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About twenty-five years ago on Christmas Eve, the transformer on the pole right outside our church building blew up two hours before our Candlelight Service. We were in the dark. That service was literally a candlelight service, because power was not restored until long after the worship service was over. It was a memorable, intimate service with the piano accompanying the carols being sung, and no light other than that provided by the candles. The light of those candles overcame the darkness for us.

Given the choice between being in darkness and being in the light, we prefer the light. It is the better option. Yet we all struggle with darkness in various ways. Like when you put up your “pre-lit” Christmas tree and over one third of the lights don’t work!

Some struggles with darkness are far more significant: loneliness … depression … worry … cancer. The darkness is real, it is strong, and it can be overwhelming. And even though we prefer the light, we often turn away from it.

• A hurtful word, a wrong assumption, a misunderstanding and we let the darkness overcome us — we react and lash out.
• A loved one dies, a relationship ends, a marriage fails, and you don’t see any light. You feel as though there is no escape from the darkness and no hope and no joy.
• A coworker takes advantage of you, a client cheats you out of a commission, you are asked by your superiors to do something unethical — and you wonder if there is any good in anyone out there. Is there nothing but darkness?

It is into each and every one of these situations — and any others that you can imagine — that God has shined His light and His love.

Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

God’s light is shining, and the darkness cannot overcome it. The light shining in that Bethlehem manger would be the same light shining from an empty tomb after the payment for all sin was accomplished. This is God’s love for you and for all people. The love that all the universe could not contain was delivered to you in a small package, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. God wants that light to shine into your hearts and lives every day to remind you of His love and concern and His presence with you.

 2 Corinthians 4:6  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

We have seen the glory of that light shining. Through faith, we have that light shining for us every day. We cannot keep from joining with the angels to sing: “Glory to God in the highest!”

I did a children’s message years ago that involved a marker that only shows up when you shine a black light on it. Before the worship service I used thr marker to draw a cross on my forehead. When the children came forward, I asked them if they could see the cross on my forehead. They were a little puzzled, because it was not visible to the naked eye. I assured them that the cross was there, even if they could not see it. Finally, I told them I would help them see the cross. I took out the small black light and shined it on my forehead. The cross showed up with a purple glow. Of course, the children were duly impressed.

I then shared with them that many people can’t see Jesus, even though He is real. I asked them what we could do to help those people see Jesus. One little guy had watched me shine that light on my forehead, and he said, “We need to shine the light for them.” What a perfect answer. In fact, Jesus spoke in those terms when He said, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Because the children were responding so well, I decided to keep going with the analogy. I asked, “What can we do to shine the light of Jesus for people to see?” Almost immediately another little guy said, “Just take a light and shine it right in their eyes!”

After the laughter died down, I realized that what at first hearing sounded funny was actually a very good answer. If we want to show Jesus to those who don’t believe, we need to be living lives as followers of Jesus where they can see us. If Christians only hang out with other Christians, how will those who don’t know Jesus ever come to know Him? You cannot shine the light of Jesus for the world if the world never sees you.

Peter said it this way:

1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

The word “pagans” is referring to those who are not Christians, not followers of Jesus. Peter says we should be out among them, letting our light shine.

The point is simple: If we truly believe that the only way to have forgiveness and eternal life is to trust that the death of Jesus paid for all sin and His resurrection guarantees us victory over death, dare we keep that to ourselves? We need to be out there shining that message into the eyes of those who still don’t know.

What can you do to shine the light in their eyes?

Let’s wrap it up! That phrase gets used in a lot of different ways. You might say “Let’s Wrap things up” when a meeting has gone on too long, when you are trying to finish a business deal, or when you think a conversation needs to end.

I used to have an Elder in my church who was a very good friend and is now with Jesus. If he thought the sermon was going too long, he would stand in the back and stick one finger up in the air, twirl it around in a circular motion, after which he would bring it down in front of his neck and make a horizontal slashing gesture. The message was clear: Let’s wrap things up!

We like to wrap things up, to get them over with. It gives us a sense of accomplishment. One year I had a son-in-law post online that he had wrapped up his Christmas shopping on November 11. He was done!

That brings up another way we think about wrapping things up. We like to wrap things up in the sense of gifts, putting brightly colored paper and ribbons and bows on things. For many people, that is what this time of year is all about.

Of course, it is possible for us to get wrapped up in things that keep us from doing what we should be doing. You may get so involved in a television program that you neglect to speak to your family members in the same room with you. We have all seen a room full of people staring at their phones and no one speaking to anyone sitting there with them. You can get so wrapped up in a computer game or social media that you neglect your chores around the house. You let your job consume you and get wrapped up in work to the point where you don’t ever take time off for yourself.

