January 4, 2015
Christ is the Light
- Jeremiah 31:7-14
- Rev Ruth Chadwick Moore
Usually on the 2nd Sunday after Christmas we celebrate Epiphany – when the wise men followed the star to Bethlehem and brought gifts to the Christ child. But the way the liturgical calendar works, Epiphany is not until Tuesday and heaven forbid we should celebrate something a few days early! We wouldn’t want to get ahead of ourselves would we! But let’s not forget the star image of Epiphany because we will return to it later.
Although the shortest day of the year has past and the days are incrementally getting longer, December, January and February are cold, dark, dreary months when the sun rarely shines in Central Indiana. So somehow we need to slog through the gray days of winter in Indianapolis as we look forward to the lighter days and the warmer temperatures that we know Spring will bring.
In our religious lives, January is often a down time as well. The excitement and anticipation of Christmas is over and the shepherds, mangers, and angels have all gone away. In contrast to Matthew and Luke, who play the storytellers, the writer of the gospel of John plays the theologian reminding us that during this season the boundaries of darkness are pushed back. A light shines in the darkness and the darkness is powerless to extinguish it. Common to both our scripture lessons today is the assertion that we are helpless apart from God, and that God has invaded the world and caused a new world to come into being. God invades the exile of the Israelites and replaces mourning with joy. God invades our world in the incarnation of Jesus Christ – the Word of God among us – and powerfully breaks in as God’s Light triumphs over against all darkness.
Darkness has always been a powerful metaphor for the things in life that oppress and enthrall us, frighten and intimidate us, cause us worry and anxiety and leech the joy from our lives. We know darkness in our physical lives when we are dealing with illness or constant pain or when we lack the necessities of life – food, shelter and clothing. We know darkness in our emotional lives when we are burdened with worry, depression, confusion, fear, grief, guilt, hopelessness or when we lives with violence or addiction or both. We know darkness in our social lives when relationships fail, when the blessing of solitude turns into the burden of loneliness, or when we can’t make meaningful connections with other people. We know darkness in our political lives when we can’t organize our communities and our society in way that are just and equitable to all. We know darkness in our spiritual lives when the chasm that separates us from God doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller – from either side – and when prayer seems an empty exercise. 2014 has not been a great year in the Moore household and I have dealt with many of these darknesses in my own personal life as I’m sure many of you have as well.
But John reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world. Illumination always makes a difference in darkness. Whenever Jesus shows up, light enters the atmosphere. Without a doubt light always makes a difference in darkness and changes the atmosphere. That truth then is an absolute that we can hold on to.
People who have gone spelunking – or exploring caves – talk about the utter darkness you experience when everyone’s headlamps are turned off. They say it is the most profound darkness they have ever experienced. A friend of mine who visits caves says when the lights are turned off it makes no difference whatsoever whether your eyes are open or closed; it is all the same and you literally can’t see your hand in front of your face. There is no way anyone in a completely dark cave should attempt to find their way out – it would be too dangerous. But then when just one headlamp gets turned back on it casts enough light to push back the darkness and enables the explorers to see one another as well as to see the pathway out of the cave. What a difference just one little six volt flashlight can make!
It doesn’t take much imagination to make the connection between the darkness of a cave and the darkness we know in our lives. It doesn’t take much imagination to make the connection between the light of one headlamp in a cave and the light of Christ – the Light of the world. We wait for One who enters our darkness, finds us and brings us out. In this season the boundaries of darkness are pushed back. A light shines in the darkness and the darkness is powerless to extinguish it.
Jesus came to the world to bring the spiritual gift of light. Light has a way of making things look better. We can see more detail and color. Light creates warmth and gives us a richer point of view. With this in mind, Jesus Christ came into the world as light, so those of us who have the desire to know God better can see God through Jesus Christ. We can make the choice to accept the light and adjust to the light as people who choose to accept God and adjust to life in the midst of God’s revelation to the world. In the light we can better see things as they really are and we can see truth placed before us.
As I was singing “Silent Night” on Christmas Eve and looking at the light of my candle I made a promise to God to look for the light, all the lights, in my life instead of dwelling in the darkness. I have so much to be grateful for and most of my darkness comes from self-centeredness and self-pity. I need to remember that in this season the boundaries of darkness are pushed back. A light shines in the darkness and the darkness is powerless to extinguish it. It might only be a tiny little light – like a flashlight in a completely dark cave – but for now, for this season, it is enough. A birth. A beginning. A ray of hope. But it is even more than that – it is the assurance that while we still know dark corners and fearsome shadows in our lives, God is with us. He dwells not in unapproachable light, but expresses his glory in a thoroughly approachable form – as the flesh and blood child of the Virgin Mary.
This is God’s gift of love to us this Christmas. This is the truth we can carry into the New Year. The Word became flesh and has come to live among us. He is one of us. And he is our light, and through him we become children of God. A light shines from Bethlehem’s stable. A light shines in our hearts. And the darkness is powerless to extinguish it. Thanks be to God.
Resources:
Feasting on the Word – Year B, Volume 1. Second Sunday After Christmas Day.
sermons.com, “Light in Darkness, Speech from Silence” by Mark Wm. Radecke.