Many congregations will be observing this Sunday (Jan. 5) as Epiphany Sunday -- so in this installment of The Immediate Word, we’ll be placing our primary focus on a theme that appears in both the Epiphany readings and in the gospel text for the Second Sunday after Christmas: that of Christ bringing light to the world. As team member Dean Feldmeyer notes, this metaphor -- so wonderfully expressed in the Isaiah passage -- is one whose power and meaning requires much less in the way of translation for our people than other imagery of the season. While the manner in which we create illumination in the darkness has changed markedly over the centuries -- now we only have to flip a switch rather than ignite torches or follow stars -- the result is the same. But as Dean points out, light can be both a blessing and a curse. It not only lights our path, it also exposes the grime and dirt of our baser human nature and reveals the dark environment in which sin thrives. So in that vein, Dean reviews some major scandals from the past year and the shortcomings of the characters associated with them. But while it can be amusing to poke fun at the wrongdoing of the rich and famous, Dean challenges us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we are living examples of Christ’s light.
Team member Leah Lonsbury offers additional thoughts on the “light of the world” theme and on our often-stumbling approach to bringing light to the world -- especially when we try to make it “bigger and better” and all about us and our ability rather than about God. As an example, Leah points to the glitch-ridden torch relay for the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics. Perhaps the issue is that, as the New York Times puts it, “like many things about the Sochi Games, [it] is built on superlatives -- meant to be bigger, better, and more thrillingly ambitious than any torch relay that has come before it.” But Leah observes that when we put ourselves in charge of being “bigger, better, and more thrillingly ambitious” instead of following God’s light, that’s when our problems inevitably start. After all, what better defines “superlative” than the light of the world, whose “glory will appear over [us]”? Our efforts are certain to pale in comparison. So, Leah reminds us, our true calling is to reflect God’s light and be its agents in the world.
The Nature of Light
by Dean Feldmeyer
Isaiah 60:1-6; John 1:1-18
Let’s be honest. A lot of the metaphors that we find in the New Testament just don’t speak to 21st-century American readers.
I mean, how many of us have ever lived under a monarchy, much less an emperor? All that talk about kings and kingdoms -- it just doesn’t relate. And the sheep and shepherd stuff... please. The closest most of us have been to a sheep is probably at a petting zoo when we were kids. In New Testament times, bread was serious food; today it’s something you make a sandwich with. Wine was liquid food in the first century; today we sniff it and swirl it and talk about its legs and its finish... whatever that means.
There is one New Testament metaphor, however, that still speaks to us: light.
No matter how old or wise we get, there is something in each of us that still fears the dark, if only a little. Danger still lurks in the shadows of our lives, whether in an urban alley, on an unlit rural road, or in our own toy-strewn living rooms.
We still count on light to illuminate the dangers and show us life the way it really is. And if when we flip the switch we catch a glimpse of a cockroach or two scurrying for the shadows... well, that’s part of the deal, isn’t it?
In the News
As we shine the light of Epiphany back upon 2013 and expose those things that were hidden in darkness, we can’t help but laugh at some, shake our heads in wonder at others, and maybe shed a tear over a couple. To wit, here is our “Top Ten” list of exposures from the past year.
10. Multiple Vitamins & Anti-Bacterial Soap Exposed
When the bright light of hard science was directed on claims by the manufacturers of products that supposedly protect our health, some interesting results ensued. An editorial in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine declared that there is no evidence of any long-lasting benefits from taking daily multiple vitamins. And in a related story, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released findings that 40 years of study has shown there to be no evidence that anti-bacterial hand soap is any more effective than regular soap in reducing infection and the spread of disease -- and even suggested that its use may in fact do more harm than good.
The manufacturers of these items said, in a joint statement: “Oops! Our bad.”
9. Phil Robertson -- Not So Ducky Dynasty
Phil Robertson, the paterfamilias and patriarch of the family made famous by the popular Duck Dynasty cable series, exposed his true self to the light of public opinion in the pages of GQ magazine.
