Christmas Eve (3)

Jesus is the Light of the world

“Seventy Days in the Dark”

On August 5th, 2010, deep in the Atacama Desert of Chile, 33 miners were working half a mile underground when the mountain collapsed.

In an instant, the tunnel disappeared. Lights went out. Dust filled the air. And the mine sealed itself shut like a tomb.

No one on the surface knew if anyone had survived.

For the men trapped below, the darkness was total. No way out. No signal. No rescue in sight. Food was rationed to a few bites a day. Fresh water was scarce…. although they had industrial water available to them.

Time slowed. Fear grew. Hope began to fade.

But in the middle of that darkness, something unexpected happened.

Among the miners was a man the others had nicknamed “the pastor.” He wasn’t ordained. He wasn’t wearing a collar. But when panic started to take over, he did something simple.

He began to pray.

Not loudly. Not dramatically. He reminded the men that fear did not get the final word. He led them in prayer. He read Scripture from memory. He encouraged confession, forgiveness, and unity.

He reminded the men that although they were spending their time in Darkness, Jesus was the light of the world

The Miners began to organize their days around hope instead of despair.

And while the mine remained dark, something else was forming.

On the surface, families gathered. Tents appeared. Candles were lit. What started as a rescue operation became something more.

They called it Camp Hope.

Mothers. Fathers. Wives. Children. Waiting. Praying. Watching the mountain.

For 17 days, there was no word.

Then one morning, a drill broke through the rock—and a note came back up.

It read:

“We are well in the refuge, the 33.”

Hope erupted.

Still, rescue would take months.

Seventy days underground. Seventy days of darkness. Seventy days of waiting.

And yet, when the rescue capsule finally descended—bringing light into the depths—each man stepped into it, one by one.

The last man emerged on October 13th, 2010.

All 33 alive.

The miner known as “the pastor” later said this:

“Down there, God became very real. When there was no light, He was our light.”

That’s why this story belongs on Christmas Eve.

Because Christmas is not about the absence of darkness. It’s about God stepping into the darkness…

Just like those miners, humanity was trapped—unable to save itself. And God didn’t shout from the surface. He didn’t send instructions from above.

He sent light into the depths.

Not as a spotlight. Not as a force.

But as a child.

And just like Camp Hope, we gather tonight—waiting, believing, trusting that the darkness is not the end of the story.

We gather tonight to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

So let’s turn to that story tonight to look at the birth of the light of the world…

The Story

Luke 2:1–5 NIV

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

The story starts out with in those days Cesar Augusts issued a decree…These are not small words...Because in those Days the Man known as Cesar Augustus was the Nephew of Julius Cesar…He had come to power after Cesar had been killed in the Senate…

And to avenge the death of his uncle he held games in the Coliseum …And it just so happened that in the sky during these games a comet appeared that was later called The Sidus Iulium…Or the Star of Julius…

At this point Octavian interpreted this as Julius Cesar ascending to the right hand of the Gods and he took the opportunity to then refer to himself as divi filius…Or a Son of God

There is definitely more to this story but for right now I’ll leave it at that.

When Luke was writing this story down, he along with the whole ancient world knew that when you said that Cesar Augustus issued a decree…That he was setting up this massive comparison. Augustus who thinks of himself as the son of god vs Jesus who is is a helpless baby, but actually is the son of God …

Jesus came into a world where there already was a son of God….

But this will be a theme of God’s through the whole bible. God loves to elevate the lowly…Whenever there is Big oppressive strength God chooses the little person.

This is a story that we see happen over and over again in scripture

David and Goliath

David and Saul

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God doesn’t use the Augustuses of the world to save it. God chooses to flip the script…All through the bible he exalts the lowly the unexpected…the “least of these” while in our human tendency we tend to exalt those who are the greatest…

God does not defeat darkness with domination, but with humility.

Luke 2:6–7 NIV

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

These are the two verses that talk about the birth of Jesus..>Almost like it is no big deal right…

There was no room where the travelers stayed so she put him in a manger.

Which was an animals feeding area

But there is a little note here about how she wrapped him in clothes

This is swaddling clothes

I remember when we had our first daughter the nurse said do you want me to swaddle her? So I said sure and that swaddle just calmed her down right away, she said it was like the womb and that babies loved it…

I remember because I wanted to get really good at swaddling so I practiced and practiced and eventually did get so good at it that my wife would wake me up to swaddle the girls

But hang on to this point for a minute because it is going to be impotrant

Luke 2:8–15 NIV

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

I love this little note that Luke includes and really, nothing here is done by accident

Every little word of the Bible is amazing

The Shepherds of Bethlehem were temple shepherds…

See every year there was a massive need for families to sacrifice an unblemished lamb to atone for their sins, and these shepherds were actually priestly shepherds

This was part of the priestly duties back then, to assist in the birth of the lambs so that they would have no blemishes.

what they would do to ensure that a lamb was unblemished is that they would wrap it with strips of cloth made out of priestly undergarments

Then they would place the baby lamb in a manger to prevent trampling of the lamb

These were the lambs that would be used in sacrifice to take away the sins of Israel…And the priests there were the ones who would identify the unblemished lambs…

This isn’t just some random story, there is meaning behind every word! God knew what he was doing…

You know….There is no old testament prophesy about swaddling and mangers…Only that the messiah would be born in Bethlehem to a virgin.

