Light of the World

Luke 2:1-20

December 24, 2007

This is one of the most wonderful times of the year—today is Christmas Eve and many of us are waiting with anticipation to see what gifts we get.  I know that some of you will rush home this evening, or wake up early in the morning to gifts which are wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper, and then decorated with bows, and tinsel, and pretty ribbons. 

There is so much of a buildup of excitement that the sad part is, there almost seems like a let down after you have unwrapped all of your gifts.  Not because you didn’t get what you wanted…but there is something magical about unwrapping those gifts in anticipation and excitement to find out what lies beneath the bow.

The other sad thing is that probably most of us, if I were to ask, couldn’t remember what they got for Christmas last year, what gifts they excitedly unwrapped.  It was exciting and fun for that one day, but then the excitement faded away and the gift was forgotten.  But I want all of us to know that there is a gift that we can unwrap everyday of our lives, because it is the gift that takes a lifetime to unwrap, and it’s the gift that outshines any other gift you will ever receive.

During the past four weeks of Advent, we have journeyed towards the stable in Bethlehem . Each week as we lit the Advent candle, we have talked about the coming of Jesus into the world, and his being our Hope, our Way, our Joy, and our Peace.  Tonight, we talk about the meaning of Christ’s arrival: Light. Jesus is the Light of God come to earth, the light which shines on a world which so desperately needs light. 

Light, both physically and spiritually, is of the highest importance to humans.  Without light, plants won’t grow, and we lose our food source; without light, photosynthesis doesn’t occur, and we would lose our air supply.  Without light, we get lost and cannot find our way.

God knows this, and so we see light referred to throughout scripture—Light was the first thing brought forth by God in creation: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.  God saw that it was good….And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”  There is also light in the Christmas story: the radiant light of the star which the wise men followed, and the light of angels surrounding the shepherds.  

Even in our homes today, many of us have lights on our tree, and candle lights in our windows. Some even have lights on the porch or on the roof!  Have you ever seen the movie, “Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase ?  He had a lot of lights!

But whether we realize it or not, these lights are all pointing back to the same reality—the light of Jesus has come into the world.

In John 8:12 Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness."

Have you ever walked down a country road without a lantern or flashlight? I have, and I will tell you something, it can get very dark. In fact, it can get so dark you literally cannot see the path in front of you. There are no street lights out in the country. And unless there is a full moon, you will not be able to see anything.

Jesus is the light in this dark world. His light helps us to see where we are going so we don’t get lost; he shows us how to love God, and how to love one another.  The problem is that sometimes we miss him because of all of the artificial lights that we’ve grown to depend on.

Someone said that when Thomas Edison finally achieved his great breakthrough with the light bulb, his spouse was then heard to say virtually every night, “Tom, for goodness sake, turn off the light and come to bed!”

Well, perhaps not, but the point is that we need to remember why Jesus came into the world on Christmas Day.  That is, to remember that he was born as a little baby in a manger, but grew up to teach us the way to heaven, and then was crucified on a cross for our sins.  When we can remember why Jesus came, then we will be like the shepherds who went about telling everyone of the good news, and sharing the truth of God’s love with everyone.

There is a man who told a story about Santa Claus which might help us to remember this.
He says, I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out.

"What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know.

He then answered me with a simple statement. "TEACH THE CHILDREN!" I was puzzled; what did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.

As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children! Teach them the true meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days has been forgotten."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. "Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man’s thoughts turning toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."

He then pulled from his bag and ornament of HIMSELF. "Teach the children that I, Santa Claus symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."

He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF. "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly represents the blood shed by Him."

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds’ crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother’s keeper."

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior’s birth. The angels sang ’Glory to God in the highest on earth peace and good will toward men."

Santa looked back and was pleased.  Then he looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship Him, Jesus Christ our Lord, our God." (author unknown)

Remembering the true meaning of Christmas, of the Light of God which came to earth so that we could be a light to one another, is the whole point of this annual celebration which we call Christmas.  Even Santa knows it.

Jesus, the baby in the manger, is the gift of light and life from God, a gift which we can spend a lifetime unwrapping. Jesus came to earth so that we could see the need to be the light to each other, just like the little boy was to his neighbor.  And the best part is, Jesus wants to get to know you better.  If you’re new to church or haven’t been to church in a while, I invite you to come back to learn more.

In a few moments, the ushers will pass out candles and we will dim the sanctuary lights, light our candles, and sing “Silent Night.” 

When we do, I want you to look around you and see how dark this sanctuary becomes.

I want you to see how the light from just one small candle will pierce the darkness.  Your light can make a difference, not only the light of your candle in this sanctuary, but your light from Jesus Christ can make a difference in this world.