Christmas Eve 2020

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Well, Merry Christmas.

Thanks so much for joining us today.

I so wish we could gather in person.

And yet I'm incredibly grateful that we get to share this special moment.

And so thankful for our team that's put all the work into the service and to those experienced kids to create a very special Christmas Eve service for us together.

And in fact, we had something fun earlier today.

My family and I were part of the team that were driving these experienced kids.

And we didn't just want to drive them around.

We actually got dressed up and uh my kids were good sports.

And so we wanted to do our little elving.

We blasted Christmas music, got hot cocoa, and we had a blast.

And I hope you really enjoy those Christmas uh experience kits.

And so if you got yours, would you go ahead and just get the candle ready uh for our at the end of the message?

And maybe uh in the hustle and bustle you weren't able to register, or maybe you're brand new, and that's great.

Just grab a candle in your house and uh get it ready, as it'll be a significant part at the end of our sermon today.

Well, this year, I believe more than ever, we need uh, you know, Christmas to be more than just a nice idea, more than just the trinkets and the lights and the glitter.

What we need is we need the reality and the power of what Christmas really is.

You see, at the center of Christmas is a fundamental reality that the prophet Isaiah expressed when he foretold about Emmanuel God with us.

He wrote this.

Check this out.

It says, the people walking in darkness have seen a great light.

On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.

We need light this Christmas, don't we?

It's been a dark year.

And, you know, as our world has just ground to a halt again, and Christmas parties have canceled, and maybe your holiday plans have been changed, and you know, the most wonderful time of the year for many has just become a weary reminder of a really hard and dark year.

And the question that we're wrestling with, the question on our hearts and our minds is simply this question.

Is there any light at the end of this tunnel?

Is there any light?

I mean, we're just hoping.

Is there any light at the end of this long dark year that we've been going through together?

You know, when I was a kid, I was afraid of the dark.

I mean, I was like really afraid of the dark.

Um, you know, my parents would put me to bed and they'd turn off the light, and as soon as they left, I'd go flip the light back on.

Uh, I had a wild imagination, and so it just went uh everywhere when the lights were off.

And my mom to help me, she got a tape recorder.

Yes, that's what we used to listen uh to music in the 80s and 90s.

Uh was a little cassette tape, and and she'd put it by my bed and play worship music or or play different stories.

Uh, there was this thing back in the day, maybe some of you know it.

It was uh this worship kids' ministry called Salty the Singing Songbook.

Uh, and it was this big blue songbook, and he told stories and sang songs.

And I remember uh my mom got one particular tape from this, you know, collection of um uh songbooks that they did is called Farley uh McFirefly, Fear Fighting Farley McFirefly.

And it was the story of this Firefly that had a broken wing.

And so he couldn't fly, but he could glow and through song and through story told the truth of God's word of why we didn't need to be afraid of the dark.

Well, I gotta tell you, I just I wore that tape out.

It was by the side of my bed, and so many nights as a kid I just played that and fell asleep, the fear of fighting Farley McFirefly.

You know, I it isn't just kids, though, that are afraid of the dark, is it?

You know, as we grow up, our imagination may not go as wild as it once did, but there's still something about the dark, about the unknown, even as we get older.

You know, why is it?

Why are we afraid of the dark?

You know, in the Bible, darkness represents actually evil and the brokenness in our world.

It represents the pain and the suffering, the injustice and the evil that we see in our world.

And I think one of the reasons why we're afraid of the dark is when things are dark.

Everything's unknown and uncertain around us.

You see, light guides us, light directs us, light reveals what's real and what's true.

Light shows us the obstacles in our path.

And when it's dark, we can't see, and we're just stumbling and fumbling, and just trying to somehow navigate, hoping we're headed in the right direction.

And maybe for some this year you felt lost, wandering, stumbling, fumbling, searching for some light just to guide you.

You know, we're afraid of the dark, I think, because nothing good grows in the dark.

Uh, you know, light brings life.

Without the sun, nothing will grow.

And in fact, we're just headed, or actually, we just passed the darkest part of the year when the days are shortest.

And and you know this, and we see this, that when the the light fades and there's more darkness and gloom, just people experience increased levels of depression and and despair.

And because light, light brings life.

And you know, this spiritually is true for so many of us when things are dark.

Maybe perhaps you're wrestling with your meaning or your purpose.

Maybe there's been this hiding or living in shame and wrestling with your identity.

And see, we're searching.

