A Voice in the Wilderness

Opening Illustration:

Many years ago, when the children were still at home, we took a family vacation to the mountains of North Carolina. While there, we had the opportunity to visit Linville Caverns, the natural limestone, subterranean caverns beneath Humpback Mountain. As a part of that visit, we decided to tour the caverns. Our guide was most helpful, explaining the various geological phenomena that we were seeing. At one point along the tour, he took us to a particular place in the cavern and, to demonstrate the conditions of what it would be like to dwell in the caverns without the aid of modern lighting, he extinguished all of the lights so that we found ourselves in total darkness. Although I had been in dark places before, I don’t think that I had ever experienced darkness quite like that. Literally, the proverbial, “you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face,” had become a reality. I don’t remember how long we stood in darkness. Perhaps it was a minute or maybe even two, however I am certain that it seemed longer than it actually was. During this experience of total darkness, our eyes never adjusted to the darkness. We were never able to visually distinguish anything in our surroundings because all we could see was darkness.

That kind of darkness is oppressive. One of the reasons that it is so is because our eyes were not designed to perceive darkness. They are designed to process light.

This is a powerful image for us today, on this second Sunday of Advent. In a world in which darkness seems to be everywhere we look and we seem to have lost our bearings, we need a flicker of light to drive the darkness away. Our eyes simply can’t adjust to the darkness around us. What they need is to see just a little light which we can process so that we can find our way.

Our text this morning addresses just such a moment. The world was in a dark and dismal time. People were oppressed and they were without hope. They longed for the Messiah of which the prophets had spoken. This is why John wrote his Gospel, to proclaim a message of hope.

For all who dwell in the darkness of the wilderness, God sends forth God’s light

Throughout Scripture we read the imagery of the Wilderness which is synonymous with wandering. Abram was a nomad. It was in the wilderness where Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flocks when God called him. Amos said, “A wandering Aramean was my father.” Even Jesus, following his baptism, went into the wilderness and there faced the onslaught and temptations of the devil. Often, it is in the wilderness that God reveals God’s self to those whom God calls.

The wilderness is a place that we all encounter at some point in our lives. It is that place in which we have difficulty finding our bearings. Like one who dwells in darkness, in search for a light he/she can rely upon. That is the way in which God sends forth God’s light. (quote here)

Often, it is in the wilderness that God reveals God’s self to those whom God calls. John the Baptist came from the wilderness in the tradition of the prophets of the Old Testament.

Have you ever seen such a moment in your life? (Here insert a description of the Nehemiah passage)

John 1:3–5 NRSV

All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Nehemiah 8:10 NRSV

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

So John came preaching the message of repentance. Having been called by God in the wilderness, he had received the light of which he testified. As the Gospel John says, “ He was not the light but he gave witness to that light.

Henemiah

John 1:

Here, expound upon the significance of wilderness in scripture.

I believe it is here that we find a profound message for the church today for you see;

We, the church, like John are a witness to the light. We are not the Christ. We are not even a suitable representation of the Messiah. However we have seen His light and that is what we give witness to.

We, the church, like John are a witness to the light. We are not the Christ. We are not even a suitable representation of the Messiah. However we have seen His light and that is what we give witness to.

Just as every believer throughout all time has come to that very same light, even in the midst of their respective wildernesses, the world today longs for that light. As a disciple of Jesus, we are followers of Christ. The way we present ourselves to the world speaks volumes of how important that light is in our lives. It may seem that our candle is so small but the oppressive darkness can not withstand even the smallest light. It was true in John’s day and it is true today. Let me illustrate with this closing story.

Concluding Illustration:

The story of the first Christmas Candle. The world needs the peace that only Christ can bring. Last week we spoke about that kind of peace which is not dependent upon the conditions or the circumstances of the world. The source of genuine joy comes through the peace of Christ.

Many years ago I heard a story of the first Christmas Candle. It was back with the war torn days gone by in which a small village in the Swiss mountains were in the grip of uncertainty and fear. All that the people heard was of the fighting of nation against nation. It was wintertime and the deadness of the season cast a somber spirit on the land. The only music in the land resembled more the sound of a funeral dirge than songs of joy. There was no joy and with each passing day, it seemed that word came of more destruction and even greater threats.

One day, the word came to the little village that the enemy was near and was in danger of over taking their little village within the next 24 hours. An emergency meeting was called and all of the people of the village attended. “What shall we do?” was the question that was on everyone’s lips. Everyone had an opinion but no one seemed to have and answer. Finally the elder of the village stood to speak. He was a quiet man, known for his wisdom and deep faith. People knew that he usually didn’t have much to say but when he spoke they knew they needed to listen. As he rose, silence fell upon the gathering. He had everyone’s undivided attention. Quietly he spoke.

“Listen,” he said. “We have lived in the little village for many generations. Our ancestors were a people of devout faith in God. They saw to it that we too were reared, not only in their tradition but introduced to the faith they proclaimed and now, we too are a people of faith. Today we have gathered here, fearful of the circumstances over which we have little control. However, God is still God and we are not. Let us go to our homes and pray for peace tonight and as a sign of our faith, let’s place in the window of each home a single candle to show one another and the world that we have placed our faith in God. As God has always proven, He is faithful.”

Now, it just so happened that very night was Christmas Eve. No sooner had the elder finished his speech than everyone retreated to their homes and did just as he had suggested. Every house in the village had a candle in the window and it continued all night through.

In the morning, just before dawn, everyone was awakened, not by guns and sounds of war but the sound of the town crier. Against the hills of the mountains his voice rang and echoed into every corner of the small village. “Awake! Awake,” he cried. “Peace, there’s peace in the land! Awake! Awake! There’s peace in the land. The war is over. All is well!”

In no time at all the people had vacated their homes a spilled out into the streets. During the night the deadness of winter had been covered by the soft beauty of fresh fallen snow. The people began rejoicing and dancing in the streets. Word of peace had brought unspeakable joy to their land and they could not contain their jubilation. It was then that the village elder emerged from his home and spoke for the first time on that Christmas Day.

He said, “My friends, God has heard our prayers and peace has come. Praise be to God who has delivered His people. Look around us,” he said. “In the windows of our homes are the reminders that God is a God of Peace and God hears our prayers.”

That was the best Christmas the village people had every known and never was there such joy in the land as there was when the faithful people of God placed in their windows the first Christmas Candle.

With each passing day, it seemed that word came of more distruction and even greater threats.