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The Light Shines in the Darkness
Manage episode 457707685 series 3083900
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Scripture Passage
Worship Video
Sermon Script
HOW EACH GOSPEL SAW THE BIRTH OF JESUS
Merry Christmas!
On Christmas we celebrate birth of Jesus. We celebrate because it has meaning.
How did the gospel writers in the Bible view the birth of Jesus?
Mark: taken for granted, focused on life of adult Jesus
Matthew and Luke: narratives of physical birth of Jesus
HOW JOHN SAW THE BIRTH OF JESUS: THE SPIRITUAL MEANING
John: wasn’t focused on physical birth of Jesus, but the spiritual meaning of it
Spiritual meaning for John: the light has come into the world
Most similar to what prophet Isaiah saw:
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)
For John, Christmas is about the light coming into the world.
Before light, there was darkness.
DARKNESS: LOST
When all is dark, we can't see. We can't see what's around us, where we're going. We’re moving, but we don't see where. We have to be careful because we can bump into things. We feel afraid and frustrated.
LIGHT: CAN SEE THE WAY
In the light, we can see what's around us. We can see where we're going. We navigate around obstacles.
Jesus is the light that has come into this world.
WORLD: DARKNESS TRIES TO OVERCOME LIGHT
John's view of the world: the darkness tries to overcome light. It tries to make people lost again. It makes people confused. We don't know where we're going.
DARKNESS IN 2024
If I were to describe this year in one word, I would use the word lost. People can't see clearly what's going on. People can't see the way. The future is unclear. Even information is not clear. We are lost.
THE MEANING AND POWER OF CHRISTMAS
It's in this context that Christmas has real meaning for us.
John's crucial insight was this: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
This is the real meaning and power of Christmas. Jesus came as light. The world did everything to overcome the light but it could not. It tried to overcome love with hate, healing with sickness, life with death. But not even death could overcome the life.
The light that cannot be extinguished has come into the world.
HOPE AND JOY
Because of that, we have HOPE. No matter how lost you are, there is a way. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Hope is not hope when everything is going well. Hope is most real in the midst of darkness. Hope leads to joy.
Joy because we know that: after sadness comes laughter, after the night comes the day, after darkness comes light.
That's why Christmas is filled with joy, because we have hope in the midst of our present darkness. What a gift to receive from God! The gift of hope, and the gift of joy! The delight that children feel when they open presents represents the joy we have because the light has come into the world.
The birth of Jesus represents light that cannot be overcome. Let the light of Jesus shine brightly in you. Let that light be the light for your families, be the light for those who are lost, and let it be the light for those who have lost hope.
I pray that this Christmas you may be filled with the light of Jesus. May it fill your hearts with hope and joy. Merry Christmas!
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