Advent – Week 2 Message
Hello. I am Rick Merfeld, president of Caught Up in Christ Ministries. Welcome to Week Two of our special Advent series of spiritual first aid for believers and seekers.
We have three goals for this Advent series. We want to
- help everyone be more confident in the story of God
- be more aware of where each of us fits into the story and how Satan is trying to trip us up
- and be better equipped to compassionately and effectively share the Good News of Jesus this Christmas.
Last week, we examined the roots of our Christmas tree. We identified the eight degrees of “Why Christmas” capturing the deep and beautiful meaning of Christmas. This week we’re going to shine our Christmas lights into areas of darkness in our life.
Holiday lights are a wonderful element of the Christmas season. Lights in our homes, lights in our neighborhood, lights around Christmas trees, and the light of advent wreaths brighten our world and warm our hearts.
The beauty of Christmas lights is most fully revealed in darkness. In a similar way, the deep impact of Christmas is often experienced in our times of darkness. We don’t have to look very far to see evidence of darkness in our world today. We’re only a click away from learning about the latest mass shooting, political corruption, and the latest developments in the wars raging around the globe.
How are you doing? How are your family members and friends? What areas of darkness are you aware of today?
Is your heart troubled? Are you worried about someone who is fighting persistent feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of giving up and giving in? Is there a medical crisis or addiction in your family? Is a loved one struggling with their identity? Are you struggling to stay connected with them and to love them?
Are you simply fatigued by all the little stuff that keeps popping up? Just the other day, my son questioned why everything seems to be a struggle.
The first lesson of Christmas is to understand that God doesn’t want darkness to dominate our life. We must fight the temptation to normalize struggle, pain, and confusion. From the time of creation, God wanted us to live in perfect harmony with him. But sin and separation entered the world. With it came darkness in many forms. Knowing this would happen, God revealed his plan to restore the harmony. The Christmas story is all about the further revelation of this plan.
The messages of the prophet Isaiah play a prominent role during the Advent season. The Old Testament book of Isaiah is sometimes called the fifth gospel because it contains so many prophetic stories that would be revealed in the life of Christ. And it was written about 700 Years before the birth of Jesus.
One of the most famous passages is found in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 1. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
We see the phenomenon of light defeating darkness in the Nativity story, too. Imagine you are lowly shepherds watching over your flocks in the darkness of night. And then you see it; a great light fills the night sky.
“In the nearby countryside there were shepherds living in the fields and keeping watch over their flock throughout the night. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terror-stricken, but the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. For this day in the city of David there has been born to you a Savior who is Christ, the Lord.’” (Luke 2: 8-11)
After Light took his first breath, Jesus grew up and started his public ministry. Jesus would proclaim that He was, indeed, the light Isaiah wrote about. “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness. Rather, he will have the light of life.” (John 8: 12)
The birth of Jesus gives more evidence that God does not want our life to be dominated by darkness. When we grasp on to this first lesson of Christmas, we can hold on to hope and risk the thought that somehow, someway, we can, with God’s help, overcome any darkness in our life.
But how? It’s darkness! I know. There are times I can still feel darkness like I did as a child. But here is good news. Sometimes it feels like darkness takes on a life of its own, but Abraham Hamilton III reminds us that darkness is not an affirmative force, it simply occupies spaces vacated by the light.
Darkness is not an affirmative force.
It simply occupies spaces vacated by the light.
~ Abraham Hamilton III
We don’t have to fight darkness! My spiritual guide, Keith Carroll, tells me often, “Just turn on the light, Rick. Darkness knows where to go.”
Here are three ways to shine the light of Christmas into areas of darkness this year. First, team up with a spiritual partner. It’s easier for Satan to pick us off when we are trying to fight battles on our own. If you don’t currently have a partner, ask God to reveal one for you. And stay connected with our ministry.
If you are connected to a church, continue to worship with your family of believers. Partake in the sacraments when you can. If you are not connected with a church, ask God to connect you with one or perhaps a domestic church.
With all the challenges in organized church, I find myself intrigued by 1st century Christians and Catholics. They shared their faith in families and in small groups-domestic churches. They fed on the Old Testament writings and the testimonies of the apostles who walked with Christ and shared His words. And the church grew.
And thirdly, when you wake up in the morning, turn on the light of Christ. When you turn on your coffee pot, turn on the light of Jesus by reading the Bible, God’s love letter. I heard Bishop Barron call for a Bible revival in the Church. My story is a testimony to the power of God’s Word and how Jesus longs to illuminate our darkness through our study of scripture.
If you are not yet reading the Bible on a regular basis, I encourage you to take the 7 Day Christmas Bible Challenge. Choose either the Gospel of Luke or Matthew; both include accounts of the birth of Christ. Read a chapter each day. Before you start, ask God to reveal Himself to you and shed His light on a specific area of darkness in your life.
On the 8th day, take an inventory. Is the area of darkness in your life diminishing in size and strength? And then Let me know if you continue reading on day 9 and why. I encourage you to read the bible with an expectation that it will have a measurable impact in your life.
My story as a bible reader started with simple daily devotions. Today, I am on my fifth trip through the bible, Genesis to Revelation in four different editions. Yep, I’ve become a bible nerd. Praise God! If you’re just getting started, don’t worry about it. Reading the bible is like jumping on a merry-go-round. There is no right place to start. The important thing is that you jump on and get going.
Yes, Jesus is the light of the world. But, before he ascended to heaven, he passed that title onto someone else. Who could that be? We find the answer in Matthew 5: 14- 16.
“You are the light of the world. A city built upon a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor would someone light a lamp and then put it under a basket; rather, it is placed upon a lampstand so that it may afford light to all in the house. In the same way, your light must shine so that it can be seen by others.”
It scares me to think that God would use me to impact a family member, friend, or a stranger or two. But I’ve learned that we are persuaded to become persuasive. And think about it. If people, ourselves included, try to live life without God, accounting for sin and Satan, it’s like playing 3 on 5 basketball.
This Christmas let’s help shine the light of Christ into the lives of those around us by following three simple steps. First, stay engaged in conversations. I remember many family meals where I would back away from the table when tough conversations started or concerning statements were made.
Instead of leaning away, lean into conversations. Listening is an amazing way to express concern for another person, to show them they matter. It also gives us the opportunity to make a compassionate and effective impact.
As you increase your comfort staying in conversations, let’s grow our confidence to ask good questions and give good answers. We can learn how to shed light on a conversation without being abrasive or judgmental. For example, if we find ourselves in a conversation and someone makes a statement that concerns you, try extending the conversation by saying, “I think I understand what you are saying. Have you considered…?”
Or when you are listening to someone who is struggling with a situation and faith hasn’t been mentioned, try this: “May I ask you a spiritual question? (Most of the time, people say “yes”) How is your relationship with God today?”
Thirdly, ask God to increase your courage to share your faith naturally. How I share my faith may be different than how you share your faith. Let’s work on finding ways to share our story-compassionately and effectively- in ways that fit our situation, our personality, and the connection we have with the other person(s).
When Christ was born at Bethlehem, he was thinking about you and me. This Christmas, as we draw nearer to God and leverage the light of Christ to diminish our own areas of darkness, let’s also look for opportunities to shine the light of Christmas into the lives of our family members, friends, and maybe even a stranger or two.
I’ll be back soon with our Week three message when we’ll make out our spiritual gift list.