Sunday
03/15/15 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s
Sermon Title: “The light came
into the world”
Old Testament Lesson:
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
New Testament
Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10
Gospel Lesson:
John 3:14-21
Friends, brothers and
sisters, welcome once again on this our Fourth Sunday in this the season of Holy
Lent. In this season of Lent, during these 40-days, we are called to repent, we
are called to pray, and we are called to prepare our hearts, our minds, our
souls, and our hands, for the death of Jesus Christ on a cross. In this season and
in all seasons, we are called to grow closer God, closer to Jesus Christ.
This Sunday is also the “One Great Hour of Sharing” Sunday
in the United Methodist Church. On this Sunday, we have a special offering that
is taken for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or “UMCOR.” Whenever
there is a natural disaster worldwide, UMCOR often responds quickly and
decisively. UMCOR gives out food, blankets, fresh water, and helps those who
are suffering. We also often work shoulder to shoulder with the relief agencies
of many of our sister Christian denominations, and other groups, as well. To
give to UMCOR, is to help people all over the world who suffer through
tsunamis, earthquakes, forest fires, war, famine, disease, and etc. In Jesus
Christ teaching us to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, and to care for each
other, the United Methodist Church, and UMCOR take this very seriously.
So, if you would like to give to UMCOR on this “One Great
Hour of Sharing” Sunday, please put on your checks or your giving, that your
funds are designated for “One Great Hour of Sharing.”
With that said, I want to talk to you this morning about
light and darkness. The idea of having light, and being able to see your
surroundings, versus having darkness, and not being able to see anything.
How
many of you here for example, have ever had that moment when the power in your
house just went out like that? Further, how many of you can remember it
happening at night? Or maybe for you, the power went out when you were
somewhere else. Maybe a friend’s house. Maybe a store, and etc., and etc.
So one minute, we are in the light. One minute we have the
television, and other things on, and then just like that, total darkness. So we’re
sitting in the light at night, and then just like that, total darkness.
For many of us, we don’t like the darkness. When we were
children, we were often afraid of the darkness. When the bedroom lights were
turned off at night, maybe we thought, but what about that monster that lives
in my closet? Yet we don’t often worry about that monster during the day, do
we? We often only seem to worry about that monster in the darkness of the night.
Or what about when we are walking outside and it’s dark out,
and we hear a creaking or a cracking sound? Sometimes at this point, our minds
race with ideas of what that sound could be. Or maybe we are camping in the
woods, and we are all cozy in our tents at night, and just then we hear a stick
break. What could that be, we wonder, perhaps a little scarred?
For many of us, we don’t like being in the darkness. Yet
imagine if you have never seen the light. Imagine if you have always been in
darkness, the light at first might seem a little scary, and even a little off putting.
This morning in the gospel according to John, Jesus says,
“The light came into the world, and people loved darkness more than the light,
for their actions are evil” (John 3:19, CEB).
In the gospel John, Jesus says in 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of
the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the
light of life.” Light and darkness. Inside of us all, is both light and
darkness, and the light is Jesus. When we follow Jesus, we have great light.
When we reject Jesus, we walk away from the light.
In a world with so much darkness, we
are called to be the light of the world. We are called to be a city on a hill.
We are called to shine the love and the light of Christ everywhere. In doing
so, the darkness is overcome by the light.
Yet for many of us, we still find that
sometimes we have darkness that is in us. Maybe it is that voice from the devil
telling us that we are not good enough, that we are unlovable, or that we are
all washed up. We all have darkness that dwells in us, and this darkness often
helps us to appreciate the light even more, as we in those situations see our great
need for the light. The light is what makes us whole. This morning, Jesus says
speaking of himself, “the light came into the world” (John 3:19, CEB).
Is anyone hear this morning then,
afraid of the dark? Or, were any of you afraid of the dark at some point in
your life? Perhaps you loved that night light you had or still have, because
even in a dark room, there was still a little light. Yet I have never heard a
small child say at bedtime, “turn off all the lights quickly, I am afraid of
the light!” I have heard children that are afraid of the dark though, but I
have never heard of anyone who is afraid of the light.
In this way then, Jesus uses powerful
words this morning, to talk about spiritual darkness and dryness. He says, I am
the answer for that darkness and dryness. In me, He says, you will have light,
and have it abundantly.
In our reading from Psalm 107 from
this morning, it says, “Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his
faithful love lasts forever” (Psalm 107:1, CEB)! God’s love, God’s grace, God’s
mercy, is the light that fills us, and it “lasts forever” (Ps. 107:1, CEB).
In the Apostle Paul’s Epistle or letter
to the church in Ephesus, or the Ephesians, from this morning, the Apostle Paul
begins by saying,
“At one time you were like a dead person because of the
things you did wrong and your offenses against God” (Eph. 2:1, CEB).
Another way to say this, is that at one time we were in
darkness and sin, and the light of Christ came and gave us rebirth and the newness
of life.