We're searching for that light at the end of the tunnel that will bring direction and bring life.

And, you know, we're afraid of the dark because when it's dark, it's empty and void.

There's not beauty.

You notice that light brings not only life, but it's beautiful.

It brings beauty.

I mean, the sunrise and the sunset, and and as the sun casts its golden beams, and they just dance in the sky, and and you just take it in, and and not only is it beautiful, but whatever it touches, it brings beauty.

Or maybe you've been out uh away from the city to look at the night sky and you see the heavenly host and you see the stars and the beauty all around.

And I think this year, perhaps there's some inside where there is this sense of emptiness and void, of searching for something to light your way.

You see, I think as adults, and just for us, we're afraid of the dark because without light, there isn't direction, there isn't life, there isn't beauty, there isn't a solution to the evil and the brokenness in our world.

And the Christmas message is this the people walking in darkness have seen a great light.

On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.

A light has dawned, meaning a light that is from outside of our world that brings light.

And the problem is, the problem for us is we're often searching for a light from inside of us or inside of our world to bring life and direction and hope.

You know, we often think that the darkness can be solved with just more education or technology, don't we?

If we just had more education than the evil and the injustice, we could solve that.

Or if we had more technology, then we no longer have the suffering that we see.

And the problem is, the problem is we have more education, we have more technology, and we just have more darkness, don't we?

And question for you What are you looking to light your way?

What are the things that you're searching to hope that will bring life in the middle of darkness, to bring direction and hope and beauty?

You know, for some, I think the light at the end of the tunnel is this vaccine.

It's like when we get that vaccine, then life will finally be right and work outright, or a political candidate.

When I we get this right person in office, or maybe the economy being fixed.

Or think more personally, it's it's been a lonely year, and if I could just find the right person, if I could just get married, or maybe you are married and life's been hard, and you're like, maybe if I could just find a new person or get out of this marriage, or or work and going, if I could just get the right job, I'm out of work and and light and life would be better if I had this job, or or maybe you're in a job, but it's not the job of your dreams.

If I could just get a new job or a new boss.

And we have these things that we're looking to light our way, whether it's your success or relationships or family or career.

And the problem is we're constantly looking inside of ourselves or inside of our world to light our way, and nothing, no person and no thing will bring the ultimate hope and direction and life and beauty that will satisfy our soul.

And what you're looking for, what I looked for, whether we realize it or not, is what we've been looking for is Jesus.

You know, the gospel writer John, in the opening lines, as he's describing Jesus, helping us understand this one that came who is the Son of God, he says this about Jesus.

He says, in him, that's Jesus, was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

That Jesus is life itself, the author of life, life, and in him is the light of all mankind.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Like, like we know this about light.

The minute you light a candle, darkness flees.

The minute you flip the switch, darkness goes.

And and what he's saying is the light, Jesus, the minute he enters the scene, darkness and suffering and evil flees.

In fact, Jesus even said this about himself.

He said, I am the light of the world.

Not a light.

Not one of many lights.

Not a nice light that you should try.

I'm the light.

I'm the light that guides and directs.

I'm the light that brings life and purpose and meaning and beauty.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

You see, the message of Christmas is simple.

It's just that Jesus is the light of the world.

The message is that the Son of God came into this world, lived a perfect life, died on the cross to defeat the sin and pain and suffering in our world, was buried and rose again, defeating the darkness of death itself.

He's the light of the world, the only true light that guides us.

See, what's so good about Christmas is we're it reminds us that we're not waiting on light at the end of a tunnel.

The light of the world has arrived and is here for you and me.

And so, and so, how can we experience this light?

How can this light be yours right now?

Well, the prophet Isaiah goes on to explain exactly how we can experience this light.

And he says, just a few verses later, after he says, a light has gone, he writes this.

He says, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

Well, how can we experience this light and this light being ours?

First, uh, you notice that the light of the world is born.

See, a child was born.

It is Emmanuel, God, with us.

It's not you figuring out how you can work your way to God, how can you somehow fix up your life, do better, earn uh, you know, your way to God.

It is God moving towards you, God who said, I'm coming for you.

I have moved into your world, into your experience, into your reality.

I have come after you.

You don't have to come after me.

I've already pursued you.

I love how um Tim Keller puts it in unpacking the reality that Emmanuel got with us in our experience.

Uh, in his book, uh Hidden Christmas, he writes, if God has really been born in a manger, then we have something that no other religion even claims to have.

