CHRISTMAS LIGHT

CHRISTMAS EVE
Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96, 17-19; Titus 2:11-14,Luke 2:1-20
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 24th,2013

A printable PDF file can be found here

The light that God offers us in Jesus Christ shows us the futility of committing our lives to shallow
things. In the darkness of this world we can place far to much store on financial security and personal
gratification as being the ultimate things to aim for. We are taken in by the lie of consumerism; that it is only in things that we will find true satisfaction and that if we don't have the next 'thing' then our livesare terribly incomplete. The light Jesus casts upon us can reveal to us that many of the 'things' that we seek are insignificant when viewed from an eternal perspective.

The light of Jesus not only exposes evil for what it is and uncovers shallow purposes for what they are, it also reveals the good things hidden in the shadows that we might have missed. Like fishing for your slippers in the predawn darkness of your bedroom only to find that they are right beside you,
sometimes the things we most need are right next to us, but we can't see them.

In a world that insists that we look after number one, who knew that it is actually through serving
others that the greatest fulfillment can be found? In a world that tells us to hold onto what we have,
who knew that giving could be such a blessing? In a world that insists that 'the pursuit of happiness' is
the ultimate aim, who knew that such blessings can be found when we identify ourselves with those
traveling through dark and difficult days? In a world that values wealth and power, who knew to look
for the Son of God in a manger?

The tunnel of light that God opened at Christmas changes the way we see everything around us. But
Jesus does more than cast light on our our lives. He also leads us to that greater light that is far more
glorious that anything we can ever conceive, more brilliant and awe inspiring than even the light the
shepherds saw when the angels surrounded them in the fields outside Bethlehem.

Through the light God sent at Christmas, through the child Jesus, through the living influence of God's Holy Spirit upon our lives in the here and now, we have a tunnel to a distant light. The light that shines into the world, overcoming all our darkness. The light that points us to the Father of all lights, the beginning and the end of all creation. Such light is God's gift to us on this holiest of nights.

As we contemplate that light, and as we receive these gifts of bread and wine, I pray that it will dawn
upon us that our lives can be a transforming light for others. Of course it takes commitment and
cooperation and spiritual growth and seeking after community – all the things that this bread and wine represent - but as we remember that Jesus gave His life that we may be empowered to live our lives as light for others, we can also be equipped by God's Holy Spirit for Christ's service.

And to God's name be all the glory.
 Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

(Portions of this message adapted from a sermon “Walking in the light of Christmas' by Rev. Stephens Lynch. Thanks to Stephen for sharing!)