The Light Shines in Darkness (Christmas Message)
The light
shines in darkness
Isaiah
9:1-2 & John 1: 4, 5 &9
Introduction
The theme
for our Christmas meditation 2022 is Jesus is the light and the light shines in
darkness. The two above mentioned scriptural passages are used here to explain
the theme further.
The first
reading from Isaiah illustrates the light with salvation or deliverance of the
people of Israel from their enemies. According to it, Zebulun and Naphtali are
in the far north Galilean region of Judea. As the region of
Galilee had access to seas, trade could have been very common there. The people
of the region had had opportunities to mix with other people, cultures,
religions and worldviews. In spite of this situation, the inhabitants of ‘Zebulun and Naphtali,
and all Galilee, were lightly esteemed of, being mean and illiterate, not
famous for any arts or sciences, and having no prophet among them’.[1]
Further, this region, particularly Zebulun and Naphtali, had
come under the continuous attack of Assyrians. As a result the people of the region
were living in deep darkness. The word darkness here includes calamity or affliction, distress and oppression. That same region,
described by the prophet Isaiah in different terms is hereafter to be the scene
of a glory greater than Israel had ever known before. Thus commentators have interpreted the prophesy of Isaiah (9:1b) that “but in the latter time he has made glorious
the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.” as
when Jesus began his ministry in this region, the region had become so
glorious, because of the very reason of Christ’s presence, ministry, and miracles.
The most significant fact is
that God is promising to the people of Galilean region that (Isaiah 9:2) “The
people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a
land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” This can be a reference to the
immediate future deliverance that the people of the region will enter into from
the Assyrian oppression or to the future presence of Christ in the same
region.
What is so crucial to all of
us, as we are in the Christmas season is the so beautiful assurance of God to
all his people that ‘light has shined on those who lived in darkness.
The Gospel of John very
beautifully presents the birth of Jesus as (John 1:4) “in him was life, and the
life was the light of men.” This is an incomparable light that (John 1:5) “The
light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” The coming
of this unparalleled light into the world in the form of Jesus has been
unwaveringly proclaimed by John (1:9) that, “The true light which enlightens
everyone, was coming to the world.”
Four themes can be
concentrated from the above passages to have a vivid understanding of Christmas
for all of us.
1 The Life of Jesus Was Light of People
The loud and clear message of the apostle John to his community of
believers was (1 John 1:5) “This is the message we have heard from Jesus and
proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness.” The failure to
understanding God as light had necessitated the sending of Jesus Christ, the
light, to the world. Christmas is the proclamation of the beginning of the dawn
of the light. Christmas attracts so much attention from everyone because it is
the beginning of the gospel, which is Jesus. Jesus is light because he is God’s
incarnation. Jesus through his life, teaching, miracles, crucifixion and
resurrection indisputably demonstrated that he was the light. That light was so
faithfully and earnestly presented to all of us in the form of Gospel through
apostles, missionaries, societies, institutions, families and individuals.
The life of Jesus was light of people because everyone who believes in
the light begins to rejoice in the light and passes on the light to those who need
it the most. Being joyful can be different to different people. Christian joy
is sharing and self giving. One can rejoice by self indulgence and the other
can rejoice in doing something to the least in the society and church. As the
life of Jesus has become light to us let’s make our life as light to others
according to the demands of our contexts so that those who receive light from
us, in any form, will share the light to others who need it. May our Christmas
proclaim with utmost precision that the life of Jesus was light of the people?
Let’s reflect as to how we receive the light and pass on it to others. To light
others, first and foremost, we need to have the light. Matthew (5:16) writes
that ‘let your light shine before others, so that they may see
your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’. May this
Christmas season fill us with the life of Jesus which is the true light.
We who celebrate the birth of Jesus also have the responsibility of
accepting the reality that still there are many who like to continue in the
darkness. In the words of John (3:19) ‘the light has come into the world and
people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil’.
This calls to engage constantly with the commitment to Jesus that we will
proclaim the Gospel light in thoughts, words and various forms of deeds. And
the light is guaranteed to all. According to John (John 8: 12) Jesus said, “I
am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but
will have the light of life.”
2 The Light Shines in Darkness
Fear of war,
including nuclear war, is something that we all are faced with. War drives
people in to various forms of darkness as people of Zebulun
and Naphtali. War is one of the many forms of darkness that drives us to calamity or affliction, distress and oppression. If there is no war,
there are others who are haunted by poverty, drug abuse, many kind of
addictions and socio, religious, political, economic, cultural and identity
threads. Loneliness, nonacceptance, unemployment, communalism, fundamentalism
and so on are the many kinds of the forces of darkness. The list can go
on.
