WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.280 Last year was a hard year if you were in the TV business. 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:12.480 Most cable TV networks saw plummeting ratings last year, for whatever reason. 00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:17.760 Many, many networks suffered in their viewership, save one, 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:23.600 which is currently one of the fastest growing TV networks out there. 00:00:24.219 --> 00:00:25.260 You want to guess what it is? 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:27.859 Hallmark. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.699 The Hallmark Channel. 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:34.320 They are growing like crazy. 00:00:35.439 --> 00:00:38.179 And this Christmas, for your viewing pleasure, 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:43.519 they have prepared for us all 33 original Christmas films. 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:49.060 So when you go home tonight, if you have access to the Hallmark Channel, 00:00:49.179 --> 00:00:51.079 you can probably watch one of those films. 00:00:51.939 --> 00:00:54.200 Titles include The Sweetest Christmas, 00:00:55.120 --> 00:00:56.840 Marry Me at Christmas, 00:00:58.240 --> 00:00:59.439 Enchanted Christmas, 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.180 and my favorite, Romance at the Reindeer Lodge. 00:01:07.319 --> 00:01:12.780 And what's so great about these films is that they are unapologetically formulaic. 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:16.260 They all follow, it's all the same story. 00:01:16.260 --> 00:01:22.620 Overworked city girl meets small town farm boy, 00:01:23.580 --> 00:01:26.920 whose family happens to own a Christmas tree farm. 00:01:28.160 --> 00:01:33.140 But the Christmas tree farm has fallen on hard times and is in danger of going bankrupt. 00:01:33.140 --> 00:01:38.900 So big city girl and small town guy work together to save the Christmas tree farm. 00:01:38.900 --> 00:01:41.120 In the process, they fall in love. 00:01:41.620 --> 00:01:45.960 And the movie ends with the farm saved, the town utterly united, 00:01:46.420 --> 00:01:53.340 the couple kissing, the family celebrating, a dog frolicking, the snow falling, 00:01:53.340 --> 00:02:02.640 all to the sound of a Christmas carol as the credits roll quickly to prepare for the next Hallmark movie, 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:05.340 which is about to start at the top of the hour. 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:08.580 Now, why are these films so popular? 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:10.240 Why the soaring ratings? 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:13.280 What do you think? 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:18.419 It's because people are desperate to escape. 00:02:19.479 --> 00:02:22.000 They're desperate to escape the darkness. 00:02:23.300 --> 00:02:33.539 It's because the 24-hour news cycle is churning out stories of fear and hatred and violence. 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:37.920 And so people just want a momentary escape. 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:43.599 You know, Christmas for many people has become just that. 00:02:44.259 --> 00:02:48.759 It's a way to temporarily escape the darkness of the world 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:54.619 by diving into sentimentalism and consumerism 00:02:54.619 --> 00:03:03.879 to just get a break from the stories of fear and violence and hatred. 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:10.639 But the thing is, Christmas is not just meant to be an escape from the darkness. 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:15.240 If you understand Christmas, you recognize that at the heart of Christmas, 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:17.000 there is actually a story. 00:03:17.979 --> 00:03:19.819 But it's not just sentimentalism. 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:24.579 It's a true story about the actual end to darkness, 00:03:25.219 --> 00:03:28.019 about a true light that has come into the world 00:03:28.019 --> 00:03:32.259 that will one day bring an end to all darkness everywhere. 00:03:32.259 --> 00:03:35.280 And so Christmas is an escape from the darkness. 00:03:35.479 --> 00:03:39.679 Christmas actually gives us a way to deal with it head on. 00:03:40.699 --> 00:03:43.479 So for a few minutes, I want us to look at Isaiah chapter 9. 00:03:43.780 --> 00:03:45.280 And I want to look at this story. 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:47.659 And I want to look at the promise at the heart of the story. 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:49.479 And we're just going to ask two questions. 00:03:50.239 --> 00:03:52.099 One, why is the world so dark? 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:54.719 Why is it so dark? 00:03:54.719 --> 00:04:01.039 And then two, how does Christmas enable us to deal with the darkness? 00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:03.879 Not just to escape it, but to actually face it. 00:04:04.939 --> 00:04:05.599 Let's pray. 00:04:08.939 --> 00:04:12.919 Our Father, my voice is about to give out. 00:04:13.139 --> 00:04:15.900 I pray that you would give me a few more minutes before it's gone. 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:19.240 But Lord, it's actually your voice that we've come to hear. 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:24.379 The great promise and joy of Christmas is that you're a God who is with us. 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:28.879 You're not distant in some otherworldly plane or dimension, 00:04:29.100 --> 00:04:31.480 in some place on a mountaintop, 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:34.079 that you're here with us now in this room. 00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:39.019 And that you're a God who speaks to your people because you love your people. 00:04:39.660 --> 00:04:43.139 So Lord, we crave and long and yearn for your voice, 00:04:43.139 --> 00:04:46.060 that you would speak to us and tell us what we need to hear. 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:48.039 In your love and truth. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:49.639 In your Son's name, Amen. 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:54.060 So why is the world so dark? 00:04:54.939 --> 00:04:56.279 Why is the world so dark? 00:04:57.599 --> 00:05:01.919 You know, living in D.C., a lot of people point to the political sphere. 00:05:02.060 --> 00:05:03.620 And they say, well, it's really politics. 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:05.800 That's at the heart of what's wrong with the world. 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:08.939 If you had asked people in Isaiah's day, 00:05:08.939 --> 00:05:13.219 they would have said, yeah, it's, you know, it's kind of a foreign relations issue. 