Just before Christmas three years ago, I had a completely un-Christmassy experience.
! I was walking home from my office, which was in the middle of Richmond.
I walked out to the A316, which is the big dual carriageway, which, if you go down far enough, turns into the M3.
I just crossed over at St Margaret's with the traffic lights.
About five, maybe ten seconds after I crossed over the road,
all the lights went out. All the street lights, all the traffic lights,
and the person who walked in light was plunged into darkness,
which is, of course, the opposite of what Christmas is.
Now, at that point, I have to say, my first thought was,
I'm really glad I got across the road before the lights failed,
because if there had been no lights, I would have had no hope of getting across.
And sure enough, as soon as the traffic lights went out, I could hear the horns sounding,
I turned around and saw some cars, depending on the personality of the driver,
approaching the roundabout at high speed, kind of forcing their ways on,
others approaching very gingerly.
And it was just carnage and chaos.
Horns beeping, no doubt.
Angry voices in the cars.
You see, without light, there's chaos and confusion.
Without light, we cannot see reality.
We cannot see what is really there.
Without light, there is no hope.
I would have had no hope of crossing that road
if the lights had not still been on while I came to that point.
So we need light, don't we?
And that's what Christmas is about.
That's what this great promise that God made through the prophet Isaiah
over 700 years earlier was about.
Verse 2,
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
Light that reveals reality.
Light that gives hope in the midst of darkness and confusion.
Light that provides peace and security
instead of cars driving into each other
and honking at each other and getting angry.
We often use light as a very powerful metaphor, don't we, for hope.
When Nelson Mandela died just over a year ago,
David Cameron's comment was,
A great light has gone out in this world.
Why?
Because to many people,
Mandela's life was an example of hope,
a beacon of hope.
Well, in Isaiah's day,
the people needed hope.
They needed light.
And if we understand the context
into which this promise was given,
then we'll start to understand its relevance
for Christmas,
its relevance for us today.
So the situation was this,
and if you were here last week,
you'll know some of this.
It was about 732 AD.
Jerusalem, the capital of Judah,
was full of fear,
full of anxiety.
After years of stability
and economic progress,
a new king had come to the throne,
King Ahaz.
And he faced a serious threat.
The Syrian army in the north
and the Israelite army to the north
had ganged up on him,
were encamped around Jerusalem.
And he was looking for any hope,
any sense of security
in the midst of that darkness.
There was uncertainty about the future.
It was fear.
The situation seemed bleak and dark.
And in the bleakness and the darkness,
where did people look?
Well, if you look up to the top of the page,
the very first line on 6-9-2,
the end of verse 19,
some were inquiring of the mediums
and the necromancers
who chirp and mutter.
People were going to superstition
and to the occult
and to any kind of thing they could get
to try and get some sort of hope.
Meanwhile, the experts
had their opinion as well.
So if you turn back over the page,
under the title where it says,
Fear God, wait for the Lord,
verse 12,
some people were talking about conspiracy.
The Lord says to Isaiah,
do not call conspiracy
all that these people call conspiracy.
Do not fear what they fear
or be in dread.
It's a sort of picture
of the experts of the day
sitting there going,
oh, it's all a conspiracy theory.
What do we have today
as we look in our newspapers
and look on the websites?
There are lots of conspiracy theories
out there, aren't there?
Maybe no one ever went to the moon,
but there are always conspiracies
about what's going on
in the Middle East.
So many people resorting
to horoscopes
to find some hope for the future.
Superstition, conspiracy,
it's all still rife in our days.
People look for light
in the midst of darkness,
isn't it?
Do you know what the real darkness
was in Isaiah's day?
The real darkness was
that people were turning
to the occult,
turning to human schemes
like Ahaz,
who had ignored God's promises
and trusted that he could form
a political alliance
that would get him through
the oncoming conflict.
People had turned away from God
and they turned away from light
and ended up in darkness.
Their refusal to trust God's promises
instead relying on their own efforts
is what the real darkness was.
It wasn't just the darkness of invasion.
It was the darkness
of turning away from God
and trusting in themselves.
That's not so very different
from today, is it?
People long for hope
and peace in the world,
don't they?
In the world out there,
we look for peace and security
in our own lives,
and yet so often
we rely on human things
and not on God's promises.
That's really the key issue here.
What will you trust?