I want to encourage you this Advent season to get wrapped up in what matters most. Let’s focus on Jesus and the gift that He is to us and prepare our hearts and lives to celebrate His birth again this year. Don’t let the problems of this world consume you to the point where you miss the Good News of great joy that is for all people: A Savior has been born, who is Christ the Lord.

It does not matter what hardship you face, what difficulty you encounter or the loneliness you feel. Jesus loves you, so much so that He came into this world with all its problems so that you could have hope, forgiveness, life, joy and peace.

Don’t get so wrapped up in yourself or your things or your problems that you miss the gift that was wrapped up in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. He came here to wrap up the problem of sin for you. He did that when He let Himself be killed for your sins and be wrapped in burial clothes. And then He rose from the dead, wrapping up the victory that He gives to all who believe in Him.

Prepare yourself to have a very Merry CHRISTmas.

How are your preparations going? In Advent we are told to “prepare,” and we all get ready for Christmas in our own way. People have personal traditions that they associate with this time of year. Some make special cookies and candies and foods that they don’t make any other time of the year. My wife does very little baking, but she spent a lot of time last week baking a special bread that she shares with others during this season. Some folks have parties. Lots of people wear “ugly Christmas sweaters.” Others believe it would not be Christmas if you did not travel to be with family members. You might take a night to drive around and look at lights and decorations. And most of us do some shopping for gifts.

There is nothing wrong with any of these things in and of themselves. As disciples of Jesus, I guess the question we need to consider when talking about traditions is, “Do they enhance the celebration of our Savior’s birth or do they detract from it?”

One little girl asked her mother, “If Christmas is really about God, why do we hear so much more about Santa?” Her mother responded, “God doesn’t advertise as much.”

There is some truth to that statement. Those of us who follow Jesus don’t advertise enough. We should be walking, talking, living, breathing advertisements for our Savior. We have the best news ever, announced by angels to shepherds over 2000 years ago, but just as relevant and important today: A Savior has been born for you. He is Christ, the Lord!

Maybe some of your traditions can help advertise the Good News of His birth. At the church I served most of my ministry, we had a group that went caroling every year to share the message of Jesus’ birth in song. My wife and I gave gifts to all the members of our congregation to reinforce that Good News. And our worship services point to Jesus as the only real hope for people. How do your traditions share the wonderful message of our Savior’s birth?

The reason we need to keep our focus on Jesus during this time of year is simple: without Jesus, we would have no hope. We would be doomed to destruction and eternal separation from God because of our sin.

2 Corinthians 5:19 “But God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men’s sins against them.”

That was all part of God’s plan. He was crucified to pay for the sins of everyone. That’s why He came. His resurrection sealed the deal, proclaiming His victory over death and the grave for everyone. Faith in Him assures you of forgiveness and eternity with Him. All that started with the birth we celebrate later this month.

A favorite quote of mine (that I probably use way too often) comes from the late Yogi Berra: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” I hope you all do that this Advent and Christmas. Keep Jesus the main thing. And may we all say together: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Do you know what it is like to drive on a narrow road? Out in the country where I live, you get to experience narrow roads. I’m talking about the kind of road that when two vehicles approach each other, both of them might have their right tires off the road in order pass by the other car or truck. If you spend all your time in the city or driving on highways, you may not have experienced that. But I can tell you that when the road you are on is narrow, you need to pay careful attention to what you are doing.

We have also come across a lot of narrow roads over the years in Colorado up in the mountains. Some of those gravel roads on mountain passes are so narrow that two vehicles cannot pass. Every so often they have a little pull out where one vehicle can go to allow the other vehicle to get by.

I remember being at Royal Gorge back in the late 90s. It is a beautiful suspension bridge outside of Canon City. Nowadays, only their trams and golf carts are allowed on the bridge. Back then they still let you drive your personal vehicle across the bridge, which we did. You could only go about 10 MPH because there was pedestrian traffic on the bridge, too. We had a 91 Suburban. A large dually pickup was headed toward us. I eased over to the right as far as I could, and he did the same. The right-hand mirror of our vehicle was scraping against the railing of the bridge. At the same time, the mirror of that pickup went over our driver’s side mirror and was right next to my window. It can be difficult to navigate a narrow road.

Jesus had said to his followers, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13–14 )

More often than we like to admit, we are tempted by that wide, easy way. We follow our own desires instead of listening to the will of God. What harm can there be, really, letting everybody just do their own thing? Live and let live, right? I’m OK, You’re OK.  Isn’t that the message of toleration the world is always prescribing? The path is wide enough for everyone to do whatever they want. It really is. The wide path is an option. But Jesus said going that way leads to destruction.