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:16.879 That's why we're in such darkness right now. 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:18.639 We have the Assyrians. 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:22.819 The Assyrians are perched just outside like a giant wave, 00:05:23.420 --> 00:05:26.560 ready to crush the kingdom of Judah. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:29.139 And so if you had asked anybody in Judah, 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:30.459 why is the world so dark? 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:32.220 They would have pointed to the Assyrians and said, 00:05:32.339 --> 00:05:34.759 we've got a serious situation brewing over here. 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:37.259 What about today? 00:05:37.259 --> 00:05:41.300 Well, people still have political reasons, right? 00:05:42.139 --> 00:05:44.000 We point to the world of politics and we say, 00:05:44.060 --> 00:05:45.319 that's why the world is so dark. 00:05:45.379 --> 00:05:47.500 If our leaders could just get their act together. 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:52.420 I recently had the pleasure of hearing Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sachs speak. 00:05:53.459 --> 00:05:55.740 And at one point in his speech, he said, 00:05:56.539 --> 00:06:00.959 people on the right dream of a golden past that never was. 00:06:02.659 --> 00:06:06.639 People on the left yearn for a utopian future that never will be. 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:10.000 And I thought there was real insight there. 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:14.920 You know, people on the left blame traditionalists. 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.899 You know, you're holding us back. 00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:20.300 You're hindering progress. 00:06:21.659 --> 00:06:23.480 We need to make the world a better place. 00:06:23.579 --> 00:06:25.480 We need to get on the right side of history. 00:06:26.539 --> 00:06:26.899 Right? 00:06:27.039 --> 00:06:28.240 It's the traditionalists. 00:06:28.339 --> 00:06:30.360 Those people on the right, they're the reason for the darkness. 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:33.439 Well, if you ask people on the right, they blame the left. 00:06:34.660 --> 00:06:37.080 And they say, you know, it's all those progressives. 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.860 It's all those people who want to abandon the good old days when America was great. 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:46.100 And the answer is to do everything we can to make America great again. 00:06:46.139 --> 00:06:47.840 To go back to the way things used to be. 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:54.580 And of course, unless you were a white male, chances are things were probably worse. 00:06:54.960 --> 00:06:55.120 Right? 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:58.240 But people on both sides blame one another. 00:06:58.540 --> 00:06:59.199 It's people on the right. 00:06:59.280 --> 00:06:59.899 It's people on the left. 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:01.519 That's the reason the world is so dark. 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:05.019 I think that we're a little more insightful than that. 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:07.120 I think that we know it's probably not that simplistic. 00:07:07.500 --> 00:07:10.780 So let me ask you, why is the world so dark? 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:13.879 Politics may be a part of it, but why is the world so dark? 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:22.939 Since Harvey Weinstein, dozens of powerful men have been exposed. 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:30.360 Their atrocities that they've committed. 00:07:31.540 --> 00:07:33.199 People are finally having the courage. 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:35.339 Women are finally having the courage to speak out. 00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:37.819 To name the things that have been done to them. 00:07:38.459 --> 00:07:41.600 And one after another, we see these powerful men falling. 00:07:42.819 --> 00:07:43.259 Resigning. 00:07:43.879 --> 00:07:44.600 Leaving. 00:07:45.540 --> 00:07:52.339 And the outpouring of anger and outrage has been epic. 00:07:52.980 --> 00:07:54.060 As it should be. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:55.480 As it should be. 00:07:57.259 --> 00:08:00.459 And so every time we have a new revelation. 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:01.939 A new unmasking. 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:07.480 It's as though we are unmasking a monster who had been in hiding. 00:08:08.199 --> 00:08:13.579 And it gives you the sense that the world is full of monsters who are in hiding. 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:14.959 You know, people we thought. 00:08:15.100 --> 00:08:16.959 You know, I thought he was one of the good guys. 00:08:17.079 --> 00:08:18.100 And now we realize. 00:08:18.219 --> 00:08:19.639 Now the truth has come out. 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.139 And we realize he was a bad guy all along. 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:23.939 He's been unmasked. 00:08:23.939 --> 00:08:27.839 And so you have this sense that the world is full of monsters in hiding. 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:33.600 Who need to be unmasked and revealed for the evildoers that they really are. 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:38.500 And much of the press has been to that tone. 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:42.560 So is that why the world is so dark? 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:45.200 Are there monsters hiding in our midst? 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:46.500 Maybe some in this room. 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:52.299 I don't know if any of you saw a piece that came out by Claire Diederer. 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:54.139 In the Paris Review. 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:56.919 It was called, What do we do with the art of monstrous men? 00:08:58.899 --> 00:09:03.460 It grabbed my attention because it was markedly different than a lot of what I've read out there. 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:08.080 The first half of the article, if you haven't read it, is pretty standard stuff. 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:09.940 How do we have these brilliant people? 00:09:09.940 --> 00:09:11.660 You know, going back to people like Woody Allen. 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:14.640 Who produced these amazing works of art. 00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:17.720 And who are at the very same time horrible monsters. 