The Apostle Paul then goes on to say
in Ephesians 2:4-5,
“However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with
Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did
this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s
grace” (Eph. 2:4-5, CEB)!
God’s love, God’s grace, is the light of the world that fills
us, that removes all darkness.
In fact the Apostle Paul then says in Ephesians
2:8, “You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is
God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed” (Eph. 2:8, CEB). In Christ then,
we have the free gift of salvation, of light, of grace, and of love. For in
Christ, who was God in the flesh, “the light came into the world” (John 3:19,
CEB).
In looking more closely at our gospel
of John reading from this morning, we hear about Moses lifting up his staff
with the bronze snake on it, in the wilderness. Some experts believe that the
Israelites believed that if they had been bitten by a venomous snake, that they
needed only to look at Moses’s staff with the bronze snake or the serpent on it,
to then survive. The bronze snake or serpent was also a symbol that the
Israelites believed was from God. In Moses lifting this thing from God up then,
he helped to save his people. Jesus will then be raised up as well, but to save
us all. For it says in John 3:14-15, “And just as Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15, NRSV).
We then of
course in John 3:16 have one of the most well-known scripture verses in the
whole Bible. John 3:16 says, “For God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16, NRSV). God so loved
the world, that he sent the light of the world, to remove all darkness.
The gospel then says that Jesus came
to save us, not to condemn us, and in John 3:18 it says, “Those who believe in
him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already,
because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18,
NRSV).
Then the gospel reading for this
morning is closed with John 3:19-21, that says,
“And this is the judgment, that the light
has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because
their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so
that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do
what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds
have been done in God” (John, 3:19-21, NRSV).”
The simple question that we can ask
ourselves this morning then, is are we walking in the light of Christ, or we
walking in sin and darkness? For as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Darkness
cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that.” Are we in the light of Christ this morning, or are we
in sin and darkness? For we all called to be children of light. We are called
to be salt and light.
I would like to tell you a good story
about light and darkness, called “The
Cave People.” This story was “taken from Max Lucado's, The
Woodcutter's Wisdom and Other Favorite Stories.”
Here is how it goes: “Long
ago, or maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe in a dark, cold cavern. The
cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long
they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew how to do. The sounds in
the cave were mournful, but the people didn't know it, for they had never known
joy. The spirit in the cave was death, but the people didn't know it, for they
had never known life.”
“But
then, one day, they heard a different voice. "I have heard your cries,"
it announced. "I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come
to help."
“The
cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. Hope sounded strange
to their ears. "How can we know you have come to help?"
"Trust me," he answered.
"I have what you need."
“The cave people peered through the
darkness at the figure of the stranger. He was stacking something, then
stooping and stacking more.”
"What are you doing?" one
cried, nervously. The stranger didn't answer.” "What are you making?"
one shouted even louder. Still no response.” "Tell us!" demanded a
third.”
“The visitor stood and spoke in the
direction of the voices. "I have what you need." With that he turned
to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light
filled the cavern.”
“The cave people turned away in
fear. "Put it out!" they cried. "It hurts to see it." "Light
always hurts before it helps," he answered. "Step closer. The pain
will soon pass." "Not I," declared a voice. "Nor
I," agreed a second. "Only a fool would risk
exposing his eyes to such light." The stranger stood next to the fire.
"Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don't consult
your fears. Take a step of faith"
“For
a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The
fire builder stood next to the fire. "It's warm here," he invited.”
"He's right," one from
behind him announced. "It's warmer." The stranger turned and saw a
figure slowly stepping toward the fire. "I can open my eyes now," she
proclaimed. "I can see." "Come closer," invited the
fire builder. She did. She stepped into the ring of light. "It's
so warm!" she extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass. "Come,
everyone! Feel the warmth," she invited.”
"Silence, woman!" cried
one of the cave dwellers. "Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us.
Leave us and take your light with you." She turned to the stranger. "Why
won't they come?" "They choose the chill, for
though it's cold, it's what they know. They'd rather be cold than change." "And
live in the dark, she asked?" "And live in the dark, he
responded."
“The now-warm woman stood silent.
Looking first at the dark, then at the man. "Will you leave the fire?"
he asked. She paused, then answered, "I cannot. I cannot bear the
cold." Then she spoke again. "But nor can I bear the thought of my
people in darkness." "You don't have to," he
responded, reaching into the fire and removing a stick. "Carry this to
your people. Tell them the light is here, and the light is warm. Tell them the
light is for all who desire it." And so she took the small flame and
stepped into the shadows.”
My brothers and sisters, this morning Jesus says, “The
light came into the world” (John 3:19, CEB). Do
we embrace the light of Christ and let it fill us, and let it work through us,
to fill others, or do we reject the light of Christ and stay in darkness? Do we
follow God, follow Jesus, to make a better world, or do we stay in darkness? Amen.
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