1.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly
Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen. The message from Gods’ Word
this Christmas Eve is taken from Isaiah 9:2-7 and is entitled, “The Brightest Light,” dear brothers and
sisters in Christ.
2.
The Christmas trees are up and decorated and the lights
are lit around the tree. Presents are wrapped and delicious food prepared. All
is ready for family and friends to gather on this holy night to celebrate the
greatest gift of all, Jesus, the Christ Child. As your company enters the
gathering area where your Christmas tree stands, isn’t it interesting how they
scan all the decorations, but then their eyes come to fix on that brightest
light at the top of the tree? They may even comment about that star or angel,
because the light that shines on it catches their attention as its beams of
light shine through the darkness.
3.
Tonight, the prophet Isaiah speaks to us about deep
darkness but then an even brighter light. We who live in a sinful world he
directs, with encouraging words of our God, to that light that shines the
brightest. That’s what this night is all about.
On this holy night shines the brightest
light, a light that God sends into each and every corner of this world,
shining into its darkness so that all may see.
4.
Whatever Isaiah had to say about darkness, I doubt it
was much on the minds of the shepherds that night outside Bethlehem. I suspect
the only darkness they were thinking about was another long night out in the
fields, tending their sheep. Squinting into what little light the night sky
could provide, hoping no wolves or thieves were nearby. Just another long night in the dark.
5.
If the first Christmas took place in winter, it meant
they were in for an especially long one. As winter sets in, don’t we grow tired
of the darkness? As each day passes, it becomes more difficult to get much of
anything accomplished. For many people, dreariness and despair tend to
overshadow what daylight there is, causing depression and anxiety. God didn’t
create the world to be dark and dreary, of course. Rather, he spoke and his
Word, which is powerful, accomplished his purpose so that “there was light. And God saw that the light was good” (Gen 1:3–4).
6.
But dark and dreary set in when spiritual darkness came
upon God’s world. That’s the darkness Isaiah is talking about: “The people . . . walked in darkness,” he
says. They “dwelt in a land of deep
darkness” (v 2). That’s the spiritual darkness of sin. Since the fall, all
people walk in spiritual darkness, a darkness that tries to hide sins of pride,
greed, idolatry, deception, adultery, betrayal, and the list goes on.
7.
Having eyesight that adjusts to the darkness of night is
quite normal for us and often takes place without our noticing. It enables us
to see in at least semi-darkness, but unable to see everything clearly. Our
eyes also adjust to see in the spiritual darkness of our lives, but we don’t
see clearly the reality of our sins. Much the same with the Israelites during
Isaiah’s time. Instead of worshiping and honoring the Lord who had brought
their forefathers out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land, they
turned their hearts and lives away from him and began worshiping the false gods
of the Canaanites. What once would have looked very dark to them—terrible
wickedness—had begun to look quite appealing. Israel’s eyes had become adjusted
to looking into the dark. They made for themselves idols, worshiped Baal,
enslaved themselves to do all sorts of evil practices, and even sacrificed
their children. In punishing them, the Lord allowed the Assyrians to invade,
killing many of the inhabitants and relocating others into areas where they’d
become easy prey to any invader. It was truly a time of spiritual darkness, a time of life in the shadow of death, a time
of hopelessness and despair.
8.
All this had happened countless times before. In v 4,
Isaiah recalls “the days of Midian.” Way
back in the Book of Judges, we’re told how, centuries before Isaiah, the Israelites
“did what was evil in the sight of the
Lord” (Judg 6:1), and for 7 years he allowed the Midianites to overpower
them, causing them to flee. Under such oppression, the Israelites cried out to
the Lord for mercy. Hearing their prayers, the Lord sent a prophet to them with
this message, “Thus says the Lord, the
God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of
slavery. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand
of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their
land. And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods
of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice”
(Judg 6:8–10). God’s people were walking in deep darkness.
9.
We, too, live in times of darkness, with poverty,
injustice, terrorism, and the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Darkness
that leads and leaves so many people wandering in spiritual despair, trying to
come before God, determined to follow and yet so distracted by the darkness of
the world.