In the Word of God, the Holy Spirit calls us to repentance, to turn from that destructive road of sin and self-centeredness, asking God’s forgiveness. Jesus calls us to the narrow way, His way, and we know that is what is best for us. It may be hard to follow, but it is the way that leads to life.

Jesus showed us the way. He took the narrow way, the hard way, living a life without sins. His path of ministry narrowed down to the final road that would lead to suffering and the cross. That narrow way would mean death for him and life for us—through the forgiveness he won with a cross and empty tomb.

In baptism we were taken from the wide road leading to destruction and placed by the Spirit on the narrow road of Jesus that leads through death and into life. In Romans 6, the apostle Paul asks,  “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Through faith in Jesus Christ, you are created anew. Once you were enemies of God, lost in sin, going your own way on the wide path of destruction. Then by the power of the Holy Spirit you were called to faith, buried with Christ in baptism. You shared his death and were raised up from the water with your feet set firmly on His narrow road to walk “in newness of life.”

The death and resurrection of Jesus reconcile us to God. He has given us the message of reconciliation to share with the world, the good news that in Christ, God has reconciled all the world to himself. When you see others lost on that wide way to destruction, pray for them and reach out to them in witness, hoping to bring them by the Spirit’s power onto the narrow way that leads to life in Jesus’ name.

Last week my youngest granddaughter, Micah, turned six. We were there for the celebration. At one point she snuggled up next to me and I hugged her and said, “I love you baby girl, but Jesus loves you more.” He I have called her baby girl for a long time now, but that day I said, “I guess now that you are six years old I shouldn’t call you ‘baby girl’ any more.” She sat up, looked me straight in the eye and said, “No, Papa, its okay. You can still call me your baby girl.” Not only did that melt my heart, but when she said “No Papa” it reminded me of something she said when she was much younger.

She was born while my daughter and her family lived in Colorado, but we got to see her almost daily through video chats. When she was about a year and a half, she started calling me “Papa.” She recognized me on the phone and would say “Hi, Papa!” It was a wonderful thing to hear. The problem was back then, she steadfastly refused to call Cheryl “grandma.”

We went up to their house for her second birthday. The entire time we were there, Cheryl was working on her, trying to get her to say “grandma.” She thought she might have said it one time, but she still refused to call her that. At one point, my daughter pointed to Cheryl and asked Micah, “Who is that?”  Her response: “No Papa!”

That continued almost until the time she was three years old. It was disappointing to my wife. She has always loved children. Her face lights up when she gets to be with her grands, who she calls her “littles.” She did not love Micah any less than the others, but longed for Micah to acknowledge her for who she is. She didn’t want to be known as “No Papa.”

That made me think of how it must grieve and hurt our heavenly Father when the children he loves so dearly will not acknowledge or come to him. That is most of the people in the world! Those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior sent for all people refuse to recognize the Father for who He is.

“He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” John 5:23

The word translated as “honor” in this passage can also mean “recognition.” They refuse to recognize that Jesus and the Father (along with the Holy Spirit) are the one true God.

This is devastating for a God who loves the world and wants everyone to know and come to Him.

“[God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4

Jesus made that point repeatedly. How tragic that even God’s chosen people, through whom the Savior would come into this world, rejected Him.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37

It is not simply that God wants people to call Him “Father.” Saying the word is not enough. He wants people to believe that He is their Father, who wants them to be in a loving relationship with Him now and forever. He made that possible by sending Jesus to be our substitute and take the punishment our sins deserve. Faith in Him receives the forgiveness and life and salvation He earned for you.

As we are preparing to again celebrate the birth of the one who is our Savior, the best gift we could ever receive from our Father in heaven, I want you to ask yourselves this question:

What can I do to help others see their heavenly Father for who He is?

Advent is a time of waiting. Some of us do it better than others. I have been with my grandchildren several times recently and heard them excitedly say, “I can’t wait!”  It didn’t matter if they were talking about Christmas or their birthday or an upcoming trip or when they get older. “I can’t wait!”

I’m sure God’s people had that same sentiment while waiting for the Messiah to come. “I can’t wait until HE gets here.” But wait they did. And when the time was right, God kept His promise.

Galatians 4:4–5 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

One of the reasons I have grown to love the Advent season is that it reminds us of the importance of waiting. Our society is not accustomed to waiting for anything. We order something online and sometimes receive it the same day. We order food delivered to our door and it comes before we know it. We ask Siri or Google for answers and get them in a matter of seconds. We have forgotten the value of waiting. In a world where we expect instant gratification, it is good to be reminded of that waiting for something is not bad. Especially if we are waiting for the Lord to keep His promises.

I’ve included just a few of the passages that encourage us to wait for God to act in His timing. Ponder on these during this first week of Advent.

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 33:20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 37:34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 130:5–6 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Lamntations 3:26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.