Christmas Day: Praying, COME, LORD JESUS to Him Who Brings the Enlightening Word

The sublime glow of candlelight at an evening service can convey a feeling of peace. The sparkling lights of a Christmas tree can radiate joy and happiness. Shining lights this time of year symbolize an important aspect of the Christmas message—enlightenment! The good news we celebrate is that Jesus Christ brings true enlightenment—and with it peace and joy. God’s incarnate Word dispels the darkness of sin and brings the light of grace and saving truth.

This connection between word and light is brought out in John’s Christmas gospel message. He writes,

“In the beginning was the Word . . . All things were made through him . . . In him was life and the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . . [And then he writes] the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 4, 5, 14).

Jesus brought true light into this sin-darkened world. Jesus gives God’s true enlightenment as the word of God in the flesh.

Today, we gather to hear God’s word and, like Mary, ponder its enlightening impact in our hearts. The goal of this sermon is that you may learn to believe that God’s word in Jesus Christ brings into your life true enlightenment.

OUR UNENLIGHTENED WORLD

But do we really have a problem with darkness today? Not in the realm of physical light. In fact, the people of Jesus’s day would not be able to fathom the lighting technology we have. (Updated your Christmas lighting lately? There are a lot of neat options!) But the darkness described here has to do with knowledge. We have long used the term “enlightenment” to refer to knowledge and understanding.

But then again, do we really have a problem with the darkness of ignorance and a lack of understanding today? In many ways, our modern world is more enlightened than ever. There is nearly unlimited and virtually instantaneous access to information—not only in written forms but audio and video, as well. If you need to contact someone who isn’t here, what do you do? Call or text them; or, you FaceTime. You need to know something, some piece of information, what do you do? Google it. You need to learn where a place is located or what’s the best restaurant, what do you use? You search with an app. You need to find a particular Christmas recipe? You look it up on the Web. There is always Pinterest. You need to share Christmas memories? There’s Facebook. You need to figure out how to assemble the new electric scooter you got for Christmas? Go to YouTube. Someone has a video for you to watch.

So, do we need more enlightenment with today’s technology? In terms of what Jesus came to bring, the short answer is definitely, “yes!” In some ways, more than ever. Even though we are supposedly enlightened we are still very much in the dark. The basic problem of darkness in the heart and soul of humans has never been solved by technology in any period of history. The discoveries and devices that humankind has been developing through the ages, have in once sense improved the physical standard of living. But they have also given us new ways to be selfish, more efficient ways to rob and steal and hurt one another. Consider the cybercrimes we deal with today. Have you had your identity stolen? It is not pleasant! In one sense, you could say that technology has provided more capacity for destruction. Why? Because the problem is sin. It makes us ignorant of God’s true nature, of his will, and of his grace. It leads to rebellion. And the evil foe, Satan himself, is always one step ahead. Just like a computer hacker, he seems to know more about technology’s use for destruction than we do about its capacity for good.

DARKNESS REVEALED BY THE WORD

The words of our text reveal the depth of this darkness. St. John writes of Jesus, The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

It is incredible to think about it! The creation can’t recognize its own Creator. God’s chosen people cannot identify their promised Messiah. The very prophesies of God which he fulfills are not recognized by so-called enlightened, religious experts. That is the problem of darkness. You can’t see. You often don’t even know what you don’t know. And the prince of darkness takes full advantage in playing on the spiritual ignorance of mankind in order to covertly attack and destroy.

ENLIGHTENMENT IN THE WORD OF GOD

Therefore, enter the true light who has come into the world, the word of God made flesh, our Savior.

As was announced to Joseph when he was in the dark about Mary’s pregnancy, the angelic messenger said, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt. 1:20–21).

Again, as John reports “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . . To all who did receive him, [writes John] who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn 1:4, 5, 12, 13).

And, in what do the enlightened, those who are born of God, believe? They believe that in the hour of darkness, on Good Friday, Jesus, the light of the world, defeated the forces of evil when he died on Calvary’s cross for the sins of the whole world. There, when darkness fell, he died for your sins. Every one of yours and my sins were paid for by his death. When he rose in the glorious light of Easter, God revealed this enlightening truth that in Jesus Christ God has brought to us the light of eternal life. That is the enlightenment of the word made flesh that we rejoice in today!

THE WORD ENLIGHTENS OUR LIVES

We do so with confidence in the power of God’s word to overcome all darkness. As we have been reflecting on his word in our Advent and Christmas services this year, we have acknowledged we face powerful enemies who want to keep out God’s enlightening word and keep us in sinful ignorance. The unholy trinity of the devil, the sinful nature, and the fallen world work to keep God’s word out of people’s hearts. But thanks be to God, the Holy Spirit is always working wherever that word is being given to create faith that bears the fruits of life and salvation.

As Jesus says in his great parable about hearing the Word of God, the parable of the Sower, “The one who hears the word and understands it . . . he indeed bears fruit” (Mt 13:23). As we confess regarding the Holy Spirit, he uses that word as he “calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies us and keeps us with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”

This is the enlightenment of Christ that we receive in the ministry of word and sacrament on Christmas. It is also the enlightenment that we can receive in meditation on the word of God and prayer in our daily lives. And for that purpose, we can receive the blessing of modern information technology, as well, to bring us the enlightening word of God.

In our own church heritage, we have an example of this. Martin Luther’s use of the printing press brought to the people of his day the word of God in accessible and understandable ways. That was the new information technology that came to the fore during the Reformation 500 years ago. We still benefit from that today as we open our Bibles and read them in our homes and work places. Today, we also have access to the word of God through various media of digital technology and the internet. One can listen to the word of God while he commutes to work, while she walks on a treadmill. One can look up sermons and Bible studies on the Internet, play hymns during family devotions using digital music. As we’ve commented before, one can also use various apps and other communication resources to connect with those separated by time and distance, to spend time together in devotion to God’s word.

CONCLUSION

The important matter is that we remain focused on God’s word no matter the resources we use, from memorized Bible passages, to reading a print Bible or digital one, to hearing a recording of someone sharing God’s word. Through God’s word, comes true enlightenment that reveals the darkness of sin that leads to repentance, that shines forth the gospel that gives faith, that guides life in God’s kingdom to bear witness to his saving grace and truth in a world that doesn’t know what it doesn’t know. As this happens, the body of Christ, his church, continues to bring the light of life and salvation, at Christmas time and throughout the year, until Christ comes again in glory.