At Christmas - Light Overcomes Darkness

"Today's Devotion" For December 21, 2005

Read: Isaiah 49:1-7; John 1:1-5, 9

AT CHRISTMAS - LIGHT OVERCOMES DARKNESS

"The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps. 27:1)

We're experiencing a rare phenomenon this Christmas. December 25, on which we Christians celebrate the birth of the "Light of the world," Jesus, the Messiah, our Jewish neighbors will celebrate "Hanukkah," the "Festival of Lights." In some ways there's an interesting parallel in the two celebrations. In both cases a miracle of God's grace and mercy is celebrated.

For us Christians, the celebration of Christmas marks the miracle of God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ as our Savior from Sin and the mediator between God and Man. Isaiah and John both describe Him as "light" from God. For the Jews, Hanukkah (meaning "dedication") is a celebration of the rededication of the Temple at Jerusalem after the Syrians and their Greek king were driven out by the army of Judah Maccabee in 165 B.C. It's called "The Festival of Lights" because when they wanted to light the menorah as part of the rededication ceremony they were only able to find a small flask of oil with only capable of fueling the menorah for one day. According to tradition that flask of oil lasted for eight days, long enough for them to find additional supplies.

The common theme between these two religious celebrations is "light overcoming darkness." For the Jews, Hanukkah is a symbol of God's deliverance from the dark oppression of foreign invaders and occupiers and the restoration of the symbol of His presence with His people, the Temple. For Christians, Christmas is the solemn feast celebrating humanity's deliverance from the darkness of Sin, Death, and Satan because God became man and lived among us in Jesus Christ. Hanukkah is centered in the Jewish people; Christmas is focused on God's gift of salvation for the whole world.

In last Sunday's comic section the cartoon "Pickles" by Brian Crane had a rather humorous take on this theme. Grandma and Grandpa were sitting in the living room when the power went out and they were left sitting in the dark. Grandpa responded, "The blankety-blank power is out again!" Grandma responds, "Haven't you heard the expression 'It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness?'" Then she hears, "Ouch! I stubbed my toe!" "Aargh! I bumped my head!" "Ow! I burned my finger!" Moved by Grandpa's pain, Grandma responds, "I take it back. In your case you're probably better off just cursing the darkness."

This theme of light overcoming darkness has both a spiritual and physical dimension to it. In many ways the expression, "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness" has a deeper spiritual meaning than most might believe. We live in a world filled with the darkness of Sin. Death is an ever present reality because of our sins, in complete contradiction to God's intended Will for human life at Creation. It's our nature, because of Sin, to "curse the darkness" of spiritual ignorance, evil, and all the many "wages of sin." Yet, as redeemed children of God in Jesus Christ we aren't just celebrating a "Festival of Lights" because there was enough oil to light a menorah for eight days. We are celebrating the coming of the Light of the world, whose life bring God's light into the world so that Sin would have no more power over us, death might no longer be our enemy, and Satan could no longer accuse us before God with impunity.

Sometimes, because of the challenges to our faith in Jesus that Sin brings into our lives, it's easier for us to "curse the darkness" than live in hope and faith. We find the darkness of Sin and evil so fills the world and our experiences that we often end up "stubbing our toes or bumping our heads" on the barriers to God that get put in our way. Too often we seek to overcome the darkness of Sin using our own, limited spiritual resources, and end up with that darkness permeating every nook and cranny of our existence.

At Christmas we rejoice because the Light of the world has come to overcome the darkness of Sin, Death, and Satan for us. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came to earth to take on the "darkness" and overcome it for us. We have no need to curse the "darkness" because we have been saved from it by His suffering, death, and resurrection. At Christmas we rejoice that we live, by faith, in the full and total light of God's grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness as it came to earth in the Babe of Bethlehem. Perhaps, as we also remember that our elder sisters and brothers - the offspring of Abraham - are celebrating an act of God's grace, mercy, and love in performing the miracle of the oil on Hanukkah, "The Festival of Lights," and it might be a good time to share with them the true Light of the world, the Messiah God promised for so long, even our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is, after all, their Messiah, their Savior from the darkness of Sin, just as He is ours.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for bringing the light of Your grace in Jesus Christ to light the darkness and draw me to Yourself. Father, it's so very easy to "curse the darkness" instead of giving thanks that Jesus has overcome it for me and shed the light of Your grace abroad in my heart and my life. As I again celebrate the birth of the Light of the world this Christmas, I pray that You would fill me with such courage and strength of faith that I may be a bold purveyor of that Light to all whom I meet each day. Help me to be a faithful and winsome witness to the Light of the world, Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord, so that others might come to see Him as their Light and life as well, and be saved. I especially pray that as Your chosen people, the Jews, celebrate Hanukkah at the same time as I am celebrating Jesus' birth, that You might bless me with opportunities to share the Light of His love so that He might fill their hearts just as, by Your miraculous power, the light from the menorah filled the Temple. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright @ 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.