Now think about this: it's a God who truly understands you from the inside of your experience.

Like the light of the world, Jesus, he understands you.

He's experienced and stepped into the darkness and the pain.

He he stepped in and experienced being born into a poor, marginalized family.

He he's experienced the tiffs and the tensions that that families have.

He's experienced heartache and loss and brokenness and and and he's experienced rejection and pain and suffering and humiliation, and he's experienced death his itself.

See, you have a wonderful savior who understands exactly what you're going through.

And how can this light be yours first?

He's already come for you.

And the second thing you see is that he it is a gift towards us.

A son is given, it's a gift.

God has given us this gift, it's not something that you can do or or earn or somehow, you know, do better.

God says, I am giving you the light of the world.

Uh, in fact, this is why at Christmas time we give gifts.

I don't know if you know this.

This is the foundation of why we sit around and give gifts.

And many of you, you know, at some point, whether today, depending on, you know, how you grew up or on Christmas Day, you sit around and you give gifts.

And if you're doing that, and maybe if you have kids, remind them.

The reason we're handing out gifts to one another is to remind us that God gave the greatest gift of all, His Son Jesus, for us.

And see, a gift.

The only thing you can do with a gift is receive it.

It can be beautifully packaged, it can be sitting there, but you don't get to experience the wonder and the reality and the gift itself until you take it and receive it.

So you can know about the gift and you can see it, and you can look at it and go, okay, that's wonderful, that's fantastic.

And it will just sit there nicely wrapped.

But the minute you take it into your hands and you begin to unwrap it, you couldn't do anything to earn it, it was given freely to you, then you get to experience the reality of this.

John, the gospel writer, goes on to say this about receiving the gift.

He says, the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, notice this the world did not recognize him.

Why?

Because we're looking to so many other things to bring light and life into our life.

So many other things to satisfy, to bring direction and hope instead of the light of the world.

He goes on.

He says, Yet to all who did what?

Help me out, receive him.

To those who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

To all who receive him.

Well, how do I receive him?

It's very simple.

He said, To those who believe on his name, that means to put the weight and trust of your life in Jesus.

To say, you are the light.

I've been looking for so many things to give direction and to guide and to show me the way.

Jesus, I'm going to now look to you.

I've been looking to so many things to actually bring life.

And it might be your job, it might be your, you know, a relationship, it might be experiences.

And Jesus, only you have life.

I've been looking to so many things to bring beauty and meaning.

And you begin to go, only you have that.

In fact, scripture tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, that you're God, that you're the King, and then if we believe in our heart that God raised him up from the grave.

Meaning, meaning that we don't worship just a baby in a manger, and this is one particular moment that is a special God with us experience.

But that baby, like I said earlier, grew up, lived a perfect life, died for you and me, to defeat the darkness itself, and rose again and is living and sits at the right hand of the throne of God.

And when you say, Okay, I believe in you, I trust you, he says, the light of the world comes to reside in you.

And for many, even as I'm talking, there's been something stirring in your heart because this year's been a dark year and you're just wrestling, and and all you have to do is say, Jesus, I need you.

Would you be the light in my life?

I believe you're the light of the world.

Would you come into my life and make me new?

I believe who you are, who you said you are, and I'm gonna follow you from this day forward.

It's simple.

It's a gift, and he's come for you.

And that's the invitation for us to personally, not just out there, but to personally experience the light.

You know the question is there any light at the end of this tunnel?

The Christmas message is that Jesus is the light of the world.

And he's actually the light in the tunnel with you through this season, walking with you to guide you and direct you and bring meaning and purpose in an incredibly difficult season.

In the Christmas season.

I love Christmas.

The Christmas season just gets to act like this little tape recorder by my bed.

Just to remind us.

Put on repeat.

Put on repeat the reminder of Jesus, you've come for us.

You love us.

You indeed are the light of the world.

Come for me.

There's no need to be afraid.

No darkness that can overcome you.

Jesus, you are the light and life for all who receive you.

And so as we close, would you take your candle?

And go ahead and just light it.

And we're gonna spend a moment and sing silent night together.

And remind our hearts wherever you're coming from, maybe this moment was the first time you began to turn towards Jesus and say, You are the light of the world, or maybe you've been a follower of Jesus for a long time and you just needed to be reminded and you needed the tape recorder next to your bed.

And that we would sing this, recognizing the reality God's come for you.

God loves you, He is the only true light of the world.

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

The light of the world's with you in the tunnel.