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:18.980 And do monstrous things. 00:09:19.220 --> 00:09:19.960 And what do we do? 00:09:20.060 --> 00:09:22.000 Do we boycott all of their work? 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:22.840 Is that the answer? 00:09:23.380 --> 00:09:24.600 That's the first half of our article. 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:27.680 Second half of our article is where it gets interesting. 00:09:28.040 --> 00:09:30.140 Because she turns the spotlight around. 00:09:31.100 --> 00:09:34.340 And she focuses it on us as the audience. 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:37.600 As the outraged. 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:43.860 And then she begins to ask in the article, why are we so quick to pour on the outrage? 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:47.560 Why are we so quick to jump on the next thing? 00:09:47.560 --> 00:09:53.080 And to let everyone know just how much we hate what this, that or the other person did. 00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:54.420 Where does that come from? 00:09:55.659 --> 00:09:57.139 And here's what she says. 00:09:58.180 --> 00:10:04.620 It could be that what the audience feels in its heart is pure and righteous and true. 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:08.460 But there might be something else going on here. 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:14.879 When you have a moral feeling, self-congratulation is never far behind. 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:23.379 In other words, when we voice our moral outrage over a Kevin Spacey or a Roy Moore. 00:10:24.340 --> 00:10:29.919 Part of that, she says, is coming from a place of goodness and righteousness. 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:33.220 That we have a sense of the way things should be and this is not it. 00:10:33.340 --> 00:10:35.080 And we're right to condemn these things. 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:39.460 But she says, that's not all there is to the story. 00:10:39.560 --> 00:10:40.960 There's also a part. 00:10:42.360 --> 00:10:43.900 A part of each of us. 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:48.440 That she says is motivated by a desire for self-congratulation. 00:10:48.820 --> 00:10:52.560 It's our way of saying, I would never do something like that. 00:10:53.300 --> 00:10:57.580 And I just want to make it clear to all of my friends and followers out there. 00:10:58.040 --> 00:10:59.840 That I'm not that kind of person. 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:08.280 And she begins to ask, why would we be motivated to make that clear to everyone around? 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:11.320 Why do we feel the need to congratulate ourselves? 00:11:11.560 --> 00:11:13.200 And she goes on to say this. 00:11:15.540 --> 00:11:16.840 It's a bit of a long quote. 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:24.399 I can sense that there's something entirely unacceptable lurking inside me. 00:11:26.139 --> 00:11:34.379 Even in the midst of my righteous indignation, I know that on some level, I'm not entirely upstanding myself. 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:38.180 In everyday deed and thought, I'm a decent enough human. 00:11:38.519 --> 00:11:40.480 But I'm something else as well. 00:11:40.800 --> 00:11:45.440 Something vaguely resembling, well, a monster. 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:49.780 I suppose this is the human condition, she says. 00:11:50.160 --> 00:11:54.120 This sneaking suspicion of our own badness. 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:56.560 You get what she's saying there? 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:06.020 That we all have, we all live with, day in and day out, this sneaking suspicion of our own badness. 00:12:06.160 --> 00:12:10.300 This voice tugging at the edges of our conscious awareness. 00:12:10.560 --> 00:12:12.960 This question about our core. 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:16.220 What kind of person am I really on the inside? 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:19.000 That deep down, we all have this sneaking suspicion. 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:25.500 When we look at these men, we say, you know, I would never do something like that. 00:12:28.139 --> 00:12:32.680 And in God's name, may no one here ever do anything like that. 00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:39.079 And while we may be able to say that and be honest, I would never do anything like that. 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:45.519 That at the same time, there is in each of us a kind of inner darkness. 00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:49.840 And we suspect that it's there. 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:56.819 And she says, you know, she suggests that our outrage is partly a way to deal with that suspicion. 00:12:57.740 --> 00:13:00.620 She calls it a form of misdirection, right? 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:07.100 When somebody makes the news, some horrible thing comes out and all the feeds are glutted with responses to it. 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:11.200 Part of the reason that we're so quick to jump on and say, how horrible, how horrible. 00:13:11.379 --> 00:13:13.040 It's a way of saying, don't look over here. 00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:15.960 There's nothing to see here. 00:13:16.139 --> 00:13:18.040 Everything is perfectly fine right here. 00:13:18.259 --> 00:13:20.019 You might want to take a look at that guy, though. 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:23.320 Look at that shady stuff that was going on. 00:13:23.420 --> 00:13:24.300 Everything's fine here. 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:25.800 She says it's misdirection. 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:34.139 Most of us work hard to convince ourselves and to convince other people that we are good. 00:13:35.500 --> 00:13:41.359 We pour a lot of psychological energy into convincing people of our righteousness. 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:45.539 And condemning the unrighteous is a great way to do it. 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:49.659 You know, Carl Jung talked a lot about this. 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:53.559 The psychotherapist, the kind of disciple of Freud until they're falling out. 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:56.579 Carl Jung talked a lot about what he called the shadow. 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:01.299 If you're familiar with the shadow, it's the idea that we take all those parts of ourselves, 00:14:01.819 --> 00:14:04.519 the sneaking suspicion of our own badness. 