Perhaps never has the world been more aware of its need for God than in the year 2001.
Perhaps never have people been more aware of the abuse of God’s name for ungodly purposes than in the year 2001. It may not have been the worst year that humanity has ever seen – there was no Holocaust or Bubonic Plague – but it was certainly a dark chapter in our life on earth.
In all the commentary that has been given on the struggles of 2001, I have not heard anyone suggest what I think is one of the most significant reasons that the events of the past year have been difficult for us.
(Hopes were high)
We had just entered into a new decade, a new millennium, and hopes were high that a new day – even a new era – was dawning. We were leaving behind a century that had been scarred with not one but two World Wars, a Holocaust where millions upon millions died, and many other wars and conflicts throughout the world. Someone had suggested that the Devil had asked for a century all his own, and the 1900s had been it.
We had high hopes for this new day, that it would bring in a change in humanity. It did not take long to learn that the new century had picked up not far from where we had left off. I will not run a list of all the sad events of the past year. There is no need to remind us of them all.
But as I thought about this past year in light of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ, I thought of the verse from John:
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
I tried to think of that first night that Christ spent on earth. I tried to forget all the images of the manger that I have seen on lawn displays and on television, where all the animals have gathered around the Christ child. I tried to forget everyone lined up in nice neat rows and properly illuminated by the angel hovering above the top of the stable. Instead, I pictured a darkened stable, some animals sleeping, some wandering around. I imagined Mary and Joseph struggling to make some comfortable space. I tried to imagine the sounds and the smells. Perhaps they could hear sounds of people staying at the Inn, the sounds of laughter. Perhaps the night was quiet.
(That night was dark...)
But remember the night was dark. They were alone, a far way from home. King Herod was reigning over the land, and would be seeking to kill Jesus almost as soon as He was born. They had traveled by foot for many miles – to register to be taxed. Think about how much you enjoy taxes, and then consider walking 90 miles either while pregnant or with your 9 month pregnant wife in order to register to be taxed.
The night was dark. Most everyone around them did not even know that Mary and Joseph were there. Friends and loved ones were far away. The night was dark. And then, breaking forth into that night came Jesus, the Son of God, the light of the world.
What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
Jesus the Christ, the Word of God, very God of very God. Into a dark night, and into a dark world, Jesus broke through. The light of the world began His earthly journey as an infant, as small as one candle burning in the window on a dark winter night.
But there’s an interesting thing about a candle – even a single candle burning in a window on a dark night – it is the candle that you notice. It is the candle that draws your attention. It is the candle that pierces the darkness, to cast its glow. If you were here for our candlelight service on Christmas eve, you saw for yourself how powerful light can be.
Wherever there is light, darkness is overcome. The light will shine.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Notice the difference in the verbs. The light “shines”– present tense. The light shines – it was shining in the beginning, before there was time, and the light shines now.
And the darkness did not overcome it.
“Did not overcome it” – past tense. When the light of the world came into the world, the darkness tried to overcome it.
(This is not the first time the darkness has challenged the light)
The darkness tried to use King Herod to overcome the light, as Herod plotted to kill Jesus.
The darkness tried to overcome the light when Jesus was sent out into the wilderness and was tempted.
The darkness tried to make others ignore the light, to doubt Jesus, to work against Him, to scorn Him, to cast doubt and suspicion upon him.
The darkness took hold of some people. They plotted to turn Jesus over, to have Him killed.
For a brief moment in time, it looked as though the darkness had overcome the light as Jesus hung on the cross.
An interesting thing has happened in the past few months. The word “evil” has re–entered into the language that we hear in public communication. We’ve heard it from our president frequently. When was the last time that a president even used the word, and so frequently?
I suppose “evil” is easier for people to accept than “sinful” although I believe that we could probably substitute one word for the other in most of our recent conversation.
We could also substitute the word “darkness.”
We have had days when the darkness seemed to be overwhelming – but the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
We are facing darkness as a country. We are walking a delicate line of working against darkness without becoming agents of darkness ourselves.
(We can, and must, go on, with the courage of our faith...)
The light still shines. The people of the world need to know that. They need to know that the light shines, and the darkness cannot overcome it. The darkness tried to overcome it. The darkness still tries to overcome the light, but we know, we believe, that the light shines. It was shining before the beginning, and it will be shining after the end.
There are times when the light may seem dim or even hidden from view, but just like we know that the sun still burns brightly even when we cannot see it due to clouds or nightfall, so we must know that the light of God shines at all times, even when we cannot see it. The people of the world did not take much notice of that night when Jesus came into the world by his mother Mary. To them the world may have seemed as dark as ever. But the light was there. It was small, maybe even as small as a candle in the window, but it was there.
2001 was a year filled with too much darkness, but it was also a tribute to the light. As people throughout the world came together to show support and work together, the light which had seemed dim became more evident to us. We saw the light more clearly with the return of another word to our vocabulary: hero. We may have seen the worst humanity has to offer, but we have also seen the best – the lengths that people will go to help one another in times of crisis.
We have heard God’s name invoked more in the past months than we have in a long time. We have been more aware of its need for God than in the year 2001. And we have been more aware of the abuse of God’s name for ungodly purposes than in the year 2001.
What we must now know and remember is that we are the bearers of God’s light. We are the visible witnesses of God’s grace and love. We must show the light of Jesus Christ in our lives. We must continue to do what we can do. We must give aid to those in need. We must give support to those who suffer. We must point the way to the God of all truth and knowledge and wisdom and love.
We must examine ourselves. We must find the dark places within us – those places where sin still tries to hold onto us. We must pray and act to have that darkness removed, that we can live lives pleasing to God and witnessing to neighbors not just with words, but with actions.
(“Is it enough?”)
It may seem like what we can do is too small. It may seem small, perhaps as small as a single candle in a winter on a dark winter night.
Remember the Christmas eve service. The advent wreath is lit, with all four side candles and the middle Christ candle.
The light is taken from the Christ candle, and spills out from one person to the next, until the entire sanctuary is nearly filled the light that began with one small candle.
Remember that image. Capture it in your mind’s eye. Hold onto it as you go out those doors and into the wider world. Remember that you are that candle, carrying the light of Jesus Christ into the world. Pray for God’s help and guidance along the way, and never forget, never forget:
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Preached on December 30, 2001
First Presbyterian Church
Gainesville, Florida
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