Preparing for Christmas part 2

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:5-7).

Immediately after setting up the Christmas tree, most people string the lights. It may surprise you to know that the custom of arranging lights on the tree comes from a time before electricity was discovered. There is a tradition that the first Christmas tree lights were actually put up by Martin Luther.

As Luther was walking home one winter evening, his mind was occupied with thoughts about Jesus. Looking up at the night sky, he was taken with the twinkling stars. The scene was so beautiful and moving that he wanted to reproduce it in his home. When he got to the house, Luther set up a tree in the main room, then used wire to fasten candles to the branches. When he lit the candles, he explained that they were to be a reminder that Christ is the light of the world.

Christmas tree lights are more than just holiday decorations. They are a symbol of the Savior! We love to sit and gaze at the glowing lights on the tree, don’t we? But today we move beyond a simple string of lights and the warm feelings they stir in our hearts. Today we consider the topic: "Our Dark Night, God’s Bright Light."

Darkness and light—they are daily facts of our existence. You can consult any encyclopedia for an explanation of the physics involved; we, however, want to understand what light and darkness mean for us spiritually. For those answers, we turn to the Bible. Think back to the first verses of Genesis. What was the universe like in the beginning? We are told that the earth was formless and empty, and everything was shrouded in darkness. The first thing God did was to fill the universe with light; it was only later that He gave our world form and filled it with life.

In the account of creation, darkness and light are powerfully contrasted. Darkness is associated with the time when things were undefined and lifeless. Light is God’s creation that confronts the darkness and paves the way for life and purpose. As we now live in a world corrupted by sin, this contrast takes on further spiritual significance. Darkness has come to represent sin and death, while light represents truth and life.

Prompted by the Holy Spirit, the prophet Jeremiah illustrates this in an eye-opening way. The people of God had become faithless and deserving of punishment. On account of their rebellion against His Laws, God was going to exile them in Babylon. That exile is a picture of eternal punishment. Their sin and exile are described using terms that point back to Genesis. Jeremiah writes (in chapter four), I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. As you can see, God’s punishment takes us back to a time when things were formless and empty; as a result of sin, light is taken away and creation falls apart.

We love ourselves, and the goodies of creation, more than we love God; we deserve to have everything taken away, to be left in the darkness with only ourselves for company. It is foolish in the extreme to love creation and put ourselves on a pedestal, while forgetting about the One who made it all and gave it to us as an expression of His great love. Instead of viewing things correctly, mankind has become skilled at doing everything wrong. No one knows how to please God, and so we ought to have everything crumble and disappear. We all deserve to be left alone in utter darkness.

Each of us has had this experience, I’m sure. You woke up in the middle of the night. Everything was quiet. Your eyes strained to see anything in the darkness. Maybe you wanted a drink or needed to go to the bathroom, but you couldn’t make yourself get out of bed. You couldn’t make a sound. Your nightclothes were sticky with sweat. The darkness was so intense, so smothering, that it pinned you to the bed and would not let you move.

This is only a picture of what we deserve for putting God in second place behind us and all the things that we want to do. It gives us a glimpse of the terrible reality that is hell. During the time of the exodus, the Egyptians got a taste of such hellish darkness. It is written that Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. The darkness was paralyzing. Such darkness is what all of humanity deserves, not for just three days but forever. All of us should be afraid of the dark and looking to Christ to spare us from Our Dark Night.

Many youngsters—and maybe some adults—would agree that the night-light was a great invention. That small light reveals that there is something out there in the darkness. It gives just enough illumination to reassure you that a monster isn’t standing there waiting to pounce; it gives you the security of knowing that someone, somewhere, is awake and sending electricity to your home. You have no reason to hide under the covers in fear. Jesus says, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). These are beautiful words of comfort.

A light shines through the darkness of sin and death; that light is the light of forgiveness and life. That light is the light of truth—of who Christ is, what He did for us years ago, and what He continues to do for us today. That light still confronts the darkness; it gives shape to our formless lives and fills the empty void inside us. And even though the stars will fall from the sky and the earth will be consumed with fire on the last day, the light of Christ is the promise of a new creation that will last forever. If you have any doubt or worry about light overcoming darkness, look to the cross of Christ. For three long hours, He suffered the darkness of hell, darkness so intense that even the sun stopped shining. On that cross, Jesus experienced our hopelessness, yet He never lost hope. When He declared His work finished, Jesus looked up to heaven with complete confidence and said, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46). With that, Jesus died and the light returned—He had conquered the power of darkness forever. Our sins are forgiven and we have the light of life. The monsters of sin, death and hell have been chased away forever, banished by the light that Christ shares with those who believe in Him. Paul writes, God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Jesus is Our Bright Light. He provides a miraculous escape from darkness and dazzles our eyes with a glorious vision of heaven. During the years of travel in the desert, God told Aaron to bless the people with these words: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In John’s revelation of heaven, these words of promise are fulfilled: There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light (Revelation 22:5). Every day that passes, we draw closer to this glorious, unending light. This is our comfort in the face of darkness and the approach of the end of time.

But as we wait for Christ’s return, we need to remember our purpose. The light of Christ has begun to change us already. Because of this, we are considered vessels of light. In the gospel of Matthew chapter five Jesus reminds us, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. What an amazing thought, that God has made us instruments of light to shine in the darkness of other peoples’ lives! Knowing how terrible the darkness is that we’ve been rescued from, we should be seizing every opportunity to talk about Our Dark Night and God’s Bright Light.

Luther gazing at a starry sky, then hurrying home to fasten candles to a tree. We can understand why the light affected him as it did. It really is incredible to think of what God has done for us through His one and only Son. As you wrap strings of light around the Christmas tree this year and enjoy the sparkles of brightness filling the room, remember that they symbolize the Savior who has rescued us from everlasting darkness. The best gift you can share this Christmas season is the same gift God has given you—God’s Bright Light.