Sermon for January 5, 2025 - The Second Sunday of Christmas
There is a recurring word in our gospel today: light. In the opening verses of the Gospel according to John, we are reminded – seven times – that God is light, “the true light that enlightens everyone.” Light is a recurring theme during Christmastide, not just in the scriptures, but in life all around us. We see festive lights strung along the streets, on lamp poles, in shop windows, and on the gables of houses along Wellington Crescent and in so many other places. In your home you may still have a lighted Christmas tree and festive candles on your table or in your windowsill. This array of lights we customarily see in Christmastide has a Christian history, but not a Christian origin.
The tradition of lights this season traces its way back to the Roman Empire, which marked the “birthday of the unconquered sun” (natalis solis invicti) on December 25th. Since early days, Christians have celebrated Christmas on December 25th, to roughly coincide with the winter solstice, when the days again begin to lengthen and the sun rises higher in the sky.” Isaiah had prophesied about the light of the forthcoming Messiah: “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light…” And so, light has figured very importantly into the Christmas story. The shepherds found their way to the manger of the Christ child by following a light in the sky. The Magi from the east also found their way to the Christ child by following stars in the night sky. In later years, the Gospel writers would remember Jesus’ saying of himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
We can string the tradition of lights this time of year back to early centuries that predate Christ. Whether or not we consciously understand the history and symbolism of festal light, we do innately crave light. Whether we suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or whether we’re afraid of “things that go bump in the night,” or whether we simply feel that we’re “in the dark” about the mystery of our own life, we crave light and enlightenment, especially in some seasons of our lives. The candles and strands of light we see this season – inside and outside the church – are reminders of how common and how deep this craving for real light actually is, a craving that reaches to the depths of our souls.
In the Genesis creation story, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was without form and void, and darkness was everywhere. And on the first day, God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And it was good. It was not until the fourth day, in the creation story, that the sun and moon and stars of the sky were created. Which is to say God’s light precedes earthly light, even our light. It can make a remarkable difference in your day, in your life, to face God’s light. Not unlike on a sunny day in winter when it feels so good to have the sun shine on your face, simply do that: choose to face God, who knows you and who sees you, and who sees into you, not in a critical light but in an adoring light. Let the light of God’s countenance shine on you. No need to hide. God knows, and God knows you, and the only way you will know how much God knows you and loves you is to face God, the source of all enlightenment, so that “the eyes of your [own] heart also be enlightened.” Lighten up in the face of God.
As followers of the light, we are tasked to mirror that light into the face of others, and with the extravagant generosity of God. William Blake writes, “We are put on earth a little space, that we may learn to bear the beams of love….” Presume that the reason you are yet alive, for as much as one more day, is to participate in the life and light and love of God. You are a living mirror. Bear the beams of love. Look upon others and be radiant with God’s love for them. They may otherwise never know in this life – or at least not know in this day – how much God loves them. And what shame to go through a day without being reminded how much God loves you. Mirror that light into the face of others, and with the extravagant generosity of God. You need not speak; simply be a mirror of God’s life, and light, and love upon the face of others.
If life is dark for you just now, here are two consolations. God is in the dark with us. In the psalms, we read a prayer: “Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike.” God is in the dark with us. Presume that your soul mirrors the sky: there is both day and night. If you are in the dark, God is also with you in the dark and the light, God’s light, will dawn on you as you are able to bear it. We call this “enlightenment.” Meanwhile, if you are in the dark, take Jesus at his word that he is with us always, and to the very end. The dawn will come, when you are ready, or when you are readied. You can’t force the light.
There’s an ancient story about a spiritual seeker who asked the master, “Master, is there anything I can do to make myself enlightened?” The master answered, “As little as you can do to make the sun rise in the morning.” “Then of what use are the spiritual practices you prescribe?” “To make sure,” the elder said, “that you are not asleep when the sun begins to rise.” The dawn will come, when you are ready, or when you are readied. Watch and wait with great expectation because the darkness does not overcome light.
You may also find consolation in darkness. Saint John of the Cross, the 16th century Spanish mystic, writes about experiencing “the dark night of the senses,” when good feelings and consolation fall away. John of the Cross says that “the clearer the light the more it blinds and darkens the eye of the soul,” not unlike looking directly on the sun. You are teeming with God’s light, whether or not you can see it. God sees you, and God is with you. If you are in the dark, rest in the knowledge that God is with you. The Prophet Isaiah says, “Your light shall break forth like the dawn.”
If this Christmas you are asking the question, maybe desperately, whether God is with you, the answer is “yes, absolutely.” The question is not whether God is with you, but how God is with you? Because God Emmanuel is with you, and with the rest of us, whether here, near, or far away, all around this world. Whether the landscape of your soul is brightly illuminated just now, or whether you are temporarily blinded by more light than you can bear, or whether the darkness simply seems to loom large, God is with you. Take the risk of being as adventurous and as courageous as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, the shepherds, the wisemen to believe it be so that God is with you in both the night and the day. Bear the beams of God’s light and life and love with extravagance, wherever you can. There’s more where it all came from: God’s light, to lighten the way and give you delight… which is very good news, indeed.
