"Bright" 12-24-22
Overview
Bright
Night is when shadows lengthen and danger draws near. Scripture knows this well: Judas slipped out to betray under cover of darkness, the Sanhedrin convened illegally after sundown, and shepherds kept watch through the night precisely because predators and thieves moved unseen in the dark. The Bible also uses darkness as an image of sin itself. We are told to "take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them" Ephesians 5:11. Romans 1:21 describes minds darkened by refusing to honor God, and 1 John 2:11 warns that whoever hates a brother walks in darkness, blinded by it. The sobering truth is that our eyes adjust. We grow comfortable in the dark. What startles us is when the light comes on.
That is exactly what happened on the hillside outside Bethlehem. "An angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear" Luke 2:9. Throughout Scripture, the glory of God appears as light—a devouring fire on Sinai Exodus 24:17, the earth shining at the approach of God's glory Ezekiel 43:2, the dazzling face of the transfigured Christ Luke 9:29. And the consistent human reaction is fear. Isaiah cried, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips" Isaiah 6:5. Peter fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" Luke 5:8. In the presence of holy light there is no concealing our darkness—our sins known and unknown, things done and left undone.
But the angel's word to terrified shepherds is the same word God speaks to us: "Fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy… For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:10-11. The Light of the world entered our darkness not to destroy us but to save us. At the cross, Jesus took upon himself the full weight of our sin; the wrath our darkness deserved fell on him. Risen from the tomb, he stands as our reconciliation with God, and in baptism he claims us with a promise he will never break.
This is why we gather not in fear but in joy. The candles, the lights, the tree shining in the sanctuary—all of it points to Christ, the Light no darkness can overcome. And there is more light still ahead. John writes of the city to come: "I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb… and there will be no night there" Revelation 21:22-25. Bright todays and bright tomorrows—because the Light of the world has come, and that Light is Jesus.
Transcript
Do you open your Bibles please with me this evening to Luke the second chapter. 3s
If you're using a Pue edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that on page 50 in 7s
the New Testament. 12s
Luke the second chapter. 13s
Night. 18s
It can be so very well dark. 22s
As a boy I remember that there was a nightlight in the whole just outside of my bedroom. 30s
My brother's room was across the way, my parents' room was down the hall and there in that 36s
whole way was this little nightlight. 41s
I love that nightlight. 45s
As you see, it cast light up on the wall that then drifted into my room. 47s
I didn't want to sleep with the door shut. 53s
Because with the door shut, with the door shut the room was just so dark. 58s
But with the nightlight, with the nightlight, with that light coming into the room, it 66s
seemed to push some of the darkness away. 73s
Interesting, isn't it? 81s
How we illuminate things in the dark, parking lots, houses, all kinds of devices that we 84s
have to illuminate things and to bring light and for good reason, right? 94s
Because in the dark, in the night, not always the best of things occur. 101s
Judas, for example, the Bible tells us, went to do his betrayal at night, his dark. 113s
The court, the Sanhedrin, the Bible tells us they met, they met at night. 121s
It was actually against the law, against Jewish law for them to meet at night, but they 128s
met in the dark because of the things they were doing. 133s
Why? 142s
Even in our text, verse 8, it says, in that region there were shepherds living in the 142s
fields, keeping watch over their flock by night, keeping watch over their 149s
flock by night and for good reason, right? 157s
Because in the darkness, in the darkness can lurk the hungry animals with their eyes on 162s
the flock. 172s
In the darkness, in the darkness can lurk the thieves wanting to take that which isn't 172s
theirs. 185s
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their 188s
flock by night and for good reason. 193s
Because at night, well, it's just so very dark. 196s
It's interesting how in Scripture, sinfulness is utilized as an image or reality of darkness, 211s
that darkness and sinfulness are coupled together. 223s
For example, Exodus 5 says, take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead 230s
expose them. 236s
Romans 1, for though they knew God they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but 238s
they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. 246s
1 John 1, but whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness 255s
and does not know the way to go because darkness has brought on blindness. 262s
But also there's the reality that instead of being afraid of the darkness of our sin, we 272s
can become quite comfortable with it. 283s
In fact, our eyes can adjust to the darkness and we just do fine in the darkness. 287s
What startles us, right? 296s
What startles us is when the light is turned on. 299s
There were the shepherds tending their flocks by night for good reason. 307s
It was dark. 312s
And then the very next verse tells us, then an angel of the Lord stood before them and 315s
the glory of the Lord, shone around them and they were terrified. 320s
The glory of the Lord, shone around them. 328s
What we see in Scripture is associated with the glory of God, associated with His greatness 334s
and His grandeur. 341s
What is associated with the glory of God is light. 342s
Why? 350s
Exodus tells us chapter 24. 351s
Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the 355s
mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 362s
Is equal 43. 367s
And there the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. 369s
The sound was like the sound of mighty waters and the earth shone with His glory. 373s
In Luke 9, speaking of Jesus, it says, and while he was praying, the appearance of His face 381s
changed. 387s
And his clothes became dazzling white. 388s
Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but since they had stayed awake, 392s
they saw His glory. 397s
The light was turned on the shepherds as they tended the flock at night and they were terrified. 401s
Why were they terrified? 411s
