| Sermon for
Sunday,
November 28, 2004
The light shines into the darkness
and the darkness has never been able to put it out…
by
Rev. Mike Ratliff
Scripture: John 1:1-5
1 In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He was in the beginning with God;
3 all things were made through him, and
without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In
him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
As we enter into this
time of Advent, we begin to focus on the meaning of the “light” that
John describes for us. Looking around us, there is light everywhere!
There were Christmas lights up in October! Before those, we had
Halloween lights! Could it be that our quest to push away the darkness
provides us with a motivation to continuously add light to our world?
Could it be that God was
doing exactly that in a deeper way through the birth of the Christ
Child? Perhaps our obsession with lighting the darkness artificially is
related to our need to experience light on a deeper level. Seeing the
light provides us with comfort and assurance that there is hope in our
world. And yet, can it really be that simple? Do we only need to banish
the darkness with overpowering wattage to know that hope and
possibilities abound?
Have you ever heard the
saying “Make sure that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a
freight train headlamp headed in your direction?” What then, is the
significance of the pure light of the Christmas event that shines into
our world? How does that light produce hope that eludes so many as they
run around our world lighting one candle after another just to have them
snuffed out by the next strong wind of doubt, fear, hurt or loneliness?
In Romans, Paul paints a
picture of hope that complicates our process of moving from the darkness
out into this light that John tells us about. In Chapter 5:3b-4, we read
these words:
“We gladly suffer, because we know that
suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which
gives us a hope that will never disappoint us.”
I don’t know about you,
but I’m not so quick to celebrate suffering. Most of us, given the
option to suffer, or find a quick fix would probably opt for the quick
fix. Several years ago, not long before we moved here from Atlanta, I
started having pain in my right leg every time I ran. Finally, it got so
bad that I could hardly put weight on it. I went to the doctor and
discovered that I had a stress fracture. I quit running, though I did do
some water skiing and a few other activities while wearing my air cast!
Eventually, the fracture healed (in spite of my own actions!). After we
moved here, I started running again – just a little at first. It was
fine until I got up to about a mile. Every time I ran more than a mile,
my leg started hurting again. I finally went to the doctor, had another
x-ray, and was told that my leg was fine, but it was time for me to
start taking an Advil BEFORE I ran. I don’t remember his exact words,
but the doctor inferred that my need to medicate had something to do
with my advancing age! His suggested treatment was to keep me from
feeling anything adverse – to keep me from knowing the suffering.
I want to make something
clear at this point – I AM NOT advocating suffering instead of using
medications. God has given us the ability to learn, discover, and apply
ways of lessening - sometimes even eliminating human suffering. These
treatments, when used appropriately, are blessings and should be viewed
as such. What I am concerned about is our propensity as a society to
want a quick fix for everything in our lives. We do not want to feel any
pain. We just want the suffering to go away.
I think that’s a fairly
normal mindset, but I wonder if it has an effect on the people we are
becoming. Here are a few examples:
This year as many as 19 million people will
suffer from depression. Depression begins earlier, and is more
widespread than it has ever been. The good news is that we are
recognizing depression earlier, and more people – though still a
minority (about 20%) – are seeking professional help. The challenge –
especially with children and youth – is to make sure we are balancing
treatment medically, psychologically, and spiritually. Actor Jim Carrey
was interviewed last week on “60 minutes.” In that interview, he talked
candidly about his difficult childhood, the path that led to the success
he has experienced in the entertainment world, and…he talked about the
depression that has accompanied him on his journey to success. Carrey
said that even though he recognized the depression and sought treatment,
it wasn’t until he realized that there was a spiritual dimension that
the depression began to get better. Does the “peace that passes all
understanding” that we read about in scripture have an effect on our
ability to be healthy people? Especially in a world where finding peace
is increasingly hard to do?
War and conflict rages in almost every corner of
our earth. In the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America,
There are wars, gorilla activity, and social unrest that robs people of
the ability to experience the quality of life that God created us to
enjoy. Could this be a result of groups and countries looking for a
quick fix? How would their situations change if they instead worked
together on a long-term process that might allow people to move to a
different level of understanding and relationship?
Friday night, Lynn and I
went to see “National Treasure.” It’s a fun movie, and we enjoyed it. As
we were leaving the theater, I commented that it was surprising that no
one died or was even injured as a result of the shooting that happened
in the movie. Lynn then commented on the fact that there wasn’t even
that much shooting. Isn’t it interesting that those aspects of this
movie surprised us? Have guns in movies and on television become a quick
fix that has translated into our society in general? It seems that guns
have become for us a way of getting what we want now or eliminating
barriers to what we think we want now.
As evidenced by the
quote from Romans, there’s more to the journey than getting there. How
we move from darkness to the light God is calling us into is formative.
The people we are, and the people we are becoming need light that is not
easily extinguished. Likewise, our world is in need of light that
reveals the multi-faceted challenges before us. Medical science,
personal development, political structures, and societal formation must
be spiritually informed if they are to become enduring and life-giving.
Paul talks about this
endurance that is the result of our suffering. It becomes for us a way
to keep going, to face another day, to survive the next challenge. In
the process, we develop coping skills. We find new ways of dealing with
the next struggle. We learn about balance that always includes the
strength of faith as an under girding element. In his Messenger
article this week, Harvey talks about Tim Hansel, the author of You
Gotta Keep Dancin’, who writes about his debilitating mountain
climbing accident and subsequent suffering from the injuries that were a
result of that fall. Hanson makes it clear throughout the book that it
is the sustaining strength of his faith that allows him to continue in
spite of the pain and limitations his injuries have caused. He has
learned to endure – with the help of his doctors, with the help of
medication, with the support of friends and family, all bolstered by a
faith that is always there. In his book, Hansel says, “Pain is
inevitable, but misery is optional. We cannot avoid pain, but we can
avoid joy.” It is not so much about what we have to handle – all of us
will experience struggles – but it is about HOW we choose to handle the
challenges that come our way.
Endurance produces
character. Isn’t it interesting that we live in a culture where
character education is a “defined” element of curriculum in our schools?
Rather than being seen as a result of what we experience, character
development is a subject to be taught. Defining our values and
developing an integrated way to act on those values is a natural part of
our development as persons. Laurence Kohleberg’s theory of moral
development has provided us with an understanding of how we establish
the tenants in life upon which we make decisions about how we react to
moral dilemmas. While Kohlberg does believe that we can provide
structure to help children, youth, and even adults develop more adequate
ways of making moral decisions, it is the environment where we develop
that determines the decisions we will make. Our spiritual development is
a key element in forming our basis for moral decision-making. If we want
to see less Enrons in our future, we need to see more Sunday School
involvement in our present!
Suffering, endurance,
character – according to Paul, the result is hope. How can we see that
light at the end of the tunnel and know it is a place worth going? Many
people do not. Some give up along the way, unable to see the light, or
afraid to consider that the light could be for them. More of us take
some detours along the way – lighting our own candles or following
someone else’s – until they go out. Therein lies a clue for all of us –
those who have discovered the light have a job to do. We are responsible
for reaching for the hand of someone who is still searching, knowing
that we have been there, and will probably be there again. Our gentle
touch can provide the support needed to find the path from darkness to
light. The visitors to that manger so many years ago kept following the
light of the Christ Child to their destination. We must also seek that
light if we are to find the hope that can fuel balanced, healthy lives
and provide hope for all God’s people to discover that light along with
us. If we are looking for a light that helps us find the manger, we must
also search for a light that will allow us to look beyond the manger. We
need a blazing trail of hopeful illumination that will direct our paths
in ways that sustain us through struggle, and challenge us to new
heights of service and accomplishment.
This visit that we make
each year to the manger is good, it provides grounding for who we are.
It provides a context for who we can become. It provides a mystery for
our curious spirits to investigate. In many ways, though, the manger
only provides a starting place, a point of reference for who we are and
who we are becoming. It is that which we find beyond the manger that
stimulates our innate curiosity to look, move, and hope. Is hope the
light at the end of the tunnel? Maybe it’s the connection to God and
each other that affirms the existence of an end to the tunnel…and the
light beyond.
Let us pray… |