Do you trust in God
and what he's doing?
Or in human plans
and human wisdom
and human endeavour?
This year is a very poignant year,
isn't it?
2014.
It's a hundred years
since the end of World War I.
And I'm sure you know
what they used to call World War I.
It was the war to end all wars.
It hasn't quite worked out like that,
has it?
But why do people think
that would be the war
that would end all wars?
Because at the turn of that century,
to the 19th and to the 20th century,
in a time of great optimism,
there's been so much progress
in human understanding
and advancement
over the previous century.
So much that was new.
That people believed
that actually human beings
would solve all the world's problems.
We could live at peace
with one another.
Human rationality,
human advancement
would lead to all the progress
we needed.
So the world was deeply influenced
by the so-called enlightenment
of the 18th century,
which put great faith
in human reasons.
Yet what happened
in World War I?
The great advanced powers
of the day
entered into a futile battle
where it got no one nowhere
and destroyed millions.
It showed that no matter
how advanced or clever
we thought we were,
we could not provide peace
for ourselves.
Human institutions
and philosophies
could not provide peace.
Well, fast forward
from 1914
towards the end
of the 20th century,
1989, 1990,
as the Berlin Wall
came tumbling down,
Francis Fukuyama,
political scientist
in America,
declared it was
the end of history
as communism tumbled.
Why did he say that?
Because really,
over the previous 200 years,
there have been
two human philosophies
that sought to bring
prosperity and peace
to the world.
There was capitalism
on one hand
and communism
on the other.
So as communism fell,
Fukuyama,
a learned American
political scientist,
declared this is
the end of history.
Capitalism has won.
From now on,
there will be peace.
Well, has it worked
out like that
in the last 25 years?
Of course not.
Neither communism
!
Neither communism
nor capitalism
has brought peace
on the earth.
These are human philosophies,
human ideas.
They cannot solve
the deep problems
in the human heart.
Even over the last few years,
I was fascinated to read
about two or three years ago
in the midst of
the Eurozone crisis
when politicians
across the Eurozone
were scrabbling
to find a solution
to all the debt problems
and Greece particularly.
What would happen
would the Eurozone
fall apart?
British political scientist
John Gray
wrote this.
European institutions
have preserved the peace
for more than a generation.
That's true.
It's been a long time
since the end
of World War II.
These institutions
have provided
a steady growth
and prosperity.
And so now
the very idea
that they could break up
challenges the prevailing belief
in steady improvement
which is
get this
the faith
of practical men
and women
who imagine
they have no religion.
The faith
of practical men
and women
who imagine
they have no religion
but actually look
to human institutions
and human philosophies
for peace
and security
and growth
in this world.
That doesn't just happen
out there
on the global scene
does it?
It happens in here
in our own hearts
and lives.
We want hope.
We want life.
We long for hope
and security
in the midst
of personal darkness
be that
insecurity
in our work situations
problems
in our families.
And every human being
longs for
some hope.
We cannot live
without hope
do we?
So some of us
place that hope
in achievement
if I work hard
and if I get
the next promotion
then I'll be happy
then I'll be secure.
Yet the promotion
comes
and just extra
insecurities are added.
We think
our children
if they're safe
if they're secure
if I get them
safely out of the house
off to university
as reasonably
responsible people
I'll be happy
and secure then.
And yet even that
doesn't happen
does it?
Because then just
bigger worries
take hold.
And of course
people look for
inner peace
in all sorts of places.
A great trend
over the last five years
has been mindfulness.
I don't know if you've
seen the stuff
on mindfulness
that you need to
kind of cut out
the world's distractions
and just focus
on things
and that will
bring you peace.
Of course
there is some truth
that if you block
out the rest of the world
you can find
some sort of
short-lived peace.
But these are all
human ideas
human achievements
human aspirations
and none of them
brings lasting light.
Because all of us
all of them
at the end of the day
are turning away
from a God
who loves us
and is in control
of everything
instead seeking
a solution
seeking peace
seeking life
in our own efforts
to build up
our security.
We are people
who walk in darkness
we need
a great light.
So what is this light
that God promises
to rise to?
Let's have a look at it
I want you to see
first of all
the change that comes
about as this light
dawns
verses 2 and 3
the people
who walked in
darkness
have seen
a great light
those who dwelt
in a land
of deep darkness
on them
has light shone.
