Sermon Tone Analysis

BBC News shares the following account:

On Saturday June 23, Peerapat "Night" Sompiangjai turned 17 - a milestone most young people around the world would want to celebrate in style.

His family prepared a bright yellow SpongeBob SquarePants birthday cake and several colorfully wrapped presents at their home in a rural village in the Mae Sai district.

Before the family party, Peerapat was out with his friends, the other members of a local youth soccer team called the Wild Boars, and their assistant coach.

When their football practice ended, they raced through the rice paddies on their bicycles and up into the forested hills that lately had been blanketed in rain.

Their destination- the Tham Luang cave, a favorite haunt for the boys, who loved exploring the nooks and crannies of the mountain range towering over Mae Sai.

Once at the mouth of Tham Luang, they stashed their bikes and bags by the cave entrance.

The team and their young coach had often ventured deep into Tham Luang, sometimes as far as 4 miles into the cave’s depths, for initiation rites where they would write the names of new team members on a wall.

In high spirits, they clambered into the cave with just their torches.

They didn't need much else - after all, they were only planning to be there for an hour.

However, while in the cave a flash flood occurred blocking the boy’s exit and forcing them to scramble deeper into the caves until the water trapped them on a shallow outcropping.

Surrounded by the oppressive darkness of the caverns, the boys and their coach waited.

One hour- two- ten.

The boys lost track of time as the hours turned into days and the darkness of the cave pressed in.

The coach encouraged the boys to use rocks to dig a way out, but not knowing where they were, there was little hope that their small dug shaft would lead out of the web of mountain caves and rock.

Their only source of light- their flashlights, slowly dimmed and then went out.

In the complete darkness, they fought against despair.

Until seven days later, a glimmer appeared in the merky water.

And then light, beautiful light shown into the darkness as rescue divers John Volanthen and Rick Stanton’s heads broke the surface of the cave’s water.

While in the darkness- all they could do was hold onto hope.

Their hope came in the form of a massive rescue effort involving more than 10,000 people, including more than 100 divers, scores of rescue workers, representatives from about 100 governmental agencies, 900 police officers, and 2,000 soldiers.

Ten police helicopters, seven ambulances, more than 700 diving cylinders, and the pumping of more than a billion liters of water from the caves.

Two weeks after first entering the caves, the boys finally emerged into the welcoming arms of those who fought so desperately to save them.

I share this story because I am struck by the similarity between these boy’s experience and the spiritual condition of humanity.

Each of us has wandered into the cavern of our own sinful choices, we meander and enjoy sin’s delights- at first unaware of the danger that is rushing towards us and before we know it- we are trapped with the darkness closing in.

Due to our sin, spiritually speaking, all of humanity are in darkness as Isaiah 64:4-9 (NIV) explains,

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.

You come to the help of those who gladly do right,

who remember your ways.

But when we continued to sin against them,

you were angry.

How then can we be saved?

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.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.

We are the clay, you are the potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;

do not remember our sins forever.

Oh, look on us, we pray,

for we are all your people.

Friends, like the boys in the cave, we cannot dig ourselves out.

We need a savior.

Thankfully, like the powerful rescue force assembled to liberate the boys, God crafted a plan to rescue and redeem us.

As Isaiah 9:2,

Isaiah 9:6-7 promises,

“The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

a light has dawned…

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

will accomplish this.”

During this Advent season let us be reminded that for generations God’s people waited expectantly for this promise to be fulfilled, for the savior- Jesus- to come.

And today

-God’s people wait for Jesus to come again in glory

and bring heaven to earth.

Friends, this Christmas,

I pray we will live as those who believe in these promises.

So our first point this morning is-

1.

This Advent, to live as one who believes, embrace hope in God’s promises.

From His Davidic lineage and His Virgin birth, to the worship by angelic hosts, common shepherds and wise men, God was pointing us to the birth of the promised savior.

Our text this morning is one of many prophecies that foretell the coming of Jesus.

Centuries before He was born, Isaiah described Jesus’ birth, His mystery, and significance.

This prophecy, like a light in the darkness, gives hope to God’s people.

Of all the images associated with Christmas, perhaps the one that best symbolizes this hope is the star of Bethlehem.

(Singing acapella slowly if you wish or just reciting the chorus to “We Three Kings”)

O Star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy Perfect Light (repeat if desired then pause)

We see it depicted everywhere during this season- the Christmas star graces the top of Christmas trees, it crowns nativity scenes, and shines on many signs and screens.

The story behind this iconic sign of Christmas is found in Matthew 2:1-2, 9-10 (NIV)

Where Magi from the east see a star arise in the night sky and recognize it as a symbol of the prophesied Messiah, our savior’s birth.

So they follow it as it leads them to the baby Jesus.

Scientists and theologians have speculated ever since Mathew wrote this account on the source of the Christmas star.

Far from discrediting the story, scientists have several theories concerning it.

Perhaps the Christmas star is really two aligned plants, shining more brightly at the time of Christ’s birth.

Perhaps it was a meteor, alight in the earths atmosphere.