Thursday
12/20/18 – Blue Christmas
/Longest
Night Service - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Light defeats darkness”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 80:1-7
New Testament
Scripture: Hebrews 10:32-39
Gospel Lesson:
John 16:31-33
Friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome once again
to this our Blue Christmas or Longest Night service. How many of us here have
never been to a Blue Christmas or Longest Night service?
I want to read a short description of what this service is
all about for those who have never been to a worship service like this before.
This description is taken from www.umcdiscipleship.org, and it says:
“Blue?
Yes, blue as in the blues. As in "I am feeling blue." Not everyone is
up and cheery for the Christmas holidays. Dealing with the death of a loved
one, facing life after divorce or separation, coping with the loss of a job,
living with cancer or some other dis-ease that puts a question mark over the
future, and a number of other human situations make parties and joviality
painful for many people in our congregations and communities. There is a
growing attentiveness to the needs of people who are blue at Christmas.
Increasing numbers of churches are creating sacred space for people living
through dark times. Such services are reflective, accepting where we really
are, and holding out healing and hope”.
“Some
churches hold a service of worship on the longest night of the year, which
falls on or about December 21st, the Winter Solstice. There is an interesting
convergence for this day as it is also the traditional feast day for Saint
Thomas the Apostle. This linkage invites making some connections between
Thomas's struggle to believe the tale of Jesus' resurrection, the long nights
just before Christmas, and the struggle with darkness and grief faced by those
living with loss” (https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/blue-christmaslongest-night-worship-with-those-who-mourn).
Tomorrow, December 21st is the winter solstice.
In being the first day of the season of winter, the winter solstice also has
more darkness than any other day of the year. In fact according to one source
that I read, it says:
“The winter
solstice (or hibernal solstice), also known as midwinter, is
an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the
shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice).
So tomorrow, the first day of the season of winter, or the
winter solstice is shortest day of daylight all year. Or another way to phrase
it, is that tomorrow will be the “Longest Night” of the year. Since some are
feeling “blue” or not overly cheery this time of the year, and since tomorrow
is the “Longest Night” of the year we gather to bring the light of Jesus Christ
into the darkness. This is why this service is called both Blue Christmas and
the Longest Night Service.
In the gospel of John, among other “I
Am” statements, Jesus says in John 8:12:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never
walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (Jn.
8:12, NRSV).
While tomorrow is the Winter Solstice
or the first day of winter, we have our annual Christmas Cantata tomorrow
night, here at the church at 7:00 pm. Given this, doing both this service and
the Cantata in one night, would probably be too much. The good news though, is
that we can gather tonight and tomorrow night to praise God and to shine the
light of Jesus Christ into the darkness. Darkness loses, and the light of
Christ wins! We will be here singing tomorrow night, and the light of Christ
will overcome the darkness!
In looking at our scripture readings
for tonight, in our reading from Psalm 80:1-7, the people of Israel cry out to
God to restore them and give them new hope (Ps. 80:1-7, NRSV). Maybe tonight,
we are in need of restoration from God? Maybe we are crying out to God for
hope? May we seek the hope and the light of God through Jesus Christ together!
In our reading from the Apostle Paul’s
Epistle or letter to the Hebrews for tonight, Paul asks the Hebrews to recall
the sacrifices that they have made for their faith. Paul writes once again:
“But recall those earlier days when,
after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes
being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners
with those so treated. For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and
you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you
yourselves possessed something better and more lasting. Do not, therefore,
abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that
when you have done the will
of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet “in a very little while, the
one who is coming will come and will not delay; but my righteous one will live
by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.” But we are not
among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and
so are saved” (Heb. 10:32-39,
NRSV).
The Apostle Paul says that many have
suffered, and many have suffered for their faith. The Apostle Paul reminds us
that God is with us, and that we are saved by our faith in Jesus Christ.
In our gospel lesson for tonight, Jesus
himself once again tells us what it is like to be alone and to be persecuted.
The gospel once again says:
“Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? The hour is
coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home,
and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I
have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face
persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (Jn. 16:31-33, NRSV).
In
the gospel, Jesus is saying that when he will be tried and crucified that the
majority of his friends will scatter. Even though all alone on the cross
though, Jesus says that God the Father would be with him. Jesus encouraged us
to know and trust that God is with us through all trials and temptations.
Lastly, Jesus calls us to have faith and courage, as He has overcome sin and
death for us.
We
have plenty of scriptures therefore that discuss hardship, suffering, and
faith. I am convinced that one of the many reasons that Jesus created the
church, was so that we wouldn’t be alone. When we are together and when we are living
out our faith together, the light that Christ shines within us shines even
brighter. Perhaps our light almost seems extinguished tonight, but I bet someone
else here has some light to share, so that our light can again grow strong. We
gather tonight to seek and share the light of Christ. We gather to declare that
God is good, that Christ is alive, and that His light will prevail over the darkness.
There
is a really good video on YouTube called “Does God exist” that portrays a young
Albert Einstein in school in Germany, where he was from (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvhGeNzdRZA).
In this video, which is in German, but subtitled in English, little Einstein’s
teacher, teaches the class that there is no God. The teacher asks the students
if God is good, to which they all agree that He is good. The teacher then asks
the class if God created everything, and again the students say yes. The teacher
then asks if evil exists, and of course the students agree that evil does in
fact exist. The teacher then says that if God created everything, and if evil
exists, then God must have created evil. The teacher then says that because of
this, God must be evil. Therefore, the teacher said, there is no God.
Well
right then, young Albert Einstein raised his hand in the class. The teacher
called on young Einstein. Albert Einstein stood up and then asked his teacher a
question. He asked the teacher if cold existed. The teacher replied, well of
course cold exists, haven’t you ever been cold. Young Albert Einstein then says
to the teacher that he is wrong, because cold does not exist. Einstein said
that cold is merely the absence of heat.
Not
being done, Einstein then asked the teacher if darkness exists. The teacher
said well of course, you have seen the night time and dark places. Einstein
tells the teacher that he is wrong again. Einstein said that darkness is merely
the lack of light. He then said that evil is what happens when humans don’t
have God’s love in their heart. Therefore, God exists, and evil exists only exists
when the love of Jesus isn’t present. Young Albert Einstein shut his teacher
right up, as he defended the fact that God does indeed exist.
One
of the things that I love about this story is that young Albert Einstein tells
his teacher that darkness doesn’t exist. In fact, darkness is only the absence
of light. We gather tonight for this Blue Christmas/Longest Night Service, to
declare that the light of the world, Jesus Christ, overcomes and casts out
darkness. We gather together, some of us with lights in us that are dim and
some that are bright. We combine them together as the body of Christ, why cry
together, we laugh together, and through this light of Christ, the darkness
flees and hides. Friends, on a cold and dark night, the light of Christ
prevails. Amen.
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