Sermon Tone Analysis

*Christmas Eve*

*Light in the Darkness*

*/December 24, 2007/*

 

 

“*Joy* to the world, the Lord has *come*.”

In that song, we echo the *jubilation* of the *angels* and the *shepherds* on the first Christmas night over 2000 years ago.

·         But as I said yesterday, the first Christmas almost certainly did not occur on December 25th.

But even though December 25th is not accurate *chronologically*, it is accurate in another way.

If we’re not looking at an *annual* *calendar*, but the entire *scope* of human *history*, December 25th is perfect.

·         It is the *perfect* day to celebrate the *coming* of the *Messiah*.

*The darkest day*

 

Q: *Why* do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th?

By the *4th* *century*, the early *church*, decided to celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th, which had been *pagan* *festival* called “The Feast of the *Invincible* *Son*,” one of the many *midwinter* *festivals* in the ancient world.

The reason it was held on December 25th was because in the *ancient* *calendar*, that was the *winter* *solstice*, the shortest day of the year.

Said another way, the birth of Jesus is *meant* to be *celebrated* when the *world* was at its *darkest*.

·         And that is a very *appropriate* time to celebrate Christ’s birth.

In the *centuries* leading up to Christ’s birth the world was *darker* *spiritually* than it had ever been.

*For the gentiles*

 

The *Gentiles*, that’s us, lived in *ignorance* of the *true* *God*.

We worship the *creation* rather than the *Creator*.

We were trapped in futile thinking and *false* *ideas* of God.

Man lived in *fear* of the *angry* *gods* and sacrificed *animals* and *humans* to keep them happy.

·         Nearly every *culture* had a *midwinter* *festival* and ceremony meant to *help* the forces of *light* and *fertility* win.

God had called his people, the *Jews*, to *spread* the news of the one true God to the *world*, but they had *failed* to *reach* *out* to their neighbors.

[Extinguish 1st candle]

 

 

*For the Jews*

 

And to the *Jews* of that day, the world was also very *dark*.

They had never been *bleaker*.

The Jews knew that they were God’s *chosen* *people*, but it seemed that he had *abandoned* them.

They had basically been *subjugated* to different *foreign* *nations* for the past *700* *years*.

·         One of the *darkest* *days* in their history was in *168 BC* when a Greek *emperor* sacrificed a *pig* in the *temple*.

[Extinguish 2nd candle]

 

And to make things even *darker*, God has *not* *spoken* to his people through *prophets* in *400* *years*.

Four hundred years without hearing from God. [Extinguish 3rd candle]

 

So in years *leading* *up* to Christ birth, the world was *very* *dark* indeed.

·         Yet one *light* *remained*: God’s promise that a *Messiah* would come and bring *salvation* and *hope* to the world.

*Thousands* of years before, when man first *fell* and *rebelled* against God, He had promised that a *son* would be born who would *crush* *Satan*.

God continued to speak this *promise* through his *prophets*.

·         Throughout the centuries, this *promise* *burned* bright.

After *400* years of *silence*, without *warning*, and an angel appeared to an old priest named *Zechariah*.

The angel promised him a *son* that would who would *prepare* the *way* for the *Messiah* [light 2nd candle].

Zechariah’s wife *Elizabeth* did become *pregnant*.

*Six* *month* later, the angel appeared again, this time to Elizabeth’s relative, a young *virgin* named *Mary*.

The angel promise that she would become *pregnant* and her *baby* would be the *Messiah* they had waited for so long [light 3rd candle].

And *again*, an angel appeared, this time to *Joseph*, Mary’s fiancée.

"Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

/Matthew 1:20-21 NIV/

 

[light 4th candle]

 

After *thousands* of years of *waiting*, the Messiah would *soon* arrive.

At just the *right* *time*, when the world was *darkest*, the *light* of *God* would enter the world, the *lamb* of *God* who would take away our *sins*.

On a *plain*, *ordinary* night, a little *baby* was born, God in the *flesh*, who *dwelled* with us.

[light center candle]

 

His coming was *heralded* by a multitude of *angels*, proclaiming:

 

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:14 

 

What *joy*, what *amazement* must have filled that night!

Behold the *light* of world!

No more let *sorrow* *reign*, God has come and *lives* *among* us!

And now we are like those *simple* *shepherds*.

We are *witnesses* to this *amazing* *thing*.

The light has been *given* to *us*, and now we *spread* this light around the *world*.