00:14:05.439 --> 00:14:07.919 And instead of dealing with it, we suppress it. 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:09.819 And we deny it. 00:14:10.479 --> 00:14:15.079 And it's like stuffing it into a big black sack that we then carry around behind us. 00:14:15.079 --> 00:14:19.799 All these parts of ourselves that would be entirely unacceptable if anyone ever saw them. 00:14:20.959 --> 00:14:22.339 He calls that our shadow. 00:14:23.559 --> 00:14:29.199 I think you especially see this among religious people. 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:32.059 You know, religious communities. 00:14:35.119 --> 00:14:37.819 I'm perfectly fine. 00:14:38.579 --> 00:14:39.699 I've got all the answers. 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:41.839 I don't need anything. 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:46.460 So maybe you're sitting here and you think, well, I don't think this really applies to me. 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:50.660 I mean, maybe that guy up there has got some issues, obviously, but I don't, right? 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:57.100 And, you know, and maybe, probably, many of you are a better person than I am. 00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:00.139 But let me ask you this question, a little thought experiment. 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:04.220 Imagine a smartphone comes out one day, and it will. 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:07.740 The iPhone 20. 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:17.879 And imagine it has the ability to read your mind and then to automatically tweet every single thought that comes into your head. 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:20.120 I think Trump already has one of these. 00:15:26.019 --> 00:15:27.659 We're not going to get any more political than that. 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:28.320 Listen. 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:34.800 But imagine you have a phone that you think it, and before you can do anything, you don't have to hit a button or anything. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:38.000 You think it, and bam, it's out there on your feed for the world to see. 00:15:38.800 --> 00:15:44.220 And imagine it's just running all the time, tweeting, tweeting, tweeting, tweeting, tweeting, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. 00:15:44.220 --> 00:15:52.100 So imagine this happening when you're sitting in traffic, you know, and you're, ah, tweeting all the time, right? 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:52.920 Right? 00:15:53.160 --> 00:15:57.420 Imagine that you're out in public, and your kids are completely melting down. 00:15:58.279 --> 00:16:00.899 The thoughts that you're having about your kids in that moment. 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:04.100 And the tweets are going out, right, the whole time. 00:16:04.779 --> 00:16:10.779 You know, imagine that the tweets start to go out when you find out that the flight is overbooked. 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:14.120 Or the only seat left is a middle seat. 00:16:14.220 --> 00:16:22.700 And imagine sitting down in the middle seat, and the person to your left and to your right, and you see them opening Twitter. 00:16:23.139 --> 00:16:24.620 And you just think, oh, no. 00:16:25.420 --> 00:16:26.259 Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet. 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:28.019 It's going out there right now, right? 00:16:28.460 --> 00:16:31.700 Imagine the next time that you're swiping profiles on a dating app. 00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:35.519 And the Twitter feed is just running. 00:16:36.300 --> 00:16:36.399 Right? 00:16:36.500 --> 00:16:37.560 Imagine this is happening. 00:16:37.560 --> 00:16:41.460 And imagine people who may not really know you just read your feed. 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:43.360 What kind of things would they say about you? 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:46.720 What an upstanding citizen. 00:16:46.860 --> 00:16:47.940 What an amazing person. 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:50.759 What a specimen of human excellence. 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:54.059 Not my feed. 00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:57.220 So imagine this. 00:16:57.279 --> 00:17:00.340 You know, I think we like to think of ourselves in a certain light. 00:17:00.439 --> 00:17:02.939 But if people really knew what was going on on the inside. 00:17:03.740 --> 00:17:07.339 You know, deep down in all of us, there's this core of selfishness. 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:14.220 It's this core in us, this conviction that ultimately I matter more than you. 00:17:16.220 --> 00:17:22.839 It's this selfishness that says it's worth sacrificing other people to benefit me. 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:26.980 Now, you may not go out and sexually assault people, right? 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:33.299 But is there some thread of that that feels the slightest bit familiar? 00:17:33.899 --> 00:17:36.819 I would rather take than give. 00:17:36.959 --> 00:17:45.299 I would rather destroy that I might flourish rather than allowing myself to suffer in order that others might flourish. 00:17:45.299 --> 00:17:47.680 Is there some common thread there? 00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:50.359 Right? 00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:55.240 So this inner selfishness, this kind of rotten core is what the Bible calls sin. 00:17:55.799 --> 00:18:00.439 And frankly, I think the media has no idea how to handle these situations as they come out. 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:05.160 Because, you know, a while ago we lost the word sin in our vocabulary. 00:18:05.500 --> 00:18:10.840 And so I think we're spiritually very ill-equipped to deal with these horrible things as they happen. 00:18:11.840 --> 00:18:13.799 You know, we blame it on a lack of education. 00:18:13.900 --> 00:18:16.220 Or this person needed to learn more about equality. 00:18:16.320 --> 00:18:18.160 Or we needed better regulations in place. 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:18.559 No. 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:21.360 No, I won't even scratch it. 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:29.559 Instead of loving God and our neighbors, ultimately human beings, we've come to love ourselves. 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:33.500 Because we actually want to be God in our own lives. 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:37.720 And you know what that does when that happens, when that core takes root in you? 00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:44.899 It turns people who were created for goodness and beauty into monsters. 