Do you notice
this is not a light
that the people
light up for themselves
it's not a light
people have generated
for themselves
it's a light
that suddenly
shines on them
a bit like
the street lights
when they came
back on
just shone
so we could see
what does this
light lead to?
Verse 3
what does it mean?
You've multiplied
the nation
you've increased
its joy
they rejoice
before you
as with joy
at the harvest
as they're glad
when they divide
the spoil
it's a picture
of partying
it's a picture
of happiness
suddenly
the nation
that looks like
it was decreasing
and going to be
destroyed
is growing again
it's like the
happiness
that people
in the city
feel
when they get
their bonuses
that's the
harvest there
the joy
when the spoil
is divided
and what's
the reason
for this?
why is there
now hope?
well the immediate
reason is in
verse 4 and 5
for the yoke
of his burden
and the staff
of his shoulder
the rod of his
oppressor
you have broken
as on the day
of Midian
so at the time
Isaiah was speaking
about Israel
being
or Judah rather
being ruled over
by the Assyrians
being forced
into working
for them
the rod of the
oppressor
but now that's
been lifted
the oppression
they would deal
with has gone
the army that
was marching
in would be
destroyed
look at this
verse 5
for every boot
of a tramping
warrior
in battle
tumours
and every garment
rolled in blood
will be burned
as fuel for fire
it's not just the
weapons of war
that have gone
it's the very
uniform
the very shoes
that soldiers
would wear
that's all being
chucked out
it's no longer
needed
peace has come
as this light
dawns
so what's
causing the
end of
oppression
what's causing
the end of
all conflict
is it a mighty
army
what's doing
what world war
one didn't do
what's going to
do what the
UN has never
managed to do
and bring peace
and the end of
oppression
well look at
verse 6
the ultimate
reason for this
for to us
a child
is born
to us
a son
is given
the solution
to a world
without peace
solution to
insecurity
solution to
the darkness
of not being
able to see
reality
is a child
coming into
the world
a child being
given to us
coming from
outside
and look at
who this child
is
it's an amazing
series of titles
isn't it
verse 5
as it goes on
the government
shall be upon
his shoulder
and his name
shall be called
wonderful
counsellor
mighty God
everlasting
father
prince of
peace
here he is
this child
he born
is going to
grow up
as literally
a wonder
of a counsellor
a wonder
of a counsellor
someone who's
got divine
wisdom
to lead
human wisdom
fails doesn't
it
I'm so glad
I'm not a
prime minister
or a president
I can't
understand all
the things
that are going
on in the
world
who can
that this
child he born
would have
divine wisdom
a wonder
of a counsellor
not only that
he is mighty
God
born as a
baby
yet fully
God
as well as
fully human
I don't know
if you've ever
had Jehovah's
witnesses come
and tell you
that Jesus
was not really
God
it's a great
verse to confuse
them with
right here in the
Old Testament
God promises
that
the eternal
son of God
will be born
as a child
as a gift
to his people
as a true
king
to rule
over them
and bring
the liberty
and peace
they needed
so he's a
wonder of a
counsellor
he's a mighty
God
he's the
everlasting
father
a father
should care
for and provide
for his
children
the father
of a nation
cares for
and provides
for a nation
doesn't he
Nelson Mandela
again
when he died
many South
Africans had
called him
the father
of the nation
in a sense
as though he
was
it was
under his
rule
that white
only rule
was ended
in South
Africa
but here
is an
everlasting
father
he will
not die
he will
not like
some human
fathers
lose interest
and walk
away
he is a
father to
his people
who will
always care
always provide
always be
there
and what
else is he
prince of
peace
in other
words he's
the prince
the ruler
whose reign
is characterized
by peace
whose reign
is characterized
by peace
so what are
the prospects
when this
child grows
up and
rules
what are
the prospects
what's going
to happen
well
let's look at
verse 7
of the increase
of his government
and of peace
there will be
no end
isn't that what
we'd all love
isn't that what
people hoped
the end of
world war one
would bring
but it didn't
or the end of
communism would
bring
but it didn't
peace
now what do
you think of
when you hear
that word
peace
I guess many
of us probably
think of the
absence of
conflict
don't we
but in the
original language
this is a much
bigger word
than that
it's not just
the absence
of conflict
it's the presence
of wholeness
shalom in the
original
it's every hunger
satisfied
every relationship
mended
every joy
made complete
the world
restored
to the wholeness
that we all
long for
and believe
we should have
so how does
Jesus' birth
bring that light
to people
walking in
darkness
how does it
bring light
to people
like us
well of course
to understand
that we really
need to look
at the whole
of Jesus' life
and we don't
have time to
do that
in five minutes
now
but let me
just say this
a little bit
like the street
lights
or light
generally
helps us to
see what is
really there
so Jesus
in his life
and teaching
reveals reality
to us
he shows us
what we are
really like
and what God
is really like
and just as
the lights
provided security
for me
crossing the road
not after your
fear of being
run over
by the traffic
so this
this baby
as he grows up
Jesus
the king
will provide
security
through his reign
see that in the rest
of verse 7
on the throne
of David
David the great
king over
Israel
to whom God
had promised
a throne
forever
on the throne
of David
and over his
kingdom
to establish it
and to uphold it
with justice
and with righteousness
from this time
forth
and forever
more
see he will
he will rule
forever
and so he will
bring justice
and righteousness
we see the disaster
that happens in the world
when there is no
just rule
we see that in Syria
we heard the news
yesterday
about trial
falling apart
in South Africa
and the
heartache
obviously I don't
know the rights
and wrongs
went on there
but the heartache
of the family
of the murdered
woman
that they
feel they haven't
got justice
they'll never
understand what
happened to their
daughter
it's a terrible
thing isn't it
and yet here is
the one who will
rule and bring
absolute justice
and righteousness
and that means
he will judge
justly
he will destroy
all who oppose
his reign
all who bring
grief and strife
on this world
so he reveals
reality
he provides
security
he brings hope
of the increase
of his government
and of peace
there will be no end
and as you read
on through the
story of Jesus
life you'll see
that hope
that he died
but then rose
again
and his resurrection
the fact that he's
alive is confirmation
that he really is the
king
that he really is
the one reigning
yes he has not yet
destroyed all evil
he has not yet
brought in his
perfect eternal
kingdom in its
fullness
the peace and
security we all
long for
but the day will
come
his resurrection
proves that
one of the reasons
I'm a Christian
is I'm convinced
that Jesus Christ
really rose from
the dead
so how can this
child do all this
how can he
reveal reality
provide security
and bring hope
well he does it
ultimately
through the
culmination of
his life on earth
when he died
on the cross
to pay for
all the wickedness
all the
unrighteousness
all the injustice
so that all
who trust in him
can be forgiven
all who will
turn and bow
down to him
as the rightful
king
can be forgiven
so that's how he
provides everlasting
security
for those who
accept that offer
of forgiveness
who accept the
offer that Jesus
death can pay for
our punishment
we can have
everlasting security
as part of his
kingdom
so really there are
two ways to live
just as the people
of Isaiah's day
found
we can either
trust in God's
promises
trust what God
does
including sending
his son
to be the king
who will bring
peace
for those who
submit to him
or we can look
to human solutions
human ways
to find our own
hope
see Jesus is the
one
this baby born at
Christmas
the child given
to us
is the one who
brings real hope
he is the light
who comes into
the world
who reveals the
reality about
God and his
love
about us
human beings
and our
desperate need
our desperate
rebellion in
our hearts
that causes the
troubles in the
world
he is the one
who provides a
way for us
to be right
with God again
to have hope
to have life
and light
so really quite
two questions
for us as we
close
firstly how do we
respond to this
gift of a child
at Christmas time
you know what it's
like at Christmas
don't you
perhaps remember
this from being
a kid
we got gifts
under a Christmas
tree
and I'm sure
as children
none of us
left the gifts
there did we
in fact the
trouble was trying
to get them
before Christmas
morning if we're
honest
we'd always take
them and open
them up and see
what they were
well here's a
gift that would
be foolish to
leave behind
wouldn't we
so what will we
do with this
child that's been
given to us
will we just
leave him there
unopened
be rude to do
that wouldn't it
let me ask
another question
where do you
really look for
light in your
life where do
you look for
hope and
security where
do our friends
look for light
and hope in
the midst of
darkness
human philosophies
man made
ideas they
fail they leave
us stumbling
around as I
was stumbling
around when those
lights went out
we need the
light that God
gives the people
who walked in
darkness have
seen a great
light
let's pray
you