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Hope
In Darkness At Christmas
Christmas, Hope No Matter How Dark the
DarknessBy Sam Luce
Christmas
is a paradoxical holiday it is filled with such joy and at the same time
reminds us of great losses.
I found
it convicting and encouraging. I hope that you who feel overwhelmed this
Christmas can find your hope in the light the gospel provides.
We have
much to be hopeful for and rejoice about. We celebrate at Christmas how Jesus
came close.
“As silent as snow falling, he came in. And when no one was
looking into the darkness, he came.” – Sally
Lloyd-Jones
Just before Bonhoeffer was executed, he wrote this to a friend: “Death is the supreme festival on the road
to freedom.”
“Death used to be an
executioner, but because of the gospel, Jesus has made death just a gardener.
All death can do is plant me in his love and make me come up in ways I’ve never
been before.” – George Herbert
What is
Bonhoeffer saying? What is that? A light dawned on Bonhoeffer.
In
spite of the fact that there was darkness all around him, the shadow of
the fear of death, because he believed Jesus Christ was from that other world,
born into this world, Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the debt the human
race owed to justice, so when we died believing in Him we can have no fear of
anything we have done somehow stymying us or drawing us down so we don’t have
to be afraid of death in any way, what did that mean?
Because
Bonhoeffer wasn’t afraid of death, he wasn’t afraid of anything.
Because
Bonhoeffer wasn’t afraid of death, he didn’t care about comfort. He didn’t care
about affluence.
He
didn’t care about power or pleasure or sex or money. He didn’t care.
That’s why his people said, “You
have it made. You can be a successful professor out here away from Germany. You
don’t have to go back in there.”
He
didn’t want to not go back. Why not? The shadow of death did not fall on him.
He
lived in a dark world, but because he believed in Jesus, a light dawned.
Because
Jesus was born in a manger, that means this world is not all there is.
If you
let the knowledge of what Jesus Christ is and has done dawn in your life like
Bonhoeffer, you can walk around in any part of the world, any century, any
situation without fear.
Bonhoeffer
is the exact opposite of the kind of person western Civilization according to
Ernest Becker is producing.
He
wasn’t obsessed with romance and love. He wasn’t obsessed with money. He wasn’t
being driven to be successful. There was nothing frantic about him.
Because
he wasn’t afraid of death, he wasn’t afraid of anything. Christmas means fear
no darkness.
Christmas
means fear not.
The angels are always showing up in all the Christmas stories
saying, “Fear not, Mary. Fear not,
Zechariah. Fear not. Fear no darkness.”
Spurgeon said
it this way.
“The coming of Jesus to us, when he does really come into our
hearts, takes away the darkness of ignorance, sorrow, carelessness, fear and
despair. Our night is ended once for all when we behold God visiting us in
Christ Jesus. Our day may cloud over, but night will not return. O, you that
are in the blackest midnight, if you can but get a view of Christ, morning will
have come to you! There is no light for you elsewhere, believe us in this; but
if Jesus be seen by faith, you shall need no candles of human confidence, nor
sparks of feelings and impressions: the beholding of Christ shall be the ending
of all night for you.” – C.
H. Spurgeon
“The beholding of Christ
shall be the ending of all night for you!”
Powerful
profound truths to ponder this Christmas season. Thank you, Tim Keller. Thank
you, Charles Spurgeon.
May the
light of Christmas dispel the shadow of death in your life. May the hope and
joy of Advent fill your heart as you seek him!
Sam Luce has been the children’s pastor at Redeemer Church in
Utica, New York for the past 14 years. Currently he serves as the Utica campus
pastor and the Global family pastor. A prolific blogger and popular children's
conference speaker, Sam has worked in children's ministry for over 23 years and
is also a contributing editor to K! magazine.
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