Sermon Tone Analysis

Christ's Lights All Year Long

By Jeff Strite

Summary: Jesus said we should be "the light of the World."

But just how and why should we shine that light?

I asked the congregation: “How many of you have already taken down your Christmas lights?” (This was 7 days after Christmas Day, and about a 1/3 raised their hands)

“Well, how many of you will take down your decorations NEXT week?

(a few more raised their hands).

How many of you plan to keep your lights up all year round?

(nobody raised their hand)

OPEN: It’s fairly obvious none of us intend to leave our Christmas lights up all year round.

But there is one family in Baltimore, Maryland that did exactly that.

If you drive down their street after dark, any month of the year, you’ll see Santa driving his sleigh on their roof surrounded by so many Christmas lights it lights up the night sky.

And it's been like this ever since last year about this time.

Apparently, last year just before New Year's, somebody called into a local radio station and complained about their lights still being up (it hadn't even been a week yet).

This was followed by several other callers complaining about the same thing.

The Morgans thought: well, if they're gonna to complain if we didn't get them down 5 days after Christmas we're just gonna to leave them up all year long.

And they really wanted to do that anyway.

Mary Morgan – the wife - had had several strokes and also needs to use an oxygen tank for her emphysema.

That was one of the reasons they’d been a little slow getting the lights down last year.

“I’m a fanatic on Christmas.

I love Christmas,” said 63 year old Mary Morgan.

“The way I look at it, with me and my emphysema and all, I never know when I’m going to take my last breath.

I’m going to enjoy what I want to enjoy.”

That’s the reason you’ll find holiday decorations all over the their home - (inside and out) and - all thru the year - their lights are timed to - go on at dusk - and turn off at 10:30 a.m.

“Christmas lights have a special meaning,” Mary Morgan said.

“They symbolize brightness, love.

That’s what Christmas is about.

APPLY: Now most people probably wouldn't leave their Christmas lights up all year long but on the internet I have read of several ideas that might get you to reconsider that.

What I read was that some experts say Christmas lights are great for creating ambience.

That’s a fancy word to describe setting a mood with soft lights.

These experts talked (for example) about how you could use Christmas lights in your kitchen, dining room, the Living Room or Bedroom, along your stairs or walkways or on a porch or around a gazebo.

Some experts have even told you can use these little lights behind your TV set can make your viewing experience more pleasant and satisfying.

I read where at least one TV manufacturer is considering putting a soft lighting effect on the back of their monitors for just that reason.

In addition, if your Christmas lights happen to be LEDs, they last at least ten times as long, and are 90% more efficient than regular bulbs.

Now my point is this – Christmas lights can be used all year long for all kinds of things.

And, in a lot of ways, they’ll be more satisfying and efficient than regular lamps and bulbs.

(pause)

Jesus said: "You are the light of the world.

A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

When God used lights – He used them for more than just holidays.

· When God created the first lights (the Sun/Moon/Stars) He created them to shine all thru the day and night.

· When God had the Israelites put lights in His tabernacle, He declared: "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept BURNING CONTINUALLY.”

· And when God told us about Heaven, He said He wanted us to know its light would be continuous: said “There will be NO MORE NIGHT.

They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.

And they will reign for ever and ever.”

The lights that God creates and commands have always been more satisfying and efficient than any of the lights that this world has ever known.

And what that means is that – when Jesus called you the Light of the world – He was saying that (as far as God is concerned) there isn’t any other light that can be as satisfying or efficient as what you and I can be for Him.

As I was studying for this sermon, I came across some interesting insights into this idea of our being the “light of the world’.

1st – The light Jesus was talking about wasn’t something we came up with on our own.

Paul writes: “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

We’re just jars of clay.

We’re containers into which God pours His light.

Whatever long-lasting power or glory or influence we have in this world is not our own it all came from Him.

Jesus said: "I am the vine; you are the branches.

If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

So... without Jesus I can't do anything?

Now, that doesn’t mean you and I can’t do things that might be impressive.

It doesn’t mean we can’t accomplish things that will make a mark in this world

But what Jesus was saying was this:

If you want to do something that will last for eternity and have importance that’s going to count for something then you need to get attached to HIM.

ILLUS: It’s like the speaker on my phone (I played a part of a tune I had stored on my Android phone).

Can you hear that music?

(They could, but it was faint because I was merely holding up in front of me).

You can hear and even recognize music from my cell phone if you’re close enough but to really get the power of the music, my phone has to be amplified (I held the phone up to mic).

Can you hear it better now?

The phone can play any kind of music I can download to it.]

But in order for me to enjoy that music fully, I need something to amplify the sound.

Essentially, Jesus is our amplifier.

Jesus is the one who takes our puny efforts and gives them lasting significance.

As one man said:”I’m just a light bulb.

But there’s a power line.

His name is Jesus.”

So, the first thing I learned about our being the “light of the world” was that our ability to be that light hinges on our holding HIS light inside of us.

The light that makes us valuable to God comes from Him – not ourselves.

Then I learned something more: Jesus gives me this ability to be His light for a very specific purpose:

"You are the light of the world.

A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

What’s the purpose of our light?

To help us do good things that will make people see God and glorify His name..

ILLUS: During WWII Desmond Doss had a problem.

He was a devout follower of Christ, Doss believed that it was not right for him to kill others but he wanted to serve his country so he volunteered as a medic.

During boot camp, his fellow soldiers ridiculed him for refusing to fire a rifle.

They mocked him when he read his Bible and knelt beside his bunk at night to pray.

But when they went into combat, it became a different story.

During the battle for Okinawa in May 1945, Doss repeatedly risked his life to rescue scores of wounded men.

Through his unselfish acts of heroism, he gained the gratitude and respect of his former critics and of those whose lives he saved.

Corporal Desmond Doss was the only the 2nd conscientious objector to ever earn the United States' highest military award - the Congressional Medal of Honor.

(Our Daily Bread 6/6/10 David McCasland – Alvin York was the first to receive that honor)

Desmond Doss built his entire life around serving His savior.

And he his faith exposed him to ridicule and rejection... but that didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that he be allowed to serve both his Jesus and his country.

And his righteous deeds led others to glorify the God he served.

That’s the Hallmark of Christianity.