00:18:45.859 --> 00:18:50.159 And people who were created for goodness and beauty do monstrous things to each other. 00:18:51.859 --> 00:18:53.460 So back to our first question. 00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:55.519 Why is the world so dark? 00:18:56.259 --> 00:18:56.379 Right? 00:18:56.659 --> 00:18:58.139 Is it people on the left? 00:18:58.259 --> 00:18:59.319 Is it people on the right? 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:01.619 Is it monsters hiding in our midst? 00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:02.799 No. 00:19:02.899 --> 00:19:04.259 Why is the world so dark? 00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:05.220 It's because of me. 00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:07.460 I'm the reason. 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:12.059 Because as Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, 00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:19.679 The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either. 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:22.679 But right through every human heart. 00:19:22.679 --> 00:19:26.019 And through all human hearts. 00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:29.759 That's the origin of the darkness. 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:36.559 So if that is the case, then how does Christmas help us deal with that darkness? 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:47.740 And the thing that I hope that becomes clear is once you realize the source of the darkness, where it really comes from, Christmas begins to make a lot more sense. 00:19:47.740 --> 00:19:53.200 If you read Isaiah 9, Isaiah 9 is all about the coming of this king. 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:57.779 You know, a light has come into the darkness. 00:19:58.660 --> 00:20:01.340 A light is shining on people who have been walking in darkness. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:01.960 What is that light? 00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:03.380 That light is a king. 00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:09.400 A king who will sit on the throne of David in the lineage of the great king David. 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:13.340 But this king is unlike David or any other human king. 00:20:13.460 --> 00:20:17.220 If you look at the titles, it makes it clear he's going to be a wonderful counselor. 00:20:17.720 --> 00:20:18.880 A mighty God. 00:20:19.660 --> 00:20:20.620 Everlasting Father. 00:20:21.120 --> 00:20:22.100 Prince of Peace. 00:20:22.320 --> 00:20:27.860 And these titles go far beyond anything that you would ever use to describe a human ruler. 00:20:29.360 --> 00:20:31.820 And this king, it says what this king is going to do. 00:20:31.880 --> 00:20:36.200 He's going to bring ultimate judgment to the world. 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:40.539 He's going to bring judgment in the form of breaking the rod of the oppressor. 00:20:41.600 --> 00:20:46.680 Judgment in the form of taking all of the implements of war and burning them to ash. 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:56.039 Judgment in the form of establishing everlasting justice and peace for all time. 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:02.319 What that means is that all of the monsters of the world will be unmasked. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:05.360 And they will be punished. 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:11.420 And all of the victims will be vindicated and restored. 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:14.059 Every tear wiped away. 00:21:14.600 --> 00:21:18.259 Every memory of suffering eradicated for all time. 00:21:20.620 --> 00:21:23.420 Now most people dislike the idea of judgment. 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:29.420 You think of the person on the street corner with the sign talking about the end of the world is coming. 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:35.380 But every time we voice outrage over something like sexual assault. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:36.960 Or racism. 00:21:37.560 --> 00:21:38.400 Or poverty. 00:21:38.820 --> 00:21:39.560 Or injustice. 00:21:39.840 --> 00:21:40.420 Or exploitation. 00:21:41.080 --> 00:21:42.480 The list goes on and on and on. 00:21:42.620 --> 00:21:44.460 Every time we voice outrage over that. 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:46.539 We're actually crying out for justice. 00:21:47.740 --> 00:21:49.380 Which means we're crying out for judgment. 00:21:49.380 --> 00:21:52.720 Because we're saying somebody needs to come and make this right. 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:54.400 Somebody needs to punish that guy. 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:56.740 Somebody needs to say this is not okay. 00:21:57.800 --> 00:21:58.940 How is this okay? 00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:01.780 Somebody needs to restore this person. 00:22:01.780 --> 00:22:02.740 This person is broken. 00:22:02.980 --> 00:22:03.880 They need to be restored. 00:22:04.520 --> 00:22:06.480 This pain needs to be atoned for. 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:08.800 You're crying out for judgment. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:17.000 But the problem comes when we begin to realize what we just talked about a moment ago. 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:21.279 See if the darkness was just confined to a certain people group. 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:24.539 Well it would be very easy to deal with the problem. 00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:27.279 And you've seen that kind of thinking all through history. 00:22:27.859 --> 00:22:28.839 It's their fault. 00:22:30.220 --> 00:22:31.139 Eradicate them. 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:32.960 And the world gets better. 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:35.799 Right? 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:38.240 But if it were that straightforward. 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:40.339 Then we would know what we had to do. 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:44.039 But as we know it's not that straightforward. 00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:45.740 It's not that easy. 00:22:46.419 --> 00:22:51.859 If the line between good and evil truly actually does run through every human heart in this room. 00:22:51.980 --> 00:22:53.220 We've got a serious problem. 00:22:53.879 --> 00:22:56.000 When we cry out for judgment. 00:22:57.879 --> 00:22:59.279 What does that ultimately mean? 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:00.879 About our future. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:01.539 Right? 00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:03.859 So the question becomes. