In 1868, a minister named Phillip Brooks had worked himself to near exhaustion in Boston, Massachusetts. In fact, he was greatly depressed, very near a complete breakdown, and was about to just give up in despair. But instead, he took some time off and traveled to a small town where he had never been before.
One night, as he walked along the lighted streets of that small town, Rev. Phillip Brooks found hope again! He went back to his quarters and wrote a song that has become a Christmas classic. Phillip Brooks, with renewed hope and bolstered spirit, penned these words:
Our Hebrew Bible reading this morning, from the Book of Isaiah, was written during the time of 150 years of darkness and danger for the Hebrew people. During this time both kingdoms, Israel in the North and Judah in the south, were threatened and conquered by their enemies. Even Jerusalem was overrun and destroyed, including the destruction of the Temple, and the people suffered the worst kind of defeat. The following years brought great agony and despair to those Jewish people living there at that time.
Yet in the midst of those dark years, even before the worst had yet come, hope was offered to the people. A preacher, a prophet, brought the people words of hope, right from God Himself. Hear what Isaiah had to tell them:
Yet, nearing total destruction, in deep darkness and utter despair, God, through His prophet Isaiah, gave them words of hope. People living at the time of Isaiah, and all the way up to the time that Jesus walked the earth, believed that good and evil were related to darkness and light. They and some people today spoke and speak of “the power of darkness” and “the power of light”. In our modern world today, we still use phrases like: “It’s a dark time”, “I’m just wandering around in the dark”, “I’m beginning to see the light” and “There is a light at the end of the tunnel”. These expressions are used to describe how we humans sometimes feel.
In our world today, there is indeed much darkness. Many, many people feel hopeless. Many, many people experience deep despair. Even at this time of the year, a season that should bring out the best in us, sometimes the worst comes out instead. Remember the television show, “All In The Family”? Two of the main characters were Archie Bunker and his son-in-law, who Archie called “Meathead”. A writer once imagined a conversation between Archie and Meathead. Meathead asks Archie, “Do you know what Advent means?” Archie replies, “Yeah, you add up all your hostile feelings, and then you vent them on somebody.”
Yes, the darkness of this world can be a far too common experience for people, even at this wonderful time of the year. But this Advent season also has a great light available to us and for all people who may be caught in the darkness of despair. That light is Bethlehem’s Light! That light is the Light of Hope! That Light shines brightest in times of despair!
Isaiah wrote, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light!” Those words were their hope for the future. Those words are our hope for the future!
I ask you, do you understand what that hope is? Isaiah called it a “great light”. But few noticed it at first. Unfortunately, a relative few notice it today. Isaiah tells us what the great light, what the great hope is. Or rather, he tells us Who that great Light and great Hope is. Isaiah says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.”
The Hope of the world, the Light of the world, shone first in the face of a baby boy in a cold, smelly stable. That baby boy, Jesus Christ, is the Light that shines out of the darkness.
There is a story about a man who took his granddaughter to see a Living Nativity at their local church. The little girl was looking at everything: the manger, the animals, the shepherds, the people portraying the Holy Family, and the angels. The little girl then noticed the Star. She pointed to it and her grandfather asked her if she thought the Star shone into the stable. “Of course it does.” she answered. “That’s why it’s so bright in there. But granddaddy, you can’t see how the light shines in, unless you get down on you knees and look up.”
That is what we need to do folks. We need to put ourselves in a place where we can see the real Light of Christmas. We need to get down on our knees and look up! If we will do that, then Bethlehem’s Light of Hope will shine on us! When the Light of Hope shines on us, we will be able to see our path and find our way.
Whatever is facing you, whatever darkness surrounds you, no matter how deep you are in despair, there is a Light that shines in the darkest darkness. That Light is there for you, and if you will choose to follow that Light, you will find your way.
A missionary named Virginia Law tells about her experiences in the Congo. She says, “At our mission station there were men who served as night sentries. They carried oil lanterns. One night, one of the sentries brought me a message. I noticed his oil lantern and commented, ‘That lamp doesn’t give much light, does it?’ The sentry replied, ‘No, it doesn’t. But it shines as far as I can step.’” With Bethlehem’s Light of Hope you can find your way as far as you can step. You can travel as far as you need to travel, all the way to Heaven, in the Light of Jesus Christ, shining on you.
But there is one more thing. Not only are you able to find your way in Bethlehem’s Light of Hope, you can share Bethlehem’s Light of Hope with others, so that they too can find their way! Is that great or what?
Several centuries ago, a nobleman in Europe built a large church for his people. What a beautiful building it was. He had thought of everything. When it opened a huge crowd of people arrived for the first service. Some of the congregation members discovered what appeared to be an oversight by the nobleman who had the church built. They discovered that there were no lamps in the sanctuary at all. The lamp holders were there down both sides, but no lamps. The nobleman arrived, pointed to the lamp holders, gave each family a lamp and said, “Each time you are here, the place where you sit will be lighted.” See, it was up to the people of the church to bring the light, and to share it.
I wish to close with a story about a minister who was helping to put up the Star of Bethlehem for a Christmas play at his church. As he bent over to pick up the final nail needed to hold the Star in place, he heard a noise and looked up just in time to have the Star fall and hit him just above his eye. It cut him a bit and he realized he would need stitches to close the wound. So he called his wife and told her to come and take him to the hospital. When she asked what had happened, he told her, “The Star of Bethlehem fell on me.”
I ask each of you today, this Advent and Christmas season, are you willing to let the true Star of Bethlehem, the real Bethlehem’s Light, fall on you? And if so, are you willing to be someone who will share Bethlehem’s Light with others?
Jesus Christ came down from Heaven as a frail human baby boy, leaving all His glory behind, in order to take a journey that led Him to the cross of Calvary’s hill:
Receive that Hope, for as a follower of Christ, it is yours to claim. Share that Hope with others, for they need to know it is there for them also. Amen!