Title: A Visited Planet

Date: 2008-12-28

Reference: Matt. 5: 14-16

"Edith and I decided not to decorate the outside of our home for Christmas this year. Neither one of us wanted to climb our steep roof to hang our lights for a few nights. I was worried that we would be the evident party poopers in our neighborhood. For whatever reason we weren’t alone. I don’t think there were as many houses lighted up as there have been before. Even so, Christmas and lights go together. It’s always been that way. Remember the prologue of John’s Gospel, how he said: “The light of Christ keeps shining in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.”

Oh, the darkness has tried, but has never succeeded. For instance, have you ever tried to hide a light in a dark room? Do you remember as a child trying to hide the glow of your flashlight under the covers so you could continue reading or playing after your parents had turned out the lights? No matter how hard you tried, the light escaped the edges of the blanket and gave you away. Hiding light is almost impossible. Light will find the slightest opening, the thinnest crack.. The smallest hole to escape and shine in the darkness.

Christmas Eve we lighted all of the candles on our Advent Wreath and we enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight service. It is such an inspirational sight to stand here on the platform and see the light from the Christ Candle passed up and down the pews. There is no more beautiful sight than holding our candles up and singing Silent Night. This is much more than a lovely tradition. At that moment we celebrate the coming of light and love into a dark and frozen world.

Jesus taught about the power of light. In the sermon on the Mount Jesus said: “You are the light of the world.” He wanted each of us who follow him to understand the importance of our witness in a world ignorant of God’s love. Sometimes this world of ours is very short on hope and long on despair. Jesus said: “Whenever God’s love is released, through any act of human kindness, it is like light in the darkness. No matter how hard people may try to hide the light of love and hope, it will always find an opening through which to shine.

Our world is filled with uncertainty, fear and suspicion. This sad, tired world of ours needs a message of hope. Many places in the world desperately need the light of God’s love. Sometimes things happen in our lives that cause us anxiety. The day before Christmas Eve our furnace went out. That was an expense I didn’t expect at the end of the year. Life happens that way. On Christmas Day my coffee maker stopped working. I don’t know which of the two frustrated me more. Because of Christmas, I choose to dwell on the many blessings of God and not the occasional disruptions. All around us are folks who are struggling in many ways and who are tempted to throw up their hands in despair. The light of Christmas reminds us there is always hope.

Jesus said: “Let your light shine before others so they may see your good works.” We are called to share the hope we have, in Christ, with the world around us. On Christmas Eve, I was so proud to tell the congregation, that the entire offering we received that evening would go toward missions. Helping people who find themselves without options and hope. We give in Jesus’ name. When we give we light a candle against the darkness.

In his book, The Visited Planet, J.B. Phillips describes a veteran angel showing a novice angel around the universe. After showing off the brilliant lights, the guide pointed out a little speck next to a beautiful star. “That star is the sun” he explained, “and the speck in the earth.” The new angel asked, “what is so special about that speck of dust?” The wise older angel replied: “That speck is earth, the visited planet. The Father himself became one of them and chose them to be his own. God gave his life for them.” “Then why is it so dark?” asked the surprised angel. “Because, so many people living there haven’t decided to accept God’s offer. They haven’t decided whether to live in the light or the darkness..”

When we light our candles and hang our lights we are choosing the light of hope over the darkness. One small light, igniting others until the world knows the darkness can no longer prevail. This is the great hope we have just celebrated. This is the hope we hold out through out another new year. The message of Christmas is Hope. We read in John 3:19: “The light from heaven came into the world.” Many have chosen not to live in the light God sent. Our task is to represent God by bringing His light into the world.

Many people are actually glad the holidays are over. The stress, loneliness, and depression suffered by many during the holidays are intolerable. The word bedlam, often used to describe the confusion of the world is a corruption of the word Bethlehem. In the 1500's the priory of St. Mary of Bethlehem, a London Monastery, served as a hospital for the insane. It was a dark, hopeless place. For a small admission price people from the city could actually go there to heckle the patients. It was one of the great tourist attractions of the city.

St. Mary of Bethlehem was shortened to Bethlehem and pronounced Bedlam. In time the word Bedlam cam to refer to the noise and confusion of a very hopeless place. The two are always related. Our task is to bring the light of Bethlehem to the Bedlam of the world around us. Light must break into the darkness. If we are to have hope there must be light. Jesus says “we are the light of the world.”

Jesus summed up the purpose of Christmas by saying: “I came to seek and save that which was lost.” Many people today are lost and have very little hope. There have been many cynical assessments of human existence. One Philosopher described human life as: “A fitful pollution of human insects on the earth, a planetary eczema that may soon be cured. Nothing is certain in life” he writes, “but defeat and death.” That is a dark and hopeless assessment. Contrast that with our Christmas Message: “The light of Christ keeps shining in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.”

So many people in our world are walking in the darkness without any hope at all. Some years ago a tutor was contracted to help a child who had been a hospital patient for some time. The teacher explained: “We’re working on nouns and verbs and he needs help so he doesn’t fall behind.” When the tutor arrived she found the child in a burn unit. He had been horribly burned and was in great pain. He was about to give up hope. The tutor stammered: “I am here to help you with your nouns and verbs. I will be coming every morning to work with you.” The next day a nurse asked her: “What in the world did you do to that child? We’ve been very worried about this little boy. It seemed like he was giving up. Ever since your visit his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back and we think responding to treatment. He’s decided to fight and live.”

Later the little boy explained to his tutor: “I had about given up hope until you arrived. But I knew the teacher wouldn’t send someone to work on nouns and verbs with a dying boy.”

We know God wouldn’t send his light into a hopeless and dying world. I’m afraid many have missed the significance and meaning of this special season because they choose darkness over the light. Many have gone further into debt in an attempt to celebrate Christmas and have missed the entire reason for the season. We try, each year, to remind the world how Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Jesus came to bring the light of heaven to a sin sick world.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his poem Christmas Bells in 1863. The nation was caught up in the deadly grip of the Civil War. The prior year had seen the horrors of Gettysburg. Longfellow wrote: “And in despair, I bow my head, there is no peace on earth I said. For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth good will toward men.” Then Longfellow heard a church bell ringing. It wasn’t much but it offered hope. And he concluded his poem: “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep. God is not dead nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. With peace on earth, Good Will to men.”

True light has come into the world, to the visited planet. And all the darkness of the world has never been able to put out the light. Throughout this Advent season our eyes have been turned toward Bethlehem, as we remembered and celebrated the first Advent of Christ. We also turn our eyes toward heaven to anticipate the second Advent of Christ.

We know He comes to us each and every day offering us hope and purpose in the midst of the frustrations and uncertainties of this life. We turn our eyes toward Jesus and we light candles against the darkness. Because He has come we have hope.

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