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:05.539 How can this king who is coming. 00:23:06.419 --> 00:23:07.599 Possibly offer hope. 00:23:07.919 --> 00:23:08.759 Both for the world. 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:10.059 And for the human race. 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:11.139 At the same time. 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:15.339 Because if this king doesn't ultimately bring the kind of judgment that we're talking about. 00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:16.579 There's no hope for the world. 00:23:16.899 --> 00:23:18.639 Things are just going to keep on getting worse. 00:23:19.099 --> 00:23:19.639 And worse. 00:23:20.019 --> 00:23:20.519 And worse. 00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:24.399 But if he does bring judgment. 00:23:25.819 --> 00:23:27.740 Then what hope is there for us? 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:32.099 And this is the great quandary of the Old Testament. 00:23:33.139 --> 00:23:34.960 That really doesn't get resolved. 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:39.600 Jewish philosophers have wondered about the judgment of God. 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:40.700 And the mercy of God. 00:23:41.299 --> 00:23:42.680 And how could they go together? 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:43.579 How could they fit? 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:46.620 How could you have a God who brings hope both for the world. 00:23:46.619 --> 00:23:49.279 And for human beings who live in it? 00:23:50.879 --> 00:23:51.619 The answer. 00:23:52.619 --> 00:23:53.719 Is Christmas. 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:55.759 Christmas. 00:23:56.879 --> 00:23:57.799 Isaiah 9. 00:23:58.639 --> 00:24:01.119 It's not entirely clear until you really look at it. 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:03.139 It's not just about one advent. 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:05.059 In other words one coming. 00:24:05.199 --> 00:24:06.519 The word advent means coming. 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:09.139 Isaiah 9 is not just about one coming. 00:24:09.140 --> 00:24:13.620 There are two events represented in Isaiah 9. 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:16.900 One day this conquering king will come. 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:19.000 And he will bring perfect judgment. 00:24:19.160 --> 00:24:20.660 He will cleanse the world of evil. 00:24:20.780 --> 00:24:22.280 All darkness will be banished. 00:24:22.800 --> 00:24:24.040 Everything will be restored. 00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:25.620 That will come one day. 00:24:25.619 --> 00:24:28.659 But before that. 00:24:29.299 --> 00:24:31.399 Isaiah says that he will come first. 00:24:31.639 --> 00:24:32.739 As a child. 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:35.719 And in the full reading of Isaiah 9. 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:37.939 You see that this child will be born in Galilee. 00:24:39.059 --> 00:24:41.119 And of course we're talking about Jesus Christ. 00:24:41.719 --> 00:24:43.000 Who comes at Christmas. 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:44.379 Not as a conquering king. 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:45.739 But as a powerless. 00:24:46.699 --> 00:24:48.239 Utterly vulnerable infant. 00:24:49.639 --> 00:24:50.899 The question becomes why? 00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:51.979 Why this first coming? 00:24:51.980 --> 00:24:55.980 Well one day Jesus will come to judge the world. 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:56.960 But first. 00:24:57.980 --> 00:24:59.740 He comes not to judge it. 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:01.960 But to save it. 00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:05.920 To actually offer himself as a sacrifice for it. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:08.819 What you might consider the ultimate Christmas gift. 00:25:08.819 --> 00:25:09.339 For us. 00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:11.420 For to us a child is born. 00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:12.920 To us a son is given. 00:25:13.099 --> 00:25:14.140 Given for what purpose? 00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:17.299 Well this is God's answer to the darkness. 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:21.140 While we're busy blaming other people for the darkness. 00:25:21.980 --> 00:25:22.900 Which is human nature. 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:24.259 You see it in Genesis 3. 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:25.140 In the reading we heard. 00:25:25.819 --> 00:25:26.539 You know it's her fault. 00:25:26.620 --> 00:25:27.140 It's his fault. 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:28.299 He did it. 00:25:28.360 --> 00:25:28.720 She did it. 00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:29.200 They did it. 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:30.480 Government did it. 00:25:31.420 --> 00:25:33.339 While we're busy blaming others for the darkness. 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:34.039 Jesus. 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:35.900 Enters the world quietly. 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:37.059 Without any fanfare. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:38.819 For one single purpose. 00:25:39.420 --> 00:25:40.799 Not to assign blame. 00:25:41.420 --> 00:25:42.200 But to take it. 00:25:44.360 --> 00:25:45.720 He absorbs it. 00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:46.759 Into himself. 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:47.519 The darkness. 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:49.839 He absorbs the darkness. 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:51.120 Into his own flesh. 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:52.539 You know. 00:25:52.620 --> 00:25:53.640 And then when he dies. 00:25:53.640 --> 00:25:54.539 On the cross. 00:25:55.700 --> 00:25:56.799 He seals. 00:25:57.180 --> 00:25:57.779 The fate. 00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:59.519 Of all the darkness in the world. 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:01.660 He guarantees. 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:02.299 That one day. 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:03.400 It will be no more. 00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:04.740 It will evaporate. 00:26:04.900 --> 00:26:05.400 Like mist. 00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:08.640 As the sun rises. 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:09.500 In the early morning. 00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:12.579 So for Christians. 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:13.700 Who trust Jesus. 