Christmas Lights

The Trappings of Christmas  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  22:58
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Introduction

This is the third sermon in a series called The Trappings of Christmas. The purpose of this series is to help us navigate the Christmas season without getting caught up in the season of Christmas.
What I mean by that is that the Christmas season is so big, that it has the tendency to distract us from the really important part of Christmas. There are meals to prepare, trips to plan, presents to buy and wrap. There is the stress of making sure everything is just right. There is a sense that everything needs to be perfect and that at least from December 1st through December 25th, everyone should be happy and get along. I mean, is it too much to ask for 25 days straight of no arguing, no fighting, and everyone just getting along?
If you’re a parent, trying to make the home a peaceful environment during this time might leave your emotions an absolute wreck. There is nothing like putting up Christmas lights that spell out the word “JOY” in your front yard while yelling at your spouse or your kid to “Put that thing right over there… no.. over.. move it just a little to the left. NO! The other left! Just… move! Move! I’ll do it myself!”
It seems that when Christmas is over, part of us is sad to see the holiday go, while the other part of us is glad that we don’t have to stress about it anymore.
So this series is an attempt a helping us keep our focus on what really matters - the fact that Jesus came to save the world, and the promise that He is coming back again.
Two weeks ago we looked at the amazing way that Decorations and Christmas songs can help us remember that Christians are to be looking forward to the day in which Jesus comes again. We are to look forward to that day like a child looks forward to Christmas morning.
But the only ones that can look forward to it are His children. For everyone else, that day means judgment. So, if you are saved, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins and have asked Him to save you, then the Christmas decorations and the songs on the radio should not just be reminders that Christmas is in 9 more days and-a-wake-up, it should remind you that there will be a day when Jesus comes for His church. Those that are dead in Christ shall rise, and those that are alive will be caught up in the clouds with Him. And “so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Then last week we talked about the Christmas Tree. The Christmas tree has to be one of my favorite decorations about Christmas. There is so much meaning behind it! The type of tree that we commonly use for a Christmas tree is an evergreen, a symbol of eternal life in Christ.
In fact, the Christmas tree symbolizes Jesus Himself, and with the tree, we can see different things about Jesus.
Trees belong outside. That is there proper place, but at Christmas time, we bring one in from the outdoors and into our homes. Just like that, Jesus’ proper place was in heaven with the Father. But Jesus came to earth, a place corrupted to the core with sin and full of sinners. Jesus didn’t belong, but He came to this place on that first Christmas morning of His birth in Bethlehem. In coming, He embodied the prophecy of one of His names - Immanuel, God is with us.
Christmas is celebrated during the time of the winter solstice. Winter solstice this year will fall on December 21st. It marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year here in the northern hemisphere. Just like we bring in that tree into our house during the darkest month of the year, Jesus came into this earth at a very dark time. The Bible tells us that He came to His own, the children of Isreal. He came during a time that they were in their own land, but they were not their own country. They lived under the rule of the Roman Empire. They longed for freedom, they longed for independence, they longed fora leader that would bring them all of this. And Jesus showed up. He was born in a dark night. He was born to give freedom, not from the Romans, but from sin. He was born to lead His people, not as a king (at that moment) but as their shepherd. But, as the verse continues, He came unto His own, but his own did not receive Him. But thank God that His salvation extends to anyone that will believe on His name and accept Him as savior. To those who put their faith in Him, he gives the power to become the sons of God.
He is able to do this because of another thing that the Christmas tree reminds us of - the cross. For Jesus to offer salvation, he had to die. The payment of sin is death, and the payment cannot be satisfied by anything other than a violent death. The Bible tells us that without the shedding of blood, there is no payment for our sins. So Jesus, the perfect Son of God who had never sinned, died a cruel, violent, and bloody death upon that cross that he did not deserve, so that you and I could have the opportunity to be forgiven of the punishment for sins that we do deserve. When you look at your Christmas tree, remember that Jesus died on a tree, so that we could live forever in His presence.

Christmas Lights

This morning we take another one of the trappings of Christmas. Though the Tree may be the most iconic of the Christmas decorations, the lights are what stand out the most of all the Christmas decorations. As many of you know, I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. Monterrey is a city that sits in a valley in northern Mexico. One of my favorite things to do, and in fact, one of my earliest memories as a kid, was to drive outside the city limits at night and see the city from the mountainside. I loved looking at the lights! It was awesome to see the highways lit up with cars moving in either direction, the downtown area bright as the middle of the day. There is a river that runs through that valley and through the city of Monterrey called the Santa Catarina River. There is an iconic bridge that goes across it, and you could pick that out at night too.
But during Christmas, there were more lights! Up on the side of one of the mountains surrounding the city, there was always a lit up sign that said, “Merry Christmas.” Well, it said, “Feliz Navidad,” but you know what I mean. Seeing that from the city was neat, but driving in the opposite direction and seeing it from across the valley was just a sight that was absolutely amazing!
Christmas lights have become so iconic that a strand of little lights is normally called “Christmas Lights” regardless of their intended use or when they are being used. You put up a strand of lights in the middle of the summer to decorate the inside of your restaurant or business or office, and someone will come in and say, “Oh look, you have Christmas lights up.”
Christmas lights and lighted Christmas decorations are such a big part of the ornamentation this time of year. My family and I love going out and driving around finding neighborhoods that have houses decorated and lit up. We love to see Christmas lights!
In this season of Christmas, I hope the lights everywhere help you to think of Jesus as well.
It was during one of the seven days of the Feast of the Tabernacles that Jesus told those around Him, “I am the light of the world.”
John 8:12 KJV 1900
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
The cultural backdrop of this is that Jesus is in Jerusalem, and there, in the Temple, in a section known as the court of women, there were 4 giant lampstands, 75 ft. high. These would illuminate the entire court and the area around the Temple, able to be seen from around much of Jerusalem, some said.
And there in that context, with these giant lampstands being lit, Jesus looks at them for a little, and says, “I am the light of the world. You think these lights light up the dark? Follow me and you will never be in darkness, but you’ll have the light of life.”
Just like we discussed earlier, Jesus came at a very dark time. The world without Him was lost in its sin, and Jesus came bringing light for those who believe in Him.

What a Glorious Night

We just witnessed the youth choir put on a performance telling the story of Christmas. They opened with a song called What A Glorious Night, and what a night it was! This was a night that, though dark, was full of light. It started with the a star being seen in the East by the wise men that began their long journey to see the King that had just been born.
Then, we read about a group of shepherds that were startled at the appearance of angels whose radiant light shone ‘round about them. They told these shepherds of the Messiah, the savior of the world, that had just been born, and that they would find him lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.
That light that accompanied those angels was bright, but paled in comparison to the light that was in that stable. Jesus, the light of the world.

Invitation

I will ask everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes just for a moment while we have a short invitation. This is a time that we give where you can respond to the message you have just heard.
I have just a couple of questions for y’all.
Maybe you’re here today and do not know Jesus as your savior. The Bible says that without a personal relationship with Jesus, you are lost and in darkness. Jesus came to bring the light of salvation to this world. He died for for your sins so that you wouldn’t have to suffer for eternity.
If you are here and are not sure if you have a personal relationship with Jesus or what that means, I would love to begin a conversation with you about it, but right now I would just like to pray for you. Is there anyone here that would say with an uplifted hand, “Bro mike, I would like to know more about having a personal relationship with Jesus.”
If you raise your hand, and even if you didn’t, I would love to talk to you after the service and set up a time when we could walk through what the Bible says about the forgiveness of sins and salvation in Jesus.
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