Christmas Eve
In the Gospel of John, the first chapter the fifth verse, appears one of the simplest, yet most significant statements in all of the scripture. John says of Jesus, God's incarnate Word,
Just Wednesday we received an annual Christmas newsletter from some good friends, Bill and Sue we'll call them. Usually their annual letter is pretty upbeat. But this year their letter was different, for 1999 has been a tough year for our friends.
The year began with Bill's mother dying after a stroke, and Bill had to deal with the unique grief of losing the second parent.
Soon afterward Bill's sister and brother-in-law moved faraway to the east coast. In recent years Bill has become much closer to his sister, and he will grieve the change that distance will bring to that budding relationship.
Just weeks later Sue's brother-in-law committed suicide, and since then much support and comfort has been needed for her sister.
Their daughter is involved in a rather troubled relationship and they have much anxiety over her.
Their youngest adult son has some developmental problems, and he has trouble holding a job and living on his own--as hard as he tries!
And then, just a month ago, their oldest son and daughter-in-law announced they were moving overseas. This will mean that Bill and Sue won't see their two young grand-children very often anymore--another source of pain and heart-ache.
I mention all of this not because their problems are unique. In fact, their problems may sound familiar. I only mention their issues to set you up for the last line of their letter. And it's this remarkable last line that grabbed me. They close out their letter by saying, "With a year like this we really need Christmas!"
I've been thinking about that, "With a year like this we really need Christmas" What did they mean? How are we to interpret their words? How does Christmas help them, if at all?
- Did they mean it sarcastically? Something like, "With a year like this, we really need Christmas!" (You know, like another hole in the head!) But knowing them, I know that's not what they mean!
- Do you suppose they mean that Christmas with all of it's activity will serve as a distraction that will help them forget their troubles, at least for a little while? For many, that's what Christmas is, a kind of gigantic commercial distraction! But knowing them, I don't think that's what they mean at all!
- Do they mean that the good-will and warm social fellowship that accompanies the Christmas season will help lift their depressed spirits? Is that it? And for many that's what Christmas is, a time to gather with loved ones--and that's a very special thing about Christmas--and that really can lift us. But, knowing them I don't think that's exactly what they mean either!
What kind of year have you had? Good year? Bad year? Somewhere in between? Has it been a year of trouble, grief, illness, emotional turmoil, uncertainty, change, loss, loneliness, conflict, failure, bad decisions, bad luck! What's your year been like? Maybe it's been a good year filled with positive experiences. Praise God if it has!
In light of your year, what have your feelings been about approaching Christmas? For many, who have had a year of troubles and traumas, Christmas is often a dreaded time, because emotions and sentiment runs high, and Christmas can raise to even greater levels of intensity the inner pain and anguish.
But not for my friends! They say, "With a year like this we really need Christmas!" What is it about Christmas that helps them. What is it about Christmas that lifts them? I believe if my friends were here tonight, they would say to each and everyone of us, regardless of what your year has been like, they would say, "With a year like you've had you really need Christmas!" But what ever do they mean?
Let me get at it this way, The Gospel of John doesn't relate the detailed story of Jesus' birth, at least not like Matthew and Luke tell it. However, John does mention Jesus' birth in his own allegorical way, using the metaphor of light. John says, "(He is) the light shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
The child around who's manger we gather this evening is "the light shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome him."
When the angel announced to Mary that she was pregnant with God's very own Son, that Light flickered -- but, you see, it could have just as well gone out -- it could have been snuffed out by the darkness of disbelief and doubt - and that would have been the end of it. But Mary believed the angel, and Mary shaped her life around the angel's promise, and that Light flickered on -- "and the darkness did not overcome it."
When Jesus was born the Light flickered to life. But powerful and paranoid King Herod got wind that a future king of Israel had been born in Bethlehem, and he became filled with fear, and his fear turned to violence, and in an attempt to extinguish the Light he had all the children around Bethlehem under two years of age murdered! The Light could have been expunged by the darkness once and for all, it was a close call, but the Light flickered on as Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt until Herod and his family no longer ruled in Israel. "The darkness did not overcome it."
Countless times in Jesus' ministry the Light could have gone out forever as tidal waves of darkness rushed in and tried to douse him out.
For forty days out in the wilderness after his baptism the Light engaged the darkness of Satan's temptations. The darkness tried to lure him away from his mission with a smorgasbord of attractive temptations - but yet the Light flickered on - in fact it burned with conviction and purpose and it would not be deterred-- "and the darkness did not overcome it."
So much darkness the Light faced! So many legions the darkness sent; one assault force after another charged in to squelch the Light. All kinds of people came to Jesus, and each one bringing their own kind of darkness along with them:
the darkness of bias and prejudice;
the darkness of guilt and shame;
the darkness of hopelessness and rejection;
the darkness of failure and low self-esteem;
the darkness of lust and selfishness;
the darkness of pride and envy;
the darkness of anger and rage;
the darkness of fear and anxiety;
One at a time people brought their personal darkness to the Light - and the Light could have been smothered under the sheer weight of the assault - but yet the Light flickered on -- and the darkness could not put it out!
Finally the darkness sent its two most powerful agents -- the arch enemies of the Light -- the agents of sin and death. And they joined forces, and they cornered the Light; they surrounded the Light; they closed in on the Light; and together they drown the Light in his own blood as they nailed him to the cross. Yet even as the Light was dying, the Light momentarily blazed brightly in the face of darkness, "Father forgive them!" cried the Light. But finally, on that awful Friday afternoon, the Light went out! It was a moment when, as the Gospels tell us, "darkness came over the whole land." Finally, darkness had won the day! Its victory was complete! The Light had been snuffed out - forever!
All was lost: Love was lost. Hope was lost. Purpose was lost. Faith was lost. Life was lost, swallowed and consumed by the darkness of the tomb -- or so they thought!
But yet, just the day after next, the light flickered again, as if to say, and this part is so important-- as if to say that the darkness will have its moments, Yes, the darkness will have its moments, my friends -- for you and for me darkness will have its moments when it rules, when it closes in, when it envelopes us -- but that's all it is -- just moments! For you see, the light reignited -- the Light flickered on!
The Light flickered again for those who grieved without hope: for Mary, mother of Jesus and Mary Magdelene, and some of the others -- in the darkness of their grief the Light flickered on and gave them new hope.
For the disciples, confused, fearful, and despairing the Light flickered; the Light flickered for those disciples and it pushed back the darkness of their fear and despair, and gave them courage and clarity of new purpose.
And ever since the Light has flickered on in human hearts through the fire of the Spirit, and the darkness has not put it out!
My dear friends "The Light is shining in the darkness" tonight. It's shining for you; it's shining for me. I don't care what darkness is closing in around you right now. I don't care what it's called: grief, guilt, despair, anger, estrangement, fear, boredom, death?
Come, gather around his manger. Let his light shine in your eyes. Look deeply into his! Cradle Him in your arms Hold him in your heart. See him for who he really is.
"He is the light shining in the darkness... and he's been shining for 2000 years.
And we can be sure that as we cross over into the unknown territory of a new millennium, whatever it has in store, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome him."
He shines for you... He shines for me....
Two years ago I wrote a song, a poem really that can be sung to the tune of Lord of the Dance. The poem was inspired by the "light that shines in the darkness." I won't sing the whole song for you tonight, since it has eight verses! But I'll leave you with the refrain:
Sing it shout it to the height,
for God in all goodness does delight,
in the light that the darkness cannot overcome,
it will burn with hope 'till God's victory is won.