On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first flight of an airplane at Kitty Hawk NC. On their 5th attempt, the plane under the control of Orville, embarked on a 12 second flight. Wilbur rushed to the local telegraph office and sent the following message – WE HAVE FLOWN FOR 12 SECONDS - WE WILL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!
Upon receiving the telegram their sister, Katherine went to the newspaper office, told the editor of her brother’s new flying machine, and informed him, they would be home for Christmas, if he would like to set up an interview.
He told her that was nice, and he would be sure to put something in the paper regarding the boys.
On December 19th, the local paper placed the following headline on the 6th page of the paper: “WRIGHT BROTHERS HOME FOR CHRISTMAS”
The most important story of the year – man’s first flight – and the editor missed it!
We are thirteen days away from Christmas and in the business of the season the greatest story ever told is being overlooked by the masses and tonight I want to speak to you on the subject… The story must be told.
Why must the story be told? Because…
1. A dark world needs to know the Light has come…
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
History records for us an interesting footnote. It was during the dark winter of 1864. At Petersburg, Virginia, the Confederate army of Robert E. Lee faced the Union divisions of General Ulysses S. Grant. The war was now three and a half years old and the glorious charge had long since given way to the muck and mud of trench warfare. Late one evening one of Lee’s generals, Major General George Pickett, received word that his wife had given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Up and down the line the Southerners began building huge bonfires in celebration of the event. These fires did not go unnoticed in the Northern camps and soon a nervous Grant sent out a reconnaissance patrol to see what was going on. The scouts returned with the message that Pickett had had a son and these were celebratory fires. It so happened, that Grant and Pickett had been contemporaries at West Point and knew one another well, so to honor the occasion Grant, too, ordered that bonfires should be built.
What a peculiar night it was. For miles on both sides of the lines fires burned. No shots fired. No yelling back and forth.
No war fought; only light… celebrating the birth of a child. For a few moments, there was peace. For a few moments there was a smile on their faces. But it didn’t last. Soon the fires burned down and once again the darkness took over; the darkness of the night and the darkness of war.
The story of Christmas is, in the midst of a great darkness there came a greater Light, and the darkness was not able to overcome the light.
It was not just a temporary flicker. It was an eternal flame. We need to remember that. There are times, in the events of the world and in the events of our own personal lives that we feel the light of the world will be snuffed out. But the story affirms that whatever happens, the light still shines.
I have seen circumstances where the darkness was so thick, there seemed to be no hope of the Light shining through, but the Light still shines. I have been involved in personal tragedies where shadows of doom and gloom covered the family and tried to snuff out the Light, but the Light still shines. The world needs to hear the story and understand the Light that shined into the darkness some two thousand years ago is still shining in the darkness today. The darkness could not, the darkness cannot, and the darkness will not overcome the Light.
2. Why must the story be told… because the world needs to be reminded of Who the story is about…
I heard a tale about a woman who was doing her last-minute Christmas shopping at a crowded mall. She was tired of fighting the crowds. She was tired of standing in lines. She was tired of fighting her way down long aisles looking for a gift that had sold out days before. Her arms were full of bulky packages and when the Elevator door opened, it was also full.
The folks in the Elevator grudgingly tightened ranks to allow a small space for her and her load. As the doors closed she blurted out, “Whoever is responsible for this whole Christmas thing ought to be arrested, strung up, and shot!”
A few others nodded their heads or grunted in agreement. Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator came a single voice that said, “Don’t worry. They already crucified him.”
We need to remember who the story is about. It is all about how God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
In the hustle and bustle of the season when you're fighting the traffic and playing chess over parking spaces, when you're trying to find the perfect gift or just picking up a last minute $5 present for the office get-together, when you’ve drug yourself through Wal-Mart, Sears, JC Penny’s, Belk’s, Sam’s Club, Best Buy, etc., looking for a particular gift only to find out you could’ve ordered it online yesterday in the comfort of your home and gotten it on time but if you order it now it won’t show up till New Years, remember… He gave a gift that is always available, He gave a Gift that is always perfect, He gave a gift that pleases the most hard to please, He gave a Gift that will satisfy the deepest longing, He gave a Gift that comes with a lifetime satisfaction guarantee… You won’t have to worry about the batteries going dead because this Gift is alive for evermore. You won’t have to worry about this Gift going out of style because this Gift was in style yesterday, this Gift is in style today, and this Gift will be in style tomorrow. You won’t have to worry about this Gift becoming boring and unused because this is a Gift that keeps on giving. This Gift will turn your sorrows into Joy. This Gift will turn your mourning into dancing. This Gift will take a wasted life and restore the reason for living. This Gift will give peace to the troubled soul. This Gift will take a heart full of hatred and bitterness and fill it with love and forgiveness.
