROM THE DARKNESS
I could have gone for the image of light houses rescuing ships that would otherwise have crashed on the rocks - but naaah - that’s a bit boring. so instead....
[Get out expandable star wars light sabre]
The light sabre!
As the Jedi knights defend and rescue the republic from the forces of the dark side, so Jesus defends and rescues us from the darkness within. “My eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people” “My eyes have seen the salvation”. “salvation” - its a strange word. And we don’t really use it much - but basically it means “rescue plan”
If a small company of soldiers in Iraq are suddenly ambushed and outnumbered by the forces of Sadaam Hussein [topical in 2004 when I preached this sermon] they need the heavy artillery to come and save them, to come and rescue them.
If you are drowning in a swimming pool, and can’t breath, you need someone to come and save you, to come and rescue you. “my eyes have seen the salvation” “My eyes have seen the rescue which you have prepared”.
We know that darkness is not good. If you have ever watched a horror film like “Alien” or “seven” or indeed bits of “Terminator” you’ll know - it is in the darkness that the baddie strikes. And we know that in our own lives, there is darkness. There are things we have done that are wrong. And the darkness is getting darker. It’s like the lighting here being switched off and slowly on by one each candle is extringuished then each window is blacked out. Sin addicts us and gradually overwhelms our lives separating us from the eternal light of Jesus.
But ... [draw lightsabre as dramatically as possible] … God is here to rescue us. [making actions] He cuts away the cobwebs of our sin. He takes a laser scalpel and slices away the cancer within us. The eternal Jedi rescues us from the darkness.
fourthly
THE LIGHT IS GREAT
It would be possible to think of what I have been saying as rather depressing. All this talk about the “darkness” - I know its a bad pun but it’s a bit gloomy isn’t it. Except that we are not really talking about darkness - we are talking about LIGHT - the light of the world. And that light is great.
When Our Lady brings the baby Jesus into the Temple, why do St imeon and St Anna make such a fuss over him? Because he is the Light of the World - and that light is great.
[note for reader - the chaplain of the school’s name is Fr James Power]
I have here a present for Fr James
[let him unwrap them - the unwrapping adds suspense]
some sunglasses and a beach towel so he can go off and do some sunbathing. Because we all enjoy a good sunny day. Now in January it may be dark and miserable - but we all look forward to the baking summer when we can sunbathe and enjoy the heat. unfortunately the English summer normally only lasts about two weeks....
Not so with Jesus. Jesus does not promise us a few weeks of sunshine. Jesus does not promise us a whole July and August of Sunshine. Jesus promises us an eternity of Spiritual Sunbathing. It’s not just about being rescued from the darkness, it is about what we are being rescued for. And the life that follows is great. I first started following Jesus in the summer term of my first year here at this school when I was 13. And I have never looked back.
There is a sense of purpose. A sense of joy. A sense of Freedom - that’s better and longr lasting than any “high” you can get from any other source. Go for sunbathing in the light of Christ because that light is great.
But I leave you with one final thought. [pointing appropriately] - in that corner of this chapel is a light switch. With that switch you can have light whenever you want … IF you press the switch. But you have to choose to press it. So with Jesus. He’s offering us a switch that can rescue us from the darkness and bring us into light. The switch is here. We have to press it.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen
