Illuminate Week 2- Light in The Darkness

Big Idea: Jesus is our light in the darkness.

Primary Scripture: Luke 2:8-20 and Matthew 2:1-12

Supporting Scripture: Isaiah 9:2; John 3:16

CAPTURE (Why should students pay attention to and care about your message?)

Have you ever been somewhere where your eyes are open in the dark for a long time, and someone suddenly flips all the lights on? If you have, on the count of three, show me how you respond.

Ready? 1… 2… 3!

Ha! I love it. I see lots of funny, contorted faces. I am so tempted to grab a group picture right now. But seriously, when a bright light comes piercing through the darkness, it can really shock our system in a way we can’t fully control our response.

We are in the second week of our series called “Illuminate,” and we’re exploring how light is often used as a metaphor for who God is and how God works. This is especially true when it comes to the story of Jesus’ birth. Last week we stepped back into the Old Testament 700 years before Jesus was born. We looked at a prophecy from Isaiah chapter 9 that predicted Jesus’ coming would be like a great light. Here’s what it said:

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2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. (Isaiah 9:2 – NLT)

As we looked at God's words of prophecy to Isaiah, we talked a lot about hope. The people were waiting for a Savior to break through, set them free, and lead them in power. They had to hold on to hope as they waited for someone to save them from their captivity.

Hope can often be like a small glimmer of light we see at the end of a dark tunnel. But what about the moments when what we hope for becomes a reality? Sometimes, those moments can be more like when the lights flip on and flood the darkness we’ve been in.

Today we are going to explore the most significant lights flipped on in the dark moment in history. To do that, let’s go back a little over 2000 years.

SCRIPTURE (What does God’s Word say?)

If you’ve been around church for a while, you likely know a lot about the story of Jesus’ birth. You’ve heard about it, read about it, sung about it, seen displays of it, and probably even watched some movies about it. But, sometimes, when you hear a story so many times, it’s easy to miss how absolutely wild it is. And this story is a wild one.

Here are just a few points:

Angels show up to an unmarried, likely teenage couple and tell them they are going to have a baby who will save the world. The girl miraculously gets pregnant, meaning her boyfriend isn’t the dad. The boyfriend chooses to believe her and agrees to raise the baby as his own son. The pregnant girl gives birth to the baby while visiting the relatives of the dad (who, remember, technically isn’t the baby’s dad). There is no space anywhere for the girl to give birth to this baby except a barn. Angels show up and tell some shepherds this baby is going to be the savior of the world, so they go to the barn and worship him. Some mystics who live in a far-off land discover a unique star and follow it until they find it resting right over where this baby lives.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. This story is far from normal. There are so many spots we could stop in this story and explore, but where I want us to focus is on the last two points I mentioned. They are about the people who God invited to meet Jesus after His birth.

First, let’s look at the story of the shepherds in the New Testament book of Luke.

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8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. (Luke 2:8-20 – NLT)

Now, let me give you a few observations from this part of the story.

First, you might not see it right away, but this is literally and figuratively a total “lights flipped on in the dark” moment. That field at night in Bethlehem had to be very dark. Angels showing up and God’s radiance coming from them had to be incredibly bright. When we read the shepherds’ reaction, we can imagine they probably had their version of the contorted face reaction.

Also, this is a figurative “lights flipped on” moment as the choir of supernatural beings showed up and made a bold proclamation. Let’s read it again:

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10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. (Luke 2:10 – NLT)

That proclamation is followed by a giant heavenly worship session. The darkness and silence had been going on for a long time. Remember, it had been about 700 years since the prophecy from Isaiah that we talked about last week. And now, the angels are finally declaring that Jesus is here! The wait is over. It’s so amazing!

Second, it’s important to note this appearance and proclamation of Jesus’ birth was particularly meaningful because of the shepherds. Why?

First, the shepherds were not elite.

Shepherding was on the lower tier when it came to occupations. They were often underappreciated and overlooked. Yet, God chose to announce the birth of Jesus to them first!

Second, a shepherd’s job is to care for sheep.

Later in his life, Jesus would refer to himself as “The Good Shepherd” who was going to lay down his life for us, His sheep. The angels telling the shepherds about Jesus is a sort of foreshadowing of that picture.

And third, sheep were used in Temple sacrifice.

In the Old Testament, the sheep were offered to God as a way to atone for the sins of the people. The entry of Jesus to the scene meant an end to the Old Testament sacrificial system. Jesus would be the “perfect lamb” when going to the cross, a completely sinless and innocent sacrifice.

Now, let’s turn our attention to the story of the Wise Men.

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1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

(Matthew 2:1-12 – NLT)

Again, let me throw out a few observations from this passage.

First, it’s very important to understand more about these “Wise Men.” In other translations, they are called “magi,” which is the title for Persian priests. This means these men were very likely from a far-off land and probably belonged to a different religion.

Next, it is interesting that it was a star leading these men to Jesus. This light in the sky at night was shining the way so they knew where to go. For some reason (we’re not exactly sure why), they understood that star to be proclaiming that there had been a newborn king, so they dropped everything to follow the star to find the new king.

Now, let’s focus on their first stop in their journey to find Jesus. It was to Jerusalem, the capital city and home to the ruler of the area. His name was Herod, and he had been appointed King by the Roman Empire, who controlled Israel at that time. These travelers assumed that a newborn king would be in the most important city and that the most important person in that city would know about Him.

Instead, they discover Jesus in a small countryside town. And even though they find Jesus in the most unexpected place, that doesn’t stop them from giving Jesus gifts and worshipping him.

INSIGHTS (What might this Scripture mean?)

Now, as we consider these two somewhat odd encounters with Jesus from two very unique groups of people, let’s pull out two valuable insights for us to consider for our lives.

The first is…

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1. Jesus is available to everyone everywhere.

I want to make sure you catch those last two words: everyone and everywhere. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had times in my life where I wrestled with the question, “Is this whole Jesus thing for me?”

Maybe there is something you have done that makes you feel you aren’t good enough. Maybe you see others who are living for Jesus and feel you could never fit in with them. Or maybe you wrestle with doubts and wonder if Jesus really is who He said He is.

I want to point you back a few points in the story.

The angel made it clear to the shepherd that the birth of Jesus was for all people, not just people who already have it all together. The angels revealed themselves and declared Jesus’ birth to a group of unlikely and often overlooked people like the shepherds. God used the star to declare the birth of Jesus to people from a far-off land who likely looked, talked, dressed, and acted differently compared to the people they met in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

As the light of Jesus broke through the darkness, He made it clear that no matter who you are, no matter where you came from, and no matter what you have done, His love and grace are available to you.

These words have arguably become the most famous verse in the Bible:

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16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

(John 3:16 – NLT)

This is a great verse to keep in mind as we celebrate Christmas. God gave his son Jesus by both sending Him to earth in the form of Jesus and by having Jesus suffer a sinless death as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus brought light into the darkness.

In this way, the birth of birth of Jesus is the ultimate lights flipped on in the dark moment for the entire Universe. And that light is available to EVERYONE, and that means Jesus is available to YOU!

The second thing from these two stories that I want to make sure we understand is…

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2. Encountering Jesus changes everything.

The angels and the star delivered the information about Jesus’ birth. This information included an invitation for them to go see Jesus for themselves. To be clear, they didn’t have to go, but they did. And when they encountered Jesus, both groups responded in awe and worship. The Wise Men and the shepherds didn’t just hear about Jesus; they encountered Him, and they walked away different.

The shepherds were so impacted by what they experienced that they couldn’t help but tell others about their encounter. This is the beginning of a constant theme in the Gospels. There is story after story of sick, struggling, or curious people who encountered Jesus, had their lives changed, and then couldn’t help but tell others about their encounter.

This practice continues today. It is a reason I love hearing your personal story of how you have encountered Jesus. And these stories don’t have to include choirs of angels or stars moving through the heavens. This type of story is about how Jesus changed your life, and that’s a story worth sharing.

Jesus is the light that broke through the darkness. This light is available to everyone everywhere, and when we encounter this light, it changes everything!

ACTION (How could we live this out?)

Now, in the same way the shepherds and wise men needed to act on what they heard, let’s talk about how we can take action on what we’ve been talking about tonight.

The first thing I want to challenge you to do is…

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1. Read one Bible passage each day this week.

One of the best ways to keep the light of Jesus shining in your life is by spending time in His Word. Like we said last week, the Bible is a lamp that guides us through the darkness, giving us wisdom, comfort, and direction… if we let it. I want to challenge you to set aside just a few minutes each day this week to read a passage from the Bible.

Start with something simple. You could read the book of John, which is about Jesus’ time on earth. The Books of James and 1 Thessalonians each only have five chapters, so you could read one chapter each day this week. You also can ask someone to recommend some verses to read.

But here’s the real challenge. Don’t just read to get through it as quickly as possible. Instead, as you read, ask God to help you understand what He’s saying to you through what you’re reading. Again, you don’t have to read ten chapters a day or anything like that. Even just a few verses can make a big difference in your day. You might be surprised at how much more connected you feel to God and how much more clearly you can to see His light in your life.

Also, please don’t keep it to yourself! If something stands out to you, share it with a friend or a family member, or even share it on social media. You never know how God might use what you’ve learned to encourage someone else. The more you read, the more you’ll see that Jesus is truly the light that can guide you through any darkness you face.

The second thing I want to challenge you to do is…

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2. Invite a friend to youth group or church next week.

If you’re a Jesus follower, that means at some point in your life, someone played a role in you being brought out of darkness and into the light. It might have been a parent, a pastor, small group leader, or a friend, but someone took a step that helped lead you to a life-changing encounter with God.

Now it’s your turn.

It starts with a simple invite. Sometimes, we can convince ourselves that if we invite someone to come to church or youth group, they will definitely say no. But what if they say yes? Think of the incredible difference that could make in someone’s life.

This week, ask God to put a name on your heart, and then take the bold step to invite them. There’s no need to complicate it. Just tell someone that you’re going to be going to youth group next week, and ask them if they might want to join you. And if they say no, that’s totally fine. But if they say yes, that’s something worth celebrating!

The last thing I want to encourage you to do is…

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3. Share your story with someone this week.

[Teacher Note: You could use the “True Story” resource that’s included in the Coleader session plan to help students prepare to tell their stories. If you choose to use this, be sure to print off copies to hand to students who want to use this tool.]

Like the shepherds, we get to share the good news of Jesus with others. The thought of sharing our faith can be intimidating and sometimes even scary. So, let’s keep it simple.

You don’t need to give your life story or give every detail of your faith. Your goal is to tell someone how God has worked in your life. You could tell someone about how you came to follow Jesus or about a time that you were certain that God loves you.

You might share with a family member, a friend, or whoever else God might lead you to. And when you share your story, you join the long list of those who encountered Jesus and went out to share His light with others!

Jesus is our light in the darkness, and now we get to help others experience His light in their own lives. It’s an amazing thing to be part of how God is changing people’s lives.

Let’s close out our time by praying, asking God to help us as we read the Bible this week and reach out to those whom God puts in our path.

[close in prayer.]