Christ, the Light of the World: John 1:1-18
Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, December 25, 2023
When I was a child, the Christmas Eve candlelight service always started with the church in total darkness. Then our pastor would walk down the aisle carrying a single candle, reciting the words from Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” It was a dramatic moment that truly brought home how dark the world would be without the light of Christ.
In recent years, the world has felt very dark. The war in the Middle-East, the war in Ukraine, continued conflict in Cameroon. The pandemic seems to be over, but we have been scarred by the worry and suffering it caused. Political turmoil divides our nation. Yet into this darkness come John’s bold words: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” Each year, in this world beset by troubles, we remember God’s gift: a baby born in a cattle-shed, who slept in a feeding trough;
visited by shepherds who had seen a vision of angels and worshiped by the magi, who had traveled for days, following a star: Jesus, who came to earth humbly, as a baby born to a poor young couple, to remind us of God’s overwhelming love for us and for all creation.
The world Jesus was born into was also dark – most people lived from day to day, not knowing where their next meal would come from. Life was short and difficult. The hated Roman empire ruled their once free land. Shortly after Jesus’ birth, the wicked King Herod would have all the baby boys in Bethlehem put to death in a future attempt to kill the Baby Jesus. But John dares to proclaim, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”
Although Jesus was the Light, the Son of God, he himself did not have it easy: “the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.” This prologue to John’s gospel foreshadows tragic events to come: Jesus is rejected by many, including the religious authorities of his day,
who ultimately conspire with the civil authorities to put him to death. We do not worship a God who is distant from our suffering and grief. We worship a God who became human and who knows what it is like to experience pain and even death. Writer and pastor Guy Sayles puts it this way, “Hope is not a wholeness unacquainted with brokenness; it is brokenness made whole by grace.”
We do not know why God allows evil in the world: wars, famines, pandemics, personal tragedies such as illness, loss of a job or a broken marriage. Many of us are missing loved ones who used to sit at our table this time of year. Despite all this, we can know that God is present with us, even in suffering. God’s presence gives us hope. As John writes, “To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” We are God’s children. This gives us hope indeed.
Even under the worst circumstances, if we look, we can find signs of God’s presence and God’s grace.
We are reminded of God’s love not only in the Christmas candlelight, but in the light of the sun that greets us every morning. We are reminded of God not only in the Christmas tree that points to the heavens, but in all of nature: the mountains, sunsets, and starry skies that show God’s handiwork. We are reminded of God not just in the song of the angels and gifts of the magi, but in all of God’s good gifts to us: food, shelter, the love of family and friends.
One of the messages of Christmas is that, as Mary said, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” When it seems there is no hope for the world, God is at work doing what we cannot. God is always doing a new thing, often something we least expect. Like Mary, we are called to be bearers of Christ’s redeeming light, bringers of light into a dark world. Christ is the light that shines in the thickest darkness; a light that dispels our gloom and brings life and hope. If we only believe and follow the light that Christ gives us, we will no longer walk in darkness, and we can share that light with others, too.
Laurel Mathewson, a pastor in San Diego tells how she held a Bible Study where several women shared their grief – the deaths of a son, a grandson, a husband; cancer treatment, mental illness. She writes, “Yet all of them, in their own languages and words, said this: God answered when I cried out in prayer and desperation. God loved me through other people. God loved me when I was all alone. God is the only one holding me together, the only one who can hold me. It is very hard, but God is with me. Each woman’s story was a witness to the ongoing nativity gift of the Light of Christ. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” That light has not abandoned us. The true light came into the world, and has not given up on us yet.
You might have noticed our Advent candles here. Some of you may have heard me tell this story before, but many of you haven’t, so I will tell it again. It’s about a conversation between the Advent candles, as they slowly burned. The first candle said, “I am hope. In a world full of darkness and despair, my flame grows dim.”
With those words, Hope’s flame ceased to glow. The second candle said, “I am Peace. The world is full of anger, war and fighting. Nobody can keep me lit.” Then the flame of Peace went out. The third candle said, “I am Joy. In such a sad, dark time, I can no longer exist.” Just then a breeze blew out Joy’s flame. The fourth candle spoke, “I am Love. People don’t understand my importance, so they simply put me aside. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them. I haven’t the strength to stay lit.” With that, love’s flame went out.
Suddenly a child entered the room and saw the four unlit candles. “Why aren’t you burning?” she asked. “You’re supposed to stay lit till the end.” And she began to cry. Then I noticed a tall white candle in the center. “I am the Christ candle,” it said. “I was lit that first Christmas Eve. My source is that light that has always existed and always will exist. I was present when God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and I will be there in that city that needs no light of ‘sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light.’”
The Christ candle said to the child, “Don’t cry. While I am still burning, we can re-light the other candles.” With shining eyes, the child took the flame from the Christ candle and lit the other candles, the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love. Their warm light filled the room completely.
When the candles go out, and darkness surrounds you, reach out to Jesus, take hold of Him, and the darkness around you will become light. This little baby, Emmanuel, the Son of God, comes to shatter the darkness and bring hope and new life. Stand at the manger, look into his eyes, see his love for you and give thanks. Christ’s light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Let us pray: Thank you, Lord, that you are the light. When we are walking in darkness, help us to reach out to you, so that the darkness around us will be filled with your love and your light, now and always. Amen.
©Deborah Troester 2023