The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. — Isaiah 9:2

0 Little Town of Bethlehem
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

Nothing quite brings more comfort to a household than power being restored after a long power outage on a winter's day. At first, the outage can be exciting and some what calming, especially if it's stormy outside or snow blankets the land. But, if the outage lingers, the lack of lights and heat can be frustrating and even frightening ... the land gets colder and darker.

Men wandered without direction, and no one could light the path for them.

Similarly, before the arrival of Christ, the world was consumed in cold darkness. The land was dark, and the hope of mankind was bleak. Humanity lived trapped, not under snow or ice, but in the bondage and slavery of sin and despair. The cycle of sin never stopped. Men wandered without direction, and no one could light the path for them. Darkness ruled, and it felt as if it was never going to stop. There was no hope. The promises of God seemed to be gone. They could not find their way, nor could they remove the darkness themselves.

Christ's arrival disrupted the darkness because he is the light of men.

Christ's arrival disrupted the darkness because he is the light of men. Like a spotlight, he shone brightly with focus and precision into the hearts of men. His light exposed the sin that kept humanity at bay. He showed us the way to the Father by removing our sin and bringing us out of darkness and into God's marvelous light.

This light of Christ is not a temporary glimpse of the right direction, but the eternal hope of joy everlasting. Jesus is the eternal beacon of hope. He is the light that we need. He came to us because we would not look for him or ever find him on our own.

The light of Christ, like a lighthouse, warns people of the dangers that lurk nearby but offers safety and refuge in his presence.

The light of Christ gives us purpose and eternal hope. Our lives are safe in his light. No longer must we try to find comfort in the darkness. No longer do we need to hide from God.

The storms may come, but through Christ's light, we can reside in safety.

The storms may come, but through Christ's light, we can reside in safety. The power will never go out again. Never again will we have to fear the dark world of sin, for "... on them has light shone!"

Liturgy

Father,
It is the season of great joy,
and once again
we celebrate the birth
of your son, Emmanuel.
We bustle about
sharing love and laughter,
kindness and joy,
songs and stories of the season.
However, in stillness,
when the day's celebrations quiet,
it is often then that we forget you are light.
When the world is dark and we are alone,
our minds are filled with fear.
In that hour, we need you most.
Help us, oh Lord
to lean in to truth,
the words we've heard
and have always known.
We no longer walk alone.
We need not fear the dark,
for in you there is great promise
and perfect peace.
You alone are Immanuel, born to save us.
You alone are the light of the world.
You alone are everlasting love, forever.

In Christ's name we pray,
Amen