Well, they were startled who wouldn't be afraid of that. 413s
Of all of a sudden, this bright light now coming upon them, but their fear goes deeper. 416s
Because Scripture reveals to us that fear is a response to the manifestation of the glory 425s
of God. 436s
We see that over and over and over again. 437s
Isaiah 6 chapter. 443s
The vision that He has of the throne room of God, God, throne room, the glory of God. 445s
And Isaiah says, what was me on lost? 454s
From a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have 458s
seen the king, the Lord of hosts, his reaction to the manifestation of the glory of God. 464s
It was fear. 471s
In Luke, when Peter witnesses the miracle of the Lord, what's his response? 474s
Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man. 481s
It's fear. 485s
Why that reaction? 488s
Because in the presence of the glory of God, in the presence of that light, 491s
there's no hiding our darkness. 503s
The light of the word of God comes and reveals that which we want to conceal our darkness. 509s
What is it that we confessed? 520s
We said, forgive us, our sin, known and unknown, things done and left undone. 522s
I loved that nightlight as a kid. 534s
Because I was afraid of the dark. 538s
But when you come to think of it on a deeper level, what it is that we should be afraid of 542s
is the light. 549s
His light, the Scripture tells us that an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory 551s
of the Lord shown around them and they were terrified of what of the light, of the light. 561s
But, Pastor Heinrich Christian Schwann, in that great name, Heinrich Christian Schwann. 587s
He was Lutheran pastor. 598s
He introduced the first Christmas tree inside of a sanctuary in America. 600s
1851, Cleveland, Ohio. 608s
He was walking along, saw this small, beautifully manicured there, evergreen. 612s
He cut it down, brought it inside into the sanctuary and he and his wife Emma, they had 617s
the afternoon in which they decorated the tree. 623s
They were very excited to surprise the congregation. 626s
In fact, he even put on the top of the tree the silver star that he had taken from 630s
his boyhood growing up in Germany. 637s
Most of the congregation had German ancestry, so they were familiar with the tree. 641s
They were familiar with this tradition. 647s
The congregation arrived, they were just delighted. 652s
They were delighted to see that which they had known in Germany. 654s
A tree inside, inside their church. 659s
But not everybody in the community was pleased. 668s
And the newspaper published an editorial and they said, it is nonsensical, moronic absurdity 674s
to put a tree inside of a sanctuary. 687s
They wrote, those Lutherans worshiping a tree and bowing to a shrub. 693s
Well, the pastor was really rejected, really rejected. 705s
He took the tree and he tossed it in a trash can complete with the star just through 709s
it away. 713s
As wife saw that, said, why did you do that? 715s
He said, there will never be Christmas trees inside, much less inside of a church. 719s
They'll never happen to which his wife Emma responded nonsens. 726s
Nonsens. 733s
Next year, they put a tree in the sanctuary. 735s
And what they noticed, there was more trees throughout Cleveland and more trees inside 738s
of the church. 747s
And within five years, within five years, that swept across the country with Christmas trees 750s
in America inside of people's homes inside of sanctuaries. 762s
Jesus Christ is the light of the world. 775s
It's the light of the world. 782s
We gather tonight. 786s
We don't gather in fear. 788s
We gather in joy. 791s
And as part of our worship services, there are candles. 794s
There are lights that remind us of the light of the world. 798s
Jesus Christ. 803s
We give gifts to one another as a reminder of the greatest gift that has been given. 805s
Jesus Christ, the light of the world. 812s
Why we even have a tree, and it's a pretty good size tree. 815s
Wouldn't you say? 818s
We even have a tree inside the church with lights on it to remind us of the light of the world. 819s
We worship, not in fear. 833s
We worship with joy and why? 837s
To those shepherds watching their flock by night and for good reason. 846s
To those terrified shepherds who now are experiencing the glory of God, 854s
all of his majestic light shining down upon them. 860s
To those shepherds we read. 865s
But the angels said to them, do not be afraid. 869s
For see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. 872s
To you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is the Messiah the Lord. 878s
This will be a sign for you. 885s
You will find a child wrapped in bends of cloth and lying in a manger. 887s
And suddenly there was with the angel of multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, 893s
Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors. 900s
Born to you is a Messiah a Savior that would save us from what? 908s
Our darkness, our darkness, the darkness of our sin, the darkness of our rebellion against God. 918s
The Lord Jesus Christ taking upon Him at the cross, all of our darkness. 933s
And the wrath of God for our darkness falling not upon us, but the Savior. 941s
Jesus raised out of the tomb the sacrifice for sin accepted, reconciliation with God effected through the Savior. 955s
That glorious, glorious gospel message. 967s
Beloved, fear not for Jesus Christ the light of the world came to bring peace. 975s
Beloved, fear not for the light of the world Jesus Christ has won the victory, 985s
and we are washed in His promises in the waters of baptism. 991s
God has made His claim upon us and God says, I will never, ever let you go. 999s
You baptized child or mine. 1006s
No if ands are buts about it. 1009s
Beloved, fear not for we live each and every 1015s
day in the glorious news of the gospel. 1021s
And there is more light to come because the picture that we receive of heaven from revelation, 1029s
the 21st chapter, John writes, I saw no temple in the city. 1038s
For its temple is the Lord God, the almighty, and the lamb, Jesus. 1044s
And the city has no need of son or moon to shine on it. 1050s
For the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the lamb. 1057s
Its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there. 1065s
No night. 1076s
Bright to days and bright tomorrow's. 1084s
For the light of the world has come, and the light of the world. 1094s
shines on you, and there is no need to fear the light because it's Jesus. 1104s
And that light is so bright. 1121s
It's so bright. 1128s