Jesus - The Light of the World

Blessed to share this day with you all / This is one of my two favourite Sundays of the year.

Church feels different, partly because of the ambience in the room. I love the way the church is lit tonight.

Light is important. We need light in our lives, but we need the right light at the right brightness at the right time.

This kind of lighting would feel weird at Home Depot on a Thursday afternoon in July, wouldn’t it? But the lighting at Home Depot might ruin a date night at a restaurant. Unless you’re used to that because, like me, you take your spouse for dates at Costco to get the $1.50 hotdog and pop.

Lighting is important. We need the right light at the right time.

We used to have a problem. Hannah turning the light on at 3 AM to get her sheets changed.

We were comfortable in the darkness, and when the light shone in, it actually hurts for a bit. After a minute, it stopped hurting, and then we could see well enough to help her.

I wonder how many of you here today are comfortable in darkness?

The Bible talks a lot about light and darkness. It uses them symbolically to represent the dualistic nature of life:

Light represents God’s presence, spiritual knowledge or understanding, life, and goodness. Darkness represents a world without God, spiritual ignorance, sin, evil and death.

But more than just being religious symbolism, light and darkness are also felt realities. Living in light feels good - it’s like the first sunny day after a week of cloud and rain. Conversely, many people today feel like they live in darkness.

They feel weighed down by something. Maybe their mistakes sit in their hearts and fill their minds. Or maybe there is a sense that there’s got to be more to life than what they are experiencing. Maybe they’re caught in an addiction of some sort, and the compulsion plus the guilt and shame robs them of any real joy or peace. Or maybe the circumstances of their life, whether it’s their health concerns, financial concerns or relationship concerns, are causing anxiety, stress or frustration.

If we are honest with ourselves, we all have some darkness in us somewhere, don’t we? Let me share some good news with you. The Bible says…

John 1:1–5 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The good news is that darkness can never overcome the light. Even in the darkest spaces, the smallest light still pushes that darkness aside. The bible verse I read teaches us that Jesus is the light of the world. When we let him into our lives, his light dispels the darkness within us.

How does Jesus dispel the darkness in our lives with light?

He releases us from our past

In Jesus, we are fully and completely forgiven for every sin we have ever done or ever will do.

Through Jesus, we are empowered to forgive.

He teaches us how to live today

Through his example:

He loved the culturally unlovable.

He walked in spiritual intimacy with the Father.

He obeyed the calling and commands of God.

Through his teaching

Love your enemies

Forgive those who hurt you

Walk in holiness

If Christians today lived out God’s commands and modelled Jesus’ character, the world would be positively transformed as dignity, hope, truth, and love would become the way of life.

He gives us hope for a better future

Hope is a lover’s staff.

William Shakespeare

Hope is the thing we rest in, that we trust, that props us up we we are weak. Outside of Jesus, I’m not sure where my hope would be. The world doesn’t seem to be getting that much better as time goes forwards. But in Jesus, we have the ultimate hope for he promises a day when everything will be made right.

Jesus came for a purpose - the redemption of mankind and part of that redemption is a world without sin, without strife, without war, without disasters. A world where there is no more crying in sadness, no more pain, no more loneliness, no more grief, no more death. And the way into that world, is by faith in Jesus, who lights the way.

Conclusion

Jesus dispels the darkness in our lives by releasing us from our past, teaching us how to live today, and giving us hope for the future. My hope and my prayer for you this Christmas is that you will step out of your darkness and step into the light of Jesus. It may hurt for a bit as your spiritual eyes adjust, but soon, you will find that life is better in the light.

Let’s pray.