What the Angels tell the shepherds though is this will be a sign “to you” you are going to find a baby swaddled in a manger

They would have gotten it, that is not a place for a baby..A Manger is a feeding trough for livestock…For those shepherds in particular it is where the sacrificial lambs go

Much Later

Jesus’ Cousin, John the Baptist would see Jesus and make the same connection

John 1:29 NIV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

See if you have heard the story of the birth of Jesus a thousand times you might think it is totally normal for a baby in Jesus time to be placed in a manger

But Jesus was swadled and placed in a manger as a sign to the shepherds…So that they would recognize him when they found him

You know first century mothers are a lot like mothers today in that…. remember when you had that child…Did you think…

You know what, H’d fit perfectleyt in the dog’s food bowl….Or even, maybe we will put our newborn on the dog bed?

A very common thing to put a baby in in the ancient world was a large woven basket with blankets or they were hung on a sling

But what was uncommon was to see a newborn baby in a manger

See the point of this is that

Jesus was born where lambs were prepared to die, because he was born to give his life for you!

But one of the things that I want to circle back to here is something that the angel said…

The angel said I am bringing you good news that will bring great Joy to all the people

Why is this good news that brings great joy

Good news of Great Joy

Well Israel must have felt like Chilean miners stuck underground for 70 days…

They lived under the shadow of Roman Oppression

They longed for a political deliverer and they were even ultimately disappointed in jesus because he wasn’t giving them what they wanted. They wanted someone who was going to literally restore David’s throne and rise up an army and kick out those darn romans

The culture of Israel was also corrupt…

Outwardly these religious leaders were putting on a show of strong moral legalism and strict adherence to the law but inwardly Jesus called them white-washed graves…He called them sons of the Devil and sons of Hell…

Even the Northern kingdom where Jesus lived had been under Assyrian control for so long that it had deeply lost its way

So the common person in Israel who loved God must have felt like he was walking in deep darkness…That God had forgotten about them…

I want to show you some of the the attitude of Israel before the coming of Jesus

This is just one of what feels like a hundred Psalms calling for God to save his people

Psalm 80:1–3 NIV

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us. Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

These Psalms were so common…God Wake up and Save us!

We are dying here

Restore us we are a broken people

And maybe this christmas you get that….

Lord it feels like we need your help!

There is another verse that reminds us of how bad it was before Jesus came

I also love the prayer of Isaiah 64…

Isaiah 64:1 NIV

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!

Isaiah 64:4 NIV

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Isaiah 64:6–7 NIV

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.

Isaiah 64:11–12 NIV

Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins. After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?

See what Christmas is an answer to ancient prayers…

But they are not just ancient prayers

These are prayers that you have said before…Whether it is in a hospital room

Whether it is at a grave side or in board meetings

It is a prayer when we are feeling lost…It is a prayer when we need hope…It is a prayer when we feel like we have a half mile of dirt over our heads

That God would tear open the heavens and come down

and that he would lead his people in Righteousness

That Christmas story that we read today is the moment the cave was opened and light was let in

It is the moment when you felt like you had no hope left but realized that God sent his son purely out of love for you

It is the moment you realized that you were loved so much that God sent his son so that you can have forgiveness and life with him

These Priestly shepherds were the first ones to hear the announcement…

But even in that monent they had a choice to make…they literally had to say yes and follow the angels instructions

Response:

Say yes

In the same way that people feverishly worked to save the 33 Minors trapped in Darkness

The deepest darkness isn’t being stuck in a cave or the political empire of Rome or our circumstances — it’s what sin has done inside us.

If we are honest, our lives become a wreck when Sin reigns in us!

And that’s exactly the darkness Jesus came for. To set us free from that

To be the light

He came so that you can have relationship with God almighty

He came so that you can be made new.

He came so that his light can shine into your darkness

John 1:1–5 NIV

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

John is Just screaming that God ripped heaven open to send his son!

Christmas declares that God broke into this world for you is here and he is for you!

And he loves you and you get to experience all of this through faith

Putting your trust in Jesus

God is not ashamed to enter into our mess…

Jesus would do it for his whole ministry…He searched for broken people! It was his joy to see lost people found!

He being God almighty loves to enter into our lives and redeem it

2. A simple Yes

Down in that mine, the rescue didn’t come as a speech. It didn’t come as instructions.

A capsule descended. Light entered the darkness. And one by one, the miners had a choice.

They had to step in.

That’s what Christmas is.

God didn’t stay at a distance. He didn’t send advice. He didn’t wait for us to climb our way out.

He came down.

The Light of the world stepped into our darkness. Wrapped in cloth. Laid in a manger. Sent for you.

Tonight, we gather like those families at Camp Hope. Waiting. Watching. Trusting that darkness does not get the final word.

And the invitation of Christmas is the same invitation the shepherds received:

Come and see. Come and receive. Come into the light.

Maybe tonight you need forgiveness. Maybe you need hope.

Maybe you need a relationship with your heavenly father Well he is ready to offload your shame, your fear, your grief.

You don’t have to fix yourself. You don’t have to climb out. You don’t have to clean yourself up.

The Light has already come down.

So tonight, I want to encourage you to say yes! A simple yes to Jesus has the power to change everything in your life

Yes to Jesus. Yes to the Light. Yes to new life.

Because the light shines in the darkness… and the darkness has not overcome it.

Let’s pray