Dr. Glen A. Thorp                                                            December 25, 201
Hebrews 1:1-4, I Corinthians 16:13                               (All Rights Reserved) 
                
                  "LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS"(Christmas Sunday based on:
             "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe")

INTRODUCTION:  Winter Solstice, December 22 , is shortest day of year -
Darkness dominates those living in the northern states and countries.
Imagine living without electricity. Some in the San Gabriel Valley,
California were without electricity for as much as six days as a result
of major windstorm. They, at least, had the light and warmth of sun during
the day. Imagine that happening in Alaska or Scandinavia.
It is no wonder they look forward to Spring.

"In The Bleak Mid-Winter" (Song)
In the bleak mid-winter, Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, Winter like a stone:
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter, Long, long ago.
Rattenberg, Austria’s smallest town (440 residents) lost 20% in the last
two decades. The reason: "Darkness." Nestled behind 3,000 ft.
Tyrol mountain range which blocks the Sun from November to February.
Imagine not having sunlight for 4 months. Thanks to new technology,
an Austrian Company will instal 30 heliostat mirrors on the sunny side
of the mountain, reflecting the light down into the village.
The cost: $2.4 million. It will provide "Hot spots" where people can gather
and soak up some rays. If it works, there are 60 other villages ready for it.
One person said:  "It’s unpleasant to come here...It’s Dark and Cold."
I’m looking forward to the Coming of the Light."

One of the themes of Christmas is Light.
The Light of Christmas: (A Hymn)
"Praise the One Who Beaks the Darkness"
                           - liberating light
                             frees prisoners
                             turning blindness into sight
Praise the one who preaches the Gospel ...

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan, the Lion blows
on the stone statutes liberating the prisoners, frozen in place by
the White Witch anyone who defied her or spoke of Aslan,.
(If you haven’t read this book, part of the Chronicles of Narnia,
written by C.S. Lewis, I encourage you to do so or rent the DVD.)

Light of Christmas:           Is the Life and Light of Humanity.
         Darkness can not comprehend it.
         John Bears witness to the Light.
                                       (John 1:1-14)

In the LWW, Lucy, the youngest of the children, hiding in a wardrobe
pushes back through the fur coats falling into a winter scene were she
sees a Lamp Post. It is there that she meets Mr. Tumnus, a faun. 
Edmund, the middle brother, looking for his sister also enters the wardrobe
and pushes through the coats falling into the wintery scene. He doesn’t see
the Lamp Post . When he meets the White Witch, she points to the
Lamp Post and says:  "Do you see the Lamp? Straight beyond that,
is the world of men."

Many years later, after the four children have ruled as Kings and Queens
they come across the Lamp Post while hunting a mysterious white stag.
The Lamp Post lights the way back to their own world.

There is nothing about the origin of the Lamp Post, in this book.
It is the sixth book: The Magician’s Nephew which in some sense is
the first book of Chronicles of Narnia (Pre-Quill) which tells of the
creation of Narnia.  A piece of a lamp Post from our world is brought
into another world by Queen Jadis, who we know her as the White Witch.
Just as Aslan is bringing Narnia to life, Jardis throws a piece of
Lamp Post at him, and, like a seed, which falls to the ground, it sprouts,
which eventually becomes the Lamp Post which shines in Narnia
eternally, day and night.

We learn Three Things about the Lamp Post:
                            1. It was there from the creation of the world.
                            2. It shines eternally.
                            3. It lights the way between the two worlds.

C.S. Lewis drew from Genesis 1:1-4a
1-2 First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see,
all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness,
an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.

3-4 God spoke: "Light!"
And light appeared.
God saw that light was good.

John 1:1-5 also captures the theme:
1-2 The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.

3-5 Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn't put it out.

So do Psalms 27:1, 119:105:
1 Light, space, zest— that's God!
So, with him on my side I'm fearless,
afraid of no one and nothing.