Jon writes in 1 John 1:7 that “But if we walk in the light, as he is in
the light’ we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son
cleanses us from all sin.” It is true that the gracious gift of the assurance
of salvation from God through Jesus Christ helps us to disassociate ourselves
with the afore mentioned and other forms of darkness. It is also necessary to
help avoid for ourselves and for others the situations of darkness. The
existential reality of struggling hard to provide light to those who are
already in deep gloom through various situations will help our light to shine
in darkness. That is the real fellowship with God and with one another.
Because of the power of light the darkness of many oppressive evils are
losing grounds. William Carey saw the evil of Sathi (widow burning), and fought
against it. He saw female infanticide and opposed it. He saw lepers being
burned and started leprosy mission. Missionaries who worked in south India
stood against the social evil of degrading lower caste woman by depriving
decent dress. Really the light shines in darkness.
If we say that we have accepted the light and the light is shining in
darkness then our thoughts, words and deeds should synchronies. That is why
John (1 John 2:9) writes that “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his
brother is still in darkness.”
3 The Light Enlightens Everyone
The light has come. It shines in darkness. And it enlightens everyone.
People in the region of Galilee were considered as people with less esteem, mean and illiterate, not famous for
any arts or sciences, and having no prophet among them. This had been the real
situation of most part of the world around at some point of time. But thanks be
to God for sending the light that enlightened everyone in the past, enlightens
in the present and will enlighten in the future.
When the
missionaries brought English education to nations, they brought enlightenment.
Innumerable medical institutions were established all over the world. The
presently renowned Vellore Christian Medical College Hospital in Tamil Nadu was
a humble beginning of enlightenment brought about by Dr.Ida S. Scudder in the field of medicine.
The mission
schools, colleges and various institutions established by the missionaries have
brought about enlightenment in education. It is true with the development of
science as well.
Christ, the
light that enlightens everyone brought to nations the printing technology, news
papers, journals, not only in English but also in regional languages.
As we
celebrate (Christmas) the light that enlightens everyone, we are not free from
serious questions like why do such enlightening centers are declining? Why are
we not able to sustain those institutions and continue to enlighten ourselves
and others?
It shows that
our responsibility of reflecting Jesus the true light to enlighten ourselves
and others requires rejuvenation. Christmas is the most suitable occasion to
ponder upon the light that came to enlighten others and prepare ourselves to be
inspired to enlighten us and others.
4 The Darkness Has Not Overcome the Light
Jesus said I am in
the world but not of the world; and I have overcome the world. The crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus are
the greatest testimonies to the fact that darkness cannot overcome light. Paul writes in Galatians 6:14 that “But far be it from me to boast except in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Paul,
further described his new life in Christ as new creation.
We live in a context where the powerful –
economically, politically, socially and numerically – misinterpret the power of
light. They try to overcome the light with darkness. The forces of darkness
that suppresses light had always been there to thwart the power of light. Often
the activities of the light are interpreted as our culture is destroyed; our
traditions are not respected so on.
Such attempts have disturbed
the church and society time and again. It will be there. Jesus, the apostles,
missionaries and the churches are great examples for not allowing the darkness
to overcome light.
As
we are in the Christmas season, we have the responsibility of locating the dark
forces that are trying to overcome light. It is not a moral standard that we
identify ourselves with forces that oppose light and its transformative
potentials. We can stop darkness, if we do not identify ourselves with the
forces of darkness. It is not enough to be away from such forces but it is our
call that we will not allow darkness to overcome light.
As
we have the great witnesses that have not allowed darkness to overcome light,
we cannot ignore the light on which we believe and for which we have committed
ourselves. Christmas is the right moment to renew our energies of all kind and
move forward.
Conclusion
Our present situations are almost like what happened to the Galilean
region. Often we are looked down because of limited resources and feeble
facilities. We are surrounded by many forces of darkness. Even in the most
desperate situation of hopelessness God assures us salvation.
Isaiah metaphorically explained
salvation as ‘people who walked in darkness have seen great light’. And this
light has come to be with us in the birth of Jesus Christ. That is the reason
for all our Christmas celebrations.
John the apostle vividly portrayed the content of Christmas. For him,
the life of Jesus was the light of people, the light shines in darkness, the
light enlightens everyone and the darkness has not overcome the light.
The event of Christmas demands serious faith response from all of us.
Since the life of Jesus was the light of the people, our responsibility is to
appropriate the light in faith and help others to appropriate it. Further,
because the light shines in darkness and we experience it, we should help
others to experience the light that shines in darkness. As the light enlightens
everyone our commitment is to enlighten ourselves and others who need it.
Finally, as the darkness has not overcome the light, we in our own existential
situation should not allow the darkness to take control of light-the
transformative potential.
May Christmas 2022 enable all of us to experience the light and all its
characteristics so that we will rejoice in the light and help others to rejoice
which is the real Christmas. Wish you all a merry Christmas.
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