The Message of the Light | Advent | John 1:1-14
The message of Christmas has been sullied for many years. Often, it boils down to a saccharine sweet message of good tidings that delight for a day but, like the peppermint canes of Christmas, last but a day before dissolving into the harsh realities of life. But the actual message of Christmas is different. It moves us from the ethereal to the real and that is precisely what God did by becoming a man. It isn’t just that Jesus came with a message, Jesus IS the message. John’s prologue gives us a beautiful entry into this message. John intends for this to be the entry into the whole Gospel itself. And when we receive this message (v. 12), it changes our lives—our identities and our way of living.
Extraordinary for the Ordinary | Advent | Luke 2:8-20
In our Light From Darkness series, this is the only passage that doesn’t directly mention “light.” Instead, the glory of the Lord shines. Glory is the shining presence of God and this matters because Jesus has just been born—hence, the glory of God filling the nighttime sky. Jesus is the glory of God revealed. And of all the people in the world it is first revealed to, it is to ordinary shepherds. It is a picture of grace that God reveals Himself to the ordinary and lowly (can we see our own lowliness?) and the message of the manger is a picture of the very nature of God where dominion and power are wrapped in the swaddling cloths of humility. Christmas, then, shows us everything we really need to know about God: power and mercy, kingship and humility. In this paradox, we are confronted and called to follow Him and do what the shepherds did—to go find Him and then pour out praise and worship through our lives lived for Him.
The Dawn of Light | Advent | Luke 1:67-80
Continuing our Advent series, we ask this week, “Are we preparing for Christmas Day or are we preparing for the Savior?” Zacharias, in his prophecy, describes an epic, cosmic event that shifts everything with the coming of Jesus. In this passage, we’re told what it means to know God and what He has mercifully done for us. Most importantly, the birth of Jesus is described as the dawning of the light—hope that the darkness will be chased away and we will be free.