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:14.559 For grace. 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:15.339 And for forgiveness. 00:26:15.579 --> 00:26:16.960 We know that Jesus died. 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.460 In order to deal with the darkness. 00:26:18.759 --> 00:26:19.579 Inside us. 00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:20.240 Which means. 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:20.619 We know. 00:26:20.619 --> 00:26:21.679 When he comes again. 00:26:21.679 --> 00:26:23.240 The darkness will be banished. 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:24.500 And we will be made new. 00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:26.539 And that is the hope. 00:26:26.939 --> 00:26:27.519 Of Christmas. 00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:31.119 So as we think about Christmas. 00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:32.699 As a way of dealing with the darkness. 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:33.619 Let me give you a few. 00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:34.699 Practical ways. 00:26:34.819 --> 00:26:35.379 That Christmas. 00:26:35.619 --> 00:26:37.159 Enables us to deal with the darkness. 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:38.019 Here and now. 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:40.779 Number one. 00:26:41.940 --> 00:26:42.639 The truth. 00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:43.420 At the heart of Christmas. 00:26:43.420 --> 00:26:43.900 Means. 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:46.339 That we should never be surprised. 00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:47.339 By darkness. 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:50.259 We will never be surprised. 00:26:50.259 --> 00:26:50.980 By darkness. 00:26:51.639 --> 00:26:52.139 You know. 00:26:52.180 --> 00:26:52.559 People get. 00:26:52.639 --> 00:26:52.779 You know. 00:26:52.819 --> 00:26:53.980 How could this happen? 00:26:55.059 --> 00:26:56.599 I thought he was such a good person. 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:57.759 How could this happen? 00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:00.500 People who understand Christmas. 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:01.359 Never say. 00:27:01.460 --> 00:27:02.319 How could this happen? 00:27:03.639 --> 00:27:04.639 You know what we say? 00:27:05.420 --> 00:27:06.700 But for the grace of God. 00:27:06.700 --> 00:27:08.720 That could have been me. 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:13.200 That's why Christians. 00:27:13.319 --> 00:27:13.740 By the way. 00:27:13.940 --> 00:27:14.340 Value. 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:16.759 That's why we value. 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:17.799 Being in communities. 00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:19.080 Where we focus on. 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:20.259 The formation of. 00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:20.960 Virtue. 00:27:21.360 --> 00:27:22.039 And character. 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:23.140 And why we want to hold. 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:23.920 Each other accountable. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:25.220 We're not being legalists. 00:27:25.400 --> 00:27:26.400 We understand the darkness. 00:27:27.420 --> 00:27:28.360 We don't deny it. 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:29.420 We don't stuff it in a bag. 00:27:29.480 --> 00:27:30.299 And carry it behind us. 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:31.220 Like Jung talked about. 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:33.059 We face it. 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:34.059 We realize. 00:27:34.140 --> 00:27:35.220 This is serious stuff. 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:37.660 We understand. 00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:37.700 We understand. 00:27:37.700 --> 00:27:38.319 That anyone. 00:27:38.519 --> 00:27:39.700 Under the right circumstances. 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.740 Can become a monster. 00:27:42.140 --> 00:27:43.380 And I was just at a. 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:43.819 At a. 00:27:44.299 --> 00:27:44.480 You know. 00:27:44.539 --> 00:27:45.420 Not too long ago. 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:46.460 I was at an AA meeting. 00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:48.180 It's one of the few places. 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:48.720 You can go. 00:27:48.860 --> 00:27:49.559 Where you see people. 00:27:49.680 --> 00:27:50.519 Who have taken off. 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:51.539 That mask. 00:27:51.740 --> 00:27:52.640 And they're looking. 00:27:52.819 --> 00:27:53.660 That darkness. 00:27:54.220 --> 00:27:55.059 Square in the eyes. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:56.340 You know. 00:27:56.400 --> 00:27:56.700 It's a. 00:27:56.700 --> 00:27:57.279 It's a culture. 00:27:57.279 --> 00:27:58.160 That they've created. 00:27:58.840 --> 00:28:00.059 Where people are open. 00:28:00.120 --> 00:28:00.539 And honest. 00:28:00.539 --> 00:28:01.620 About that inner monster. 00:28:01.620 --> 00:28:03.059 Because it has wrecked their lives. 00:28:03.100 --> 00:28:03.819 Enough times. 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:05.079 That they want to do anything. 00:28:05.639 --> 00:28:06.759 To be free from it. 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:08.899 So we're never surprised. 00:28:08.899 --> 00:28:09.579 By the darkness. 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:11.079 Number two. 00:28:11.200 --> 00:28:11.819 Christmas means. 00:28:11.919 --> 00:28:12.599 If you understand it. 00:28:12.639 --> 00:28:13.019 And believe it. 00:28:13.179 --> 00:28:14.519 It gives you true hope. 00:28:14.599 --> 00:28:15.579 To endure the darkness. 00:28:16.379 --> 00:28:16.899 Which means. 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:18.299 We don't need sentimentalism. 00:28:18.379 --> 00:28:18.960 You can go home. 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:19.619 And watch Hallmark. 00:28:19.619 --> 00:28:20.099 If you want. 00:28:20.659 --> 00:28:21.379 But you don't need it. 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:23.039 You don't need it. 00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:24.319 And we don't need consumerism. 00:28:25.019 --> 00:28:26.259 We don't need to escape it. 00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:26.839 Because we know. 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:27.439 That ultimately. 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:28.599 Darkness will come to an end. 00:28:28.599 --> 00:28:29.259 We know that Jesus. 