Two years ago, I
attended a choir concert given by St. Olaf College. They
were on their tour in Nebraska, and I couldn’t pass up a chance at music of
that caliber. About halfway through the concert, the director introduced a
piece written by one of the students. The student was a fairly conservative
Christian, but he had used text from one of his Ba’hai friends’ faith for the
piece. The director commented that this was an ensemble that regularly put
their differences aside to create something amazing.
As they sang the
song, the director’s words rang true. These were college students from just
about every field of study offered at St. Olaf, from all sorts of religious and
political views, and here they were, filling a building with enveloping
melodies and rich harmonies. Putting aside every conflict and difference for
this one common cause—creating music of excellence.
We live in a
messy world. Forces try to divide us and persuade us that our differences are
cause for hate and fear rather than for enrichment and enlightenment. Our world
is messy, but good wins. Light wins.
Our first lesson
tonight states: “Those who have walked in darkness have seen a great light.” At the beginning of our service, we read from John 1, verse 5, declaring that,
“Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.” There has
been much darkness this year. We are barely ten days out from the tragedy of
Newtown, not five months from the tragedy in the Sikh temple near Milwaukee. We
only have to turn on the news to be reminded of the hunger, disease, and
conflict still present in the world.
Despite all that,
we declare to ourselves, to the world and to the darkness that the light cannot
be overcome. I ask you tonight to join me in that declaration—3 times I will
say, “light shines in the darkness,” 3 times I ask you to please respond, “and
the darkness cannot overcome it.”
Light shines in
the darkness
And the darkness cannot overcome it.
Light shines in
the darkness
And the darkness cannot overcome it.
Light shines in
the darkness
And the darkness cannot overcome it.
We live in a
messy and broken world. There is darkness in the world, but light shines
there—and where light shines, darkness retreats. Our faith, our God tells us
that. It says “You don’t win, darkness.” Christ has come. Jesus Christ, God
incarnate, light itself, has come into the world, and darkness cannot overcome
it.
Christmas Eve is
a night we remember a story of the unexpected and unexplainable love and light
God brings to our lives.
God comes to this
messy and broken world and becomes human—but Jesus comes to us as a helpless
baby, not a warrior. Jesus comes through this young woman, Mary, who is with
her husband Joseph. Two peasants on a pilgrimage in a strange town, not wealthy
established and secure households. Jesus comes to a stable, not a palace. Jesus’
birth is announced by angels to shepherds in a field, not to kings and queens
and political powers.
That’s Christmas.
The greatest gift we could know of, and that’s how it happens. Completely
unexpected. The amazing brilliance of Emmanuel—God with us—comes to the world
in this way.
Isaiah says it
better than I could. "People who have walked in darkness have seen a great
light."
Again, I go back
to that evening in Nebraska. People had gathered—some for the whole season,
some for a few of the days, some just for that night. Watching all the people
from different places and opinions come together up front and all of the people
from different professions and parts of town come together on the floor all for
this one thing—this music—made me realize how similar we are and how much we
can do when we stop worrying about what divides and start worrying about what
unites. When we see that, the light of Christ is present.
The shepherds
watching their flocks in the night, saw it. The St. Olaf Choir, with all their
differences, saw it. We, too, see it. We see it whenever we glimpse the
goodness of the world in the midst of everything else that goes on. In our
friendships, in kindness shown to a stranger, we see it. When a hungry person
is fed, a cold person given a blanket, when anyone finds what they need, we see
it.
We see it. When we
remember the one who came for our sake, in the most humble way, we act for that
goodness, the light of Christ is there. We carry it with us. We say, you don’t
win, darkness, because, where light is, darkness cannot be. Light is the victor
in the end.
This is a candlelight service for a reason. We will declare again the victory of the light in a few moments by
lighting our candles. As we lift up our candles tonight, take a moment to watch
as the darkness recedes. As the lights multiply, the darkness recedes further
and further—the light is brighter when we join together.
We are a group of
differing political, professional, and maybe even theological interests. But
when we set that aside, we can make something amazing happen. We can shine
light into the darkness.
Light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
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