A Light has Dawned

Worship services @ Crosspoint have more candles in Dec. than any other time of the year. Advent Candles are lit, 1 each week, in the Advent wreath: hope, peace, joy, and love. On Christmas eve, we had a candlelight service: In addition to the advent candles, there was a big candelabra in each corner, every person rec’d a candle to light as we stood in a circle for the last songs . . . AND, we lit the big white Christ candle at the centre of the advent wreath.

All the candles are part of our celebration of Jesus’ coming:

The people living in darkness have seen a great light!

On those living in the land of the shadow of death

A light has dawned! Matthew 4: 16 (NIV)

Matthew quotes the OT prophet Isaiah to get our attention. Jesus has come! He is the light of the world!

There’s a big contrast b/t the light dawning and darkness all around. Is living in the shadow of death a grim idea?

Of course, there are days we feel optimistic. Often God’s good gifts and generous blessings lift our spirits and fill us with hope. But there are days we feel overwhelmed by how God’s good creation is tainted by sin and brokenness: violence, wars, dirty politics, broken relationships, floods, droughts, natural disasters, physical illness, mental illness, and addictions.

Do we live in the land of the shadow of death?

The province of Galilee wasn’t immune to such concerns, anxieties and dangers in Jesus’ day. The Romans and Herodian kings were brutal rulers. There were natural disasters, illness, and spiritual oppression then, like now. The people were longing and hoping for good news.

And Jesus brought good news: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” What does he mean: the kingdom of heaven has come near?

Matthew, out of respect for his Jewish readers, speaks of the “kingdom of heaven.” The 3rd commandment tells God’s people not to misuse the name of the Lord, so there’s a Jewish tradition not to use God’s holy name at all. So, Matthew writes about the “kingdom of heaven” instead of the “kingdom of God” as you find it the gospels of Mark, Luke, and John.

The kingdom of heaven is wherever the king reigns. Jesus is the Creator, the ruler, the rescuer. God the Son has come into his own creation proclaiming that his kingdom has come near.

The genealogy in Mt 1 shows that Jesus is also the son of David, the son of Abraham. As the long-promised son of David, Jesus is the Messiah. Because Jesus has come, the kingdom of heaven has come near.

When Jesus’ light dawns on the land of the shadow of death, everything changes. Light naturally drives darkness away.

Maybe you recall, Ps. 23 mentions the shadow of death too:

Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NIV84)

Jesus has come to be with his people. It’s one of the titles that Matthew mentions in ch. 1. Jesus is called “Immanuel” – God with us. His closeness and loving-care bring comfort and drive the fear of evil away.

When he announces his kingdom has come near, Jesus tells people, “Repent.” It’s a word you don’t often hear outside Church and Bible studies. What does it mean to repent?

Repentance means turning from what you’re currently doing and doing something different. When Jesus calls people to repent, it’s an invitation to stop trusting your own efforts, to abandon your rebellion against God and turn in faith to trust Jesus to rescue you from sin and death.

Repenting and trusting Jesus makes sense if we evaluate our efforts to love God and neighbour and recognize that it isn’t going well. I’ll speak for myself – I can’t live obediently enough or keep God’s commandments well enough to rescue myself from sin and death. How about you? Are you obedient enough to be holy by your own efforts?

As the Messiah, Jesus has you covered. Later in the gospel, Matthew describes how Jesus was condemned to die by religious and secular authorities, even though Jesus was obedient to his heavenly Father and altogether righteous.

At the cross, God the Father punished Jesus for human sin. He endured the punishment to save you from sin and death.

Although the powers of darkness tried to snuff out the light of the world, Jesus emerged as the light of the world when he rose from the tomb 3 days later. Jesus’ resurrection is good news b/c it means victory over sin and darkness and death. His resurrection proves that all Jesus’ teaching and all God’s promises are true and completely reliable. Nobody is more trustworthy than Jesus, the Messiah and Saviour.

We have the advantage of knowing the end of the gospel story. When Jesus walked beside the sea of Galilee, Peter and Andrew don’t know much about the kingdom of heaven that Jesus was preaching about. Zebedee’s sons, James and John, don’t fully understand that Jesus is the light of the world.

The first disciples hear Jesus’ preaching and see the light dawning on a new day. Jesus’ invitation awakens hope and joy in their hearts. When Jesus calls them to follow, as Jesus announces the kingdom of heaven, they said, “count us in.”

Today is a celebration service. Some of you came to Crosspoint this morning specifically to hear André profess his faith. It’s André’s response to the call from Jesus, “André, come, follow me.” And by saying, “yes, with God’s help,” André joins a long, long line of Jesus’ disciples.

For André, it’s not the first step of discipleship. His parents brought him to church as a child. He was baptized as an infant. His parents said “yes” to God’s promises on his behalf. Now as an adult, André makes this faith his own. He has grown in faith and commits to follow Jesus.

Jesus’ invitation is for each person here. Do you hear him call you, “Come, follow me”?

Sometimes the idea of being a disciple feels connected with fisherman in Galilee 2000 years ago. But following Jesus is not just for people living long ago in Bible-times. It’s about walking in the light of Jesus’ coming. Being a disciple is about walking in the light of God’s love, despite the darkness of the world around.

Being a disciple is not supposed to be lonely. It’s a team sport. We’re called to train together, learn together, grow strong in faith together. Saying “yes” is just the beginning.

I guess you could stay at the same level of discipleship all your life. But what would it take to level up? What’s the next step to grow in faith?

Jesus invited Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow him. It was common for rabbis to select people to learn by watching and imitating the master.

That’s not really an option, now that Jesus has ascended to heaven.

What does it look like nowadays to spend time w/ Jesus, learning from his teaching and trying to imitate him?

Read your Bible; pray every day . . .

As a congr., Crosspoint is reading Gospel of Matthew

Next week, 2 Bible-studies get started on Gospel of Mark

Meet with others to learn together, pray together, and hold each other accountable?

Service: help the deacons, Go Local Team, Kentucky trip

In a group or find 1:1 mentoring

I don’t know about you, but I learn best as I prepare to teach others

Teach Sunday School,

Cadets/GEMS,

mentor someone 1:1