Somebody said… preacher what kind of gift is that. This Gift is not a “what” and this Gift is not an “it.”
This Gift is not some new digital device, or new smart phone, or a new line of clothing. As a matter of fact John Baptist called this Gift the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world. Nicodemus called this Gift the Teacher that came from God. Blind Bartemeaus called this Gift the Son of David.
Simon Peter said He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Job said this Gift is my Redeemer. King David said this Gift is the Darling of Heaven. The Gift I’m talking about has been called the Lily of the valley, Provider and Friend, Jehovah, Messiah, Mighty God and King, Bread of Life, the Fountain of Living Water that never shall run dry. Isaiah said this Gift will… be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 (KJV))
The angels said you're going to call Him Jesus, the One whom the story is all about. You can’t talk about the story without talking about Jesus; His is the story. You can out-law manger scenes but it’s still going to be about Jesus. You can pass laws that prohibit angels and wise men from being placed in public squares but it’s still going to be about Jesus. The world needs to hear the story that without Jesus there is no “Joy to the World.” Without Jesus there is no “Peace on earth goodwill toward men.” Without Jesus there are no “Silent, Holy nights.” You can try and be politically correct and say “Happy Holidays” but it’s still going to be about Jesus. Somebody needs to tell this world… You can put up all the Christmas lights you want to but what you really need to know is… He’s the Light who shined in the darkness. You can wrap all the gifts you want to but you need to understand… He’s the greatest Gift ever given to mankind. Somebody needs to tell the story…
You can pick out the biggest tree that has the best shape, and you can take it home and set it up where everyone can see it, walking and driving by. And you can decorate it by hanging all the beautiful lights on it.
But the most important thing you need to know is this… there’s a story to be told… the real story tells about a day when our Heavenly Father went looking for a tree. And He chose the best one He could find with just the right shape. And He took that tree and placed it where everyone that passed by could see it. And then He hung the most beautiful Light that Heaven had to offer on that tree. And everyone that passed by gazed in wonder at the Light on the tree. And the story goes… the Light died and the scripture says… once again, darkness covered the land. And then the Father moved His beautiful Light that died into the darkest place possible, a sealed tomb. You can’t get any darker than a sealed tomb. There is absolutely no light and no expectation of light in a sealed tomb. It’s a place of hopelessness. It’s a place of despair and despondency. Have you ever been in a room where it was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face? It is an unsettling feeling. That’s the kind of place they sealed the body of Jesus in. I believe that’s the way God wanted it. He planned for the Greatest Gift ever given to mankind, the Light of the World, to be positioned in the darkest place that mankind could ever face, death; because it’s a major part of the story. Three days later… over in the darkness of that tomb, over in the most dire of situations, the most hopeless of circumstances, once again the Light shined in the darkness and the darkness could not stop it. As Jesus, the Light of the World opened His eyes up and said… “Grave, where is your victory… Death where is your sting.” And when that Light shined into the darkest of darkness hope sprung up for every man, woman, boy, and girl in any situation that they might face because Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Light of the World prevailed against the darkness.
3. The story must be told… Because a dark world needs to know the Light has come… because the world needs to be reminded of Who the story is about… because the story involves everyone…
John 1: 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…
The story involves you and everyone in your circle of influence. They need to understand Jesus is just as relevant today as He was then. In a world of selfishness, He teaches us how to be selfless. In a world of hate He teaches us how to love. In a world of unforgiveness He teaches us how to forgive. In a world of hopelessness He teaches us how to have hope. But more than all that, He does what no one else can do, He washes away our sins. But who’s going to know these things if the story isn’t told. The story must be told.
