The Light of Christ
From tonight’s OT reading:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” Is 9.2
The midwife arrived in the middle of the night to find an anxious husband and his wife, due at any moment with their first child. Just as it all began to happen, there was a power cut, but the midwife calmed the husband and gave him a torch to hold. ‘Don’t worry’ she said, ‘I’ve done this lots o times before.’
Soon there was a cry, and the midwife was about to show the husband his first-born, when she stopped and said ‘hold on a moment - yes - it’s twins’. They were overjoyed, but suddenly the midwife said, ‘No, hold on, it’s triplets!’ All went pitch black. ‘What’s happened’ said the midwife to the husband. ‘I turned it off’ the man said, ‘I think the light’s attracting them!’
And the Light still does attract them.
Despite all the darkness in our world - and the media never miss an opportunity to remind us of it - most men and women are attracted to the light. They recognise goodness wherever they see it. They appreciate acts of kindness.
The light enables them to see how they should behave, with mercy and self-giving love. (We’ve just collected £600 for Crisis by carol singing around the parish - you can add to that tonight as you leave.) And the greatest light that has ever come into the world is Jesus Christ our Saviour, whose birth we celebrate symbolically at this dark midnight hour, in a church ablaze with light.
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”
Or as we shall read in John’s Gospel later this morning:
“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it... The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (John 1.5, 9)
In his careful use of language here, John is countering the theological position called dualism: the idea that there are two equally opposed forces at work in the universe: good and evil; light and darkness.
John asserts with the Jewish-Christian tradition of more than three thousand years, that darkness is only an absence of light; evil is but an aberration of good.
Light is our native home.
We are attracted by the light. Yes we are fascinated with evil, and often beguiled by it. But it is not our homeland. It is but a journey to far country.
The light recalls us to our senses. It reveals and shows true colours. It allows us to recognise and love our friends. It reveals the painful path ahead in loving our enemies. It is our hope in life’s dark hours.
And all this is encapsulated in this baby. In this Great Little One, who comes from his dwelling in unapproachable light to our dark world, that has always been shot through with his light, but has never really understood it.
And although we do not now fully understand it. We may not even know just why we came to church tonight. Yet we are attracted by this mysterious and compelling light.
Scripture asserts three things about the essence of God:
God is Spirit
God is Light and
God is Love.
And this is why we celebrate this baby’s birthday by commemorating his deathday and his glorious resurrection. Because the darkness was not able to overcome the light. Hate and malice cannot defeat love.
Remember tonight’s collect at the beginning of the mass:
“O God, who hast made this most holy night to shine with the brightness of the true light: grant we beseech thee, that we, who have known the mysteries of his light on earth, may also attain to the fruition of his joys in heaven.”
The joys of heaven have touched earth in this wonderful birth, so that light and love are inextricably bound up in this baby. Love came down at Christmas.
This Christmas night, receive the light and love of Christ in the sacrament set before you. Here is the mystery of the Christian faith enacted before you. Let the light of Christ draw you ever deeper into his love, as you receive this simple Christmas Presents of Bread and Wine.
Listen to the late John Betjeman:
And is it true? For if it is,“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” Is 9.2
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things...
... Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was Man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.
(Last 2 stanza of ‘Christmas’ shortened)
