A Great Light in Darkness

Isaiah 9 : 2 - 4

Children’s Sermon

Children, are you more afraid of darkness or of light? I think the answer is quite easy—children are usually more afraid of the darkness. But as children grow up, they often become less afraid of it. Being afraid of darkness is not only to be understood as physical darkness; it can also mean a spiritual darkness.

A famous agnostic scientist, Stephen Hawking, once said (this is a free quotation), “Heaven is a kind of fairy tale for people who are afraid of the dark.” Then a Christian apologist named John Lennox responded by saying, “Atheism is a kind of fairy tale for those who are afraid of the light.”

So, what do you think—are we afraid of darkness, or are we afraid of light? Is it even possible to be afraid of light? When we are awake, we actually need light. We can only live properly when we have light, because without light we cannot see anything. This is also true in a spiritual sense. Without God’s light, we cannot see spiritual reality and we remain blind.

Being blind is our natural condition. That is why it is important to emphasize that the light of God, which comes to us in Jesus Christ, is something we receive. It is a gift from God. It is not something we can produce by ourselves.

I believe you know the difference between a planet and the sun. What is the difference? A planet does not produce its own light; it depends on another source of light. But the sun produces its own light. In the same way, we do not have light in ourselves—we depend on God. In the Old Testament, God is sometimes described as the “Sun of Righteousness.” God as the source of light, is a very important image in the Bible. Without God, we cannot see spiritual reality or understand the Kingdom of God..

When you go to the Christmas market, you will see many beautiful lights everywhere. But Christianity is not mainly about decorations or accessories. It is about seeing the glory of God in the baby Jesus.

Later, we will have a candlelight service, and we will probably sing Silent Night. You might wonder, “Where is the great light?” A small candle does not seem like a very great light. And you might also think that a baby lying in a manger does not look like a great light—it seems too small and insignificant for the world. However, there is always a kind of hiddenness, a certain mystery, in the Christian message. We cannot create light by ourselves, and even our ability to see God’s light is a gift from Him. We see the light not because we are clever or smart, but because God is merciful and opens our eyes.

Only those who walk in the light can have true joy. Those who walk in darkness are filled with sorrow, have no hope, and cannot truly rejoice.

So, children, I hope that during this Christmas you will contemplate the beautiful light God has shown us in Jesus. I hope we are afraid of living in darkness without light, without God. But once you see God and believe in Him, life will be different. I hope this will be your commitment for your whole lives.

Adult’s Sermon

Do we truly live in a dark reality? Especially in this beautiful Advent season, are we not surrounded by candles and festive lights? Precisely at this point, I would like to pause and reflect with you on the deeper meaning of Christmas. One might say that Christmas itself is the festival of light. Yet it must not be understood as an occasion for mere sentimentality. Rather, it should lead us into an honest—and sometimes harsh—encounter with the reality of our lives.

Christmas is certainly not an escape from the world, nor merely a brief respite from the burdens of everyday life. Instead, it is a time of contemplation and meditation, celebrated precisely within our darkness.

If we read Isaiah 9 again, we hear the promise that darkness will not remain upon those who are in anguish. The darkness Isaiah speaks of is the fear of people who no longer know where to turn or where to go. Let us consider our own context: economic uncertainty here in Germany, political crises, wars and conflicts, and also our personal struggles—perhaps health-related burdens. All of these experiences can indeed frighten us and rob us of courage.

This is precisely why the message of Christmas is so liberating. As Isaiah proclaims, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” This light brings hope, understanding, and guidance. It does not originate from ourselves; it is not self-produced. We cannot generate it by our own strength. Rather, it is a gift from God to this fallen world.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Bible repeatedly connects the presence of God with light. What does it mean, then, to walk in darkness? In this context, it means living without awareness of God’s presence—or even perceiving God’s nearness as something threatening. Interestingly, this sense of alienation already appears in the story of the human fall. God’s presence, which is meant to bring joy and delight, is now experienced as a burden or even as a danger.

But this is the good news of Christmas: our guilt, missteps, doubts, and desires to escape are not enough to keep God away. He does not abandon you or me, but He comes. He comes: this is the meaning of Advent. He comes, reveals Himself, enters our darkness, and He does not come as a judge but as light—as a child in a manger, as hope in a hopeless time.

These events were prophesied by Isaiah, who speaks of them as future realities. Remarkably, he uses verbs in the perfect tense—what biblical theology calls the prophetic perfect. Isaiah describes these events with the certainty of actions already completed from God’s perspective.

Earlier, we spoke of the fundamental fears of humankind. Yet Isaiah declares that joy will come in place of fear. The Lord God Himself is the source of this true joy. It is not a joy dependent on external circumstances, such as a promotion at work or good health. Without the presence of God, who gives meaning to our lives, all human joys ultimately turn to dust and ashes.

Furthermore, in verse 4 we read that the people rejoice because the Lord has broken the yoke of their burden and the rod of their oppressor. God Himself brings true liberation—a liberation that encompasses both spiritual bondage and real, physical oppression. To interpret this liberation only in political terms, as some strands of liberation theology do, is too simplistic. Yet it is equally wrong to understand it only in spiritual terms while ignoring the concrete suffering of people. Jesus, the light of the world, breaks through both the inner darkness that binds the skeptical and the outward darkness that weighs upon human lives.

Often we are so preoccupied with our own challenges, dreams, and imaginations that we forget how much God invites us to become reflections of His light for others. We forget that He calls us to be channels of His blessing. God is not merely the solution to our personal problems. Such a view of God is simply too low.

Continuing Isaiah’s words about the broken yoke, we can contrast this with the Assyrian rulers, who boasted of placing heavy yokes upon conquered nations. Their power was displayed through domination and oppression, measured by how triumphant and victorious they were over others. Jesus, however, invites us to a completely different way. In Matthew 11:28–30, He tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. While earthly power exalts itself over others by being more triumphant and more victorious, Jesus Christ meets us with gentleness and humility. This is the true and great light—the light that liberates from every form of oppression and lovingly invites us to take on the yoke of Christ: a yoke that does not crush us, but lifts us up.

Light, of course, is a familiar metaphor in many religions and philosophies. What, then, makes the Christian understanding of light unique? I believe it is because this light is inseparably bound to a person—Jesus Christ Himself. He declares, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This light is not merely a form of intellectual enlightenment. It is a spiritual opening of our eyes by God Himself. By nature, we are blind to the glory of Christ—blind to the needs of our fellow human beings and often blind to our own weaknesses. Yet Jesus comes into the world so that the blind may see. Blessed are those who acknowledge their blindness and allow God to open their eyes. But woe to those who believe they already see everything, for their blindness remains. When we humbly turn to God and confess our blindness, He is merciful and grants us new sight.

Therefore, in this Advent and Christmas season, let us not only admire the lights in our streets and homes, but also contemplate the beauty of the incarnate Jesus Christ. He has freed us and liberated us from the bondage of darkness, so that we may walk in the light. We no longer cling to darkness but live transparently before God and one another, with nothing to hide. May the light of God shine through us into this world. May the light of Christ illuminate our hearts, guide our paths, and shine so that all may see that darkness does not have the final word—because the light has come. May God bless us. (G.N.S)