105 By your words I can see where I'm going;
they throw a beam of light on my dark path.

　
God’s first creation of our world was LIGHT. LOGOS: WORD.
"It is the Eternal Principle of order in the universe,
which controls everything.  Jesus was the WORD ...
intimately involved in the creation of the world – the eternal life –
which is the LIGHT of the world, brings light to all people.

Can anything grow without light? No.
        We need light to live.
        It is reason the people of Rattenberg are spending
        $2.4 million to bring sunlight to the village.
        They Cannot Create the Sun Light.
        They can only REFLECT the sun light.
        The light guides, brings life and warmth.

The WORD is God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures which are
"God Breathed" showing the light, so we know where we are walking.
It tells of God’s Power and Love.
Light shines in darkness releasing the those frozen into immovable statues
by evil, by corruption, sickness, despair and death.

Scriptures we read during Advent: ie:
Isaiah 9:2, 60:1-3 - tell of light-hope.
　

2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
light! sunbursts of light!
　
1-3  Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up.
Put your face in the sunlight.
God's bright glory has risen for you.
The whole earth is wrapped in darkness,
all people sunk in deep darkness,
But God rises on you,
his sunrise glory breaks over you.
Nations will come to your light,
kings to your sunburst brightness.
The Light of Christmas is Jesus. - born as a baby who grows
and becomes the Savior of the world.
Without the cross, the birth is insignificant.
The Light of Christmas is an expression of God’s love.
Jesus Said: "You are lights . Reflecting my light to a dark world.

There is a story of girl in Sunday School who learned the scripture:
Let your light shine before others... (Matthew 5:14-16)

Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out
the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept.
We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 
If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you
under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. 
Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! 
Keep open house; be generous with your lives.
By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God,
this generous Father in heaven.
The next week the girl got into a fracas with another,
causing an uproar Someone said to her:
"Don’t you remember the verse you learned last week?
The girl blurted out:  "I have blowed myself out!"

CONCLUSION:
This Christmas falls on a Sunday. It has caused a dilemma for
some Churches.  Worship will interrupt family time.
Many Churches are having only one worship service.
In almost every case, where there is Associate Pastor,
she or he is preaching on Christmas Day.
Other churches cancelled their Christmas Eve services
and encouraged their members to attend Christmas Morning Worship.
One Church cancelled Christmas Morning Worship
and is placing all their focus on Christmas Eve.

The Word Christmas comes from the Mass (Worship) the Christ.
It was not a holiday. It was the Day of A Special Worship Service
celebrating the Birth of Jesus of Nazareth in the Village of Bethlehem,
the same city in which King David of Israel was born.

It is ironic then, that this special day is interrupting family time, this year.
One person said: "I was looking forward to spending Christmas with my
Christian Family. I have no biological family with whom to commemorate
this special day. That won’t be possible because my congregation will not
have a Sunday service."

I told this person: "You are to reflect the light of Christ wherever you are.
Why not volunteer your time. at a local mission serving others who also
don’t have family or place to live, on Christmas.

Christmas is about giving. Jesus gave his life for us.
We give gifts to one another in gratitude for his gift to us.
Thus giving yourself to others will make your Christmas very special
for those you serve, reflecting Christ’s light, and you will
receive great joy seeing the smiles of joy on those you are serving."

May the Light of Christmas reflect through you wherever you spend
Christmas/Eve this December 24 & 25. If you attend a Christmas Eve
Candle Light service, notice how the darkness is dispelled by one candle
representing the Christ who said:  I AM the light of the world.
Notice how taking that flame and passing it on to another,
to another and to another ... spreads the light.

Imagine taking that light with you wherever you go.
That is the most powerful way of illustrating the Light of Christmas.

By the way, the "Twelve Days of Christmas" are those that follow
December 25 ending on January 6 (Epiphany) which means:
revealing, manifesting or shining. It is the day Christians commemorate
the arrival of the Magi who followed the light of star to the baby Jesus.
They believed he was the King of the Jews.

May the Joy, Hope, Peace and Light fill your lives as you
continue celebrating and reflecting the Light of Christmas throughout
these coming 12 days and throughout 2012.