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:30.139 Will come again. 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:31.220 And that he will put an end. 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:32.000 To all of this. 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:33.299 And if you know. 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:34.059 That an end is coming. 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:34.700 You can endure. 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:35.660 Just about anything. 00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:37.359 So we can endure it head on. 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:38.660 We can be honest about it. 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:39.819 Not numb ourselves. 00:28:42.500 --> 00:28:44.319 So we're never surprised by it. 00:28:44.819 --> 00:28:46.220 It gives us hope to endure it. 00:28:46.339 --> 00:28:46.799 The darkness. 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:47.920 Number three. 00:28:48.019 --> 00:28:49.440 Christmas enables us. 00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:51.680 To deal with our own darkness. 00:28:51.819 --> 00:28:53.519 To actually deal with it. 00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:55.579 It gives us the courage. 00:28:55.579 --> 00:28:56.140 To admit. 00:28:56.140 --> 00:28:57.339 That on some level. 00:28:57.759 --> 00:28:58.960 We are complicit. 00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:00.759 In the darkness of the world. 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:02.339 Our own sin. 00:29:02.460 --> 00:29:03.339 And selfishness. 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:04.539 Because we know. 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:05.640 That because of Christmas. 00:29:05.940 --> 00:29:06.759 And because Jesus. 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:08.059 Instead of assigning blame. 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:08.859 Takes blame. 00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:10.839 We know that the minute. 00:29:10.980 --> 00:29:12.039 We admit that to God. 00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:13.539 He immediately responds. 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:14.099 With grace. 00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:14.940 And forgiveness. 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:15.879 And mercy. 00:29:16.119 --> 00:29:16.819 And love. 00:29:17.619 --> 00:29:19.180 So we can deal with our darkness. 00:29:20.180 --> 00:29:20.519 You know. 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:21.019 In this church. 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:21.579 Every week. 00:29:21.619 --> 00:29:22.119 We come together. 00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:23.379 And one of the main things we do. 00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:24.119 Is we confess. 00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:26.119 So we can hear again. 00:29:26.180 --> 00:29:26.960 Be reminded again. 00:29:27.140 --> 00:29:28.220 God has forgiven you. 00:29:29.079 --> 00:29:30.339 The darkness has been dealt with. 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:30.639 In you. 00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:33.419 And then lastly. 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:35.159 We're not surprised by it. 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:37.159 We're able to endure it. 00:29:37.959 --> 00:29:39.659 We're able to deal with our own darkness. 00:29:39.859 --> 00:29:40.519 The fourth thing. 00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:42.159 Is that Christmas empowers us. 00:29:42.299 --> 00:29:43.619 To push back the darkness. 00:29:43.619 --> 00:29:44.919 In the world around us. 00:29:45.679 --> 00:29:46.839 To push it back. 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:47.959 You know why? 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:49.879 Because if you believe. 00:29:49.879 --> 00:29:50.919 And understand Christmas. 00:29:51.240 --> 00:29:53.039 You recognize that there is no longer. 00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:53.879 Us and them. 00:29:54.839 --> 00:29:56.259 It brings all of those. 00:29:56.359 --> 00:29:57.379 Dividing walls down. 00:29:57.380 --> 00:29:59.200 And you begin to realize. 00:29:59.400 --> 00:30:01.260 That every single human being. 00:30:02.040 --> 00:30:02.980 Is yes. 00:30:03.360 --> 00:30:04.000 A victim. 00:30:04.780 --> 00:30:06.000 A victim of the darkness. 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:06.780 We suffered. 00:30:07.300 --> 00:30:08.180 We felt pain. 00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:09.460 And at the same time. 00:30:09.520 --> 00:30:10.540 Every single human being. 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:11.100 Is also. 00:30:11.320 --> 00:30:12.180 In their own way. 00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:13.100 A perpetrator. 00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:15.080 And what that means. 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:15.520 Ultimately. 00:30:15.660 --> 00:30:17.160 Is that every single human being. 00:30:17.620 --> 00:30:18.980 Is on the same level. 00:30:19.120 --> 00:30:19.860 Playing field. 00:30:20.320 --> 00:30:22.240 We all have the same need. 00:30:22.360 --> 00:30:23.600 For the same savior. 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:24.819 Who we know. 00:30:24.819 --> 00:30:25.480 Will respond. 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:26.179 Always. 00:30:26.740 --> 00:30:27.459 With grace. 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:28.359 And mercy. 00:30:28.779 --> 00:30:29.279 And forgiveness. 00:30:29.699 --> 00:30:30.559 And compassion. 00:30:30.879 --> 00:30:32.059 So it transforms. 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:33.519 How we see people. 00:30:33.839 --> 00:30:34.859 Even our enemies. 00:30:35.819 --> 00:30:36.659 At the end of the day. 00:30:36.839 --> 00:30:37.619 We're not enemies. 00:30:37.740 --> 00:30:39.099 We're exactly the same. 00:30:40.439 --> 00:30:41.859 We're both part of the problem. 00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:44.559 So this is God's answer. 00:30:44.639 --> 00:30:45.619 To the darkness of the world. 00:30:45.699 --> 00:30:46.639 This is the true light. 00:30:46.779 --> 00:30:47.879 Of Jesus Christ. 00:30:47.939 --> 00:30:48.699 As Isaiah 9. 00:30:48.779 --> 00:30:49.359 2 says. 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:51.059 The people who walked in darkness. 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:52.379 Have seen a great light. 00:30:52.380 --> 00:30:54.440 Those who dwelt in a land. 00:30:54.460 --> 00:30:55.140 Of deep darkness. 00:30:55.800 --> 00:30:56.320 On them. 00:30:56.600 --> 00:30:57.080 A light. 00:30:57.400 --> 00:30:57.960 Has shown. 00:30:59.500 --> 00:30:59.860 Amen.