10.
Could the darkness overshadowing your life be
loneliness, as you spend your first Christmas without your spouse who was
called to heavenly rest, and everything you do without him or her is just
another piercing heartache? Could it be the darkness of guilt as you think
about the parent, child, or sibling you hurt with your words and who now won’t
forgive you? Could it be the darkness of stress from the financial pressure
you’re under? Could it be the darkness of fear from the cancer or other disease
consuming your life? Maybe the shepherds
weren’t just thinking about the darkness of a long night. Maybe, lying out
under the night sky they worried about some of these very same things.
11.
Isaiah knew there had been flickers of light through
those centuries of darkness. God could’ve turned His back on Israel in those
days of the judges, in the day of Midian, but He didn’t. Though Israel had
disobeyed, the Lord was merciful and sent a man named Gideon to conquer the
massive army of Midian with just 300 men. The Lord showed not only mercy to
forgive Israel’s sins, but also His power to set them free. In the midst of
Israel’s dark, depressed times, God showed compassion in forgiveness and
freedom.
12.
But Isaiah knew that those flickers were only
that—flickers, hints of the great light to come, the brightest light, the light
that would draw our eyes: “The people who
walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep
darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have
increased its joy; they rejoice before you” (vv 2–3a).
13.
Suddenly, darkness was the last thing on the shepherds’
minds. For a moment, they were sore afraid at the brilliant light. Then they
learned why the angel was shining so brightly tonight: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is
Christ the Lord.”
14.
In His mercy, the Lord kept His promise to send the
Light into this sin-darkened world. “For
to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (v 6), sent by the Father to
be “the light of men” (Jn 1:4). This
child, whose birth we celebrate again, is Jesus, the one who’s come to save
God’s people from their sins. Jesus has brought light into this dark world.
Light that shines into the darkness of our lives, our loneliness, our guilt,
our fears, and our stress. Jesus, the “light
of the world,” has come into every darkened corner of our hearts to cleanse
us from all sin and unrighteousness, promising us that “whoever follows [him] will not walk in darkness, but will have the
light of life” (Jn 8:12). The light of the world has dawned, banishing the
darkness through His Gospel message of forgiveness and life. Shining at His
birth in the manger, where He enters this world as one of us. Shining at His
cross, where He gives His life for ours. Shining at His empty tomb, where He
lives and claims victory over death and the grave. Shining on the mountain,
where He ascends back to heaven to prepare a place for you.
15.
Whatever the darkness is in your life, remember, even in
the midst of Israel’s darkness God didn’t abandon His people and he won’t abandon
you. There’s hope, for a great light has appeared to all people walking in
darkness. God has acted and sent the Messiah into this world, piercing its
darkness and shining for all to be rescued from sin and death.
16.
Through Jesus, the light, the promise of true and
lasting peace is brought into the world. He brings true peace to end the war
and separation between all men and God. In the daily struggle with our sinful
flesh and temptations of Satan, he has declared peace. He has brought peace
into each and every battle of loneliness, guilt, stress, and fear that you
face. Peace reigns forever, because Jesus has satisfied the wrath and judgment
of God through His birth in the manger and His death on the cross. His peace is
yours, for He has redeemed you from the darkness of sin and death, bringing you
into His light. Yes, the light has come, and that light never ceases to shine
with the love of God, loving you through all of life’s situations. Jesus has
come to lighten your path and to carry your burdens, bringing you true and
lasting peace.
17.
The lights on top of Christmas trees are sometimes used
to light up a star, like the one that shined brightly over the place where
Jesus was laid in a manger. Other times a light is held by an angel,
representing the glory of the Lord shining in the Bethlehem sky over the
shepherds as the angels sang their beautiful chorus of “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom
he is pleased” (Lk 2:14). But that light always represents the true light
of the world, Jesus, for He’s the one sent by His heavenly Father to change the
darkened lives and hearts of all men. Jesus, the true and the brightest light,
pierces through the thickest darkness of sin, bringing the glorious light of
God’s grace in forgiveness, life, and peace. Amen
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