In a profile by GQ’s Drew Magary, Robertson called homosexuality a sin comparable to bestiality and used graphic terms to describe why he finds it “illogical” and immoral. In the same piece Robertson told Magary that he never heard a person of color complain about their treatment in the Jim Crow south.
When the A&E network decided to disassociate itself from Robertson’s remarks with an “indefinite suspension” from new episodes, he tried to hide in the shadows of free speech and born-again Christianity. (After intense pressure from the series’ fans, A&E abruptly backed down and rescinded the suspension.) But it’s too late, Phil. You can’t unring a bell, and you can’t erase what the light has shown to be the case.
8. The NSA Is Listening... Maybe... Or Maybe Not
As much as we may dislike Edward Snowden’s traitorous behavior, we can’t deny that he shined a powerful light on a dark part of America called the National Security Administration (NSA).
Long known as the most secretive of secret places, the NSA has been exposed for its meta-data gathering techniques that involve recording the telephone activities of millions of Americans. Is it wrong or illegal or immoral or un-American? Who knows? Even sister agencies like the CIA, the FBI, and the Department of Justice aren’t sure -- let alone two federal judges, who handed down conflicting decisions on the legality of the NSA’s activities.
One is reminded of Colonel Flagg on the television series MASH, the counterintelligence officer whose secret mission was so top-secret that even he didn’t know what it was.
7. Beautiful People, Not So Beautiful
When people complained that Abercrombie & Fitch’s clothing is sold only in sizes for small and thin people, A&F CEO Mike Jeffries stepped into the light and responded that he didn’t want to hurt his company’s image by having their clothing seen on fat and ugly people. A&F clothing, he said, is meant for young, thin, and attractive people only.
All across America, thousands of people responded to this statement by purchasing Abercrombie & Fitch clothing items and giving them to homeless people, where they could be worn in the full light of day by people who were somewhat less than the A&F ideal. (And, it should also be noted, the company was forced to issue two apologies for its CEO’s comments amid plummeting sales.)
6. Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber
Do I really need to say anything here? These two are like moths where bright light is concerned.
5. In the Locker Room
Miami Dolphins lineman Jonathan Martin shined a bright light on the locker room antics of teammate Richie Incognito, who enjoyed bullying new team members with behavior and language so filled with vulgarity and racist epithets that the networks would not even read them with the offensive words beeped out.
When the team suspended Incognito, he responded by saying that his words were taken out of context.
And what context would that be, Richie? Darkness? Yeah, things never look the same when they are taken out of a context of darkness and held up to the bright light of day. Embarrassing, isn’t it?
4. Hey, Paula
Celebrity chef Paula Deen has managed to make the list two years in a row.
In 2012 she was outed as having type 2 diabetes, making her unable to actually eat most of the foods she was cooking up on her TV show.
No sooner had that flap died down than a former employee accused her of using remarks that were at best insensitive and at worst racist. Paula responded by making a bad situation worse with her awkward explanations, overwrought apologies, ill-advised talk show appearances, and attacks on “the media,” abetted by a host of loudmouth defenders.
Paula, step away from the light.
3. The Mayors of Mayhem
We’ll lump Rob Ford of Toronto and Bob Filner of San Diego into this one category. Ford, you will recall, was revealed to be a crack-smoking alcoholic who refused to resign as mayor because, hey, everybody has faults, right? Nobody’s perfect!
And Filner was the San Diego mayor who faced sexual harassment charges from 19 different women and denied all of them, saying that he was being hounded by a lynch mob, right up to the moment when he resigned from office, pled guilty, and was sentenced to home confinement, probation, and a small fine.
It is to be hoped that the bright light that was shined on these two has revealed some important lessons -- one of which was, no doubt, “never elect a guy named Bob as your mayor.”
2. Last Dance for Lance
Cyclist Lance Armstrong spent years not only denying that he used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) when he won his record seven Tour de France titles, he also threatened, bullied, and in some cases systematically set out to destroy the careers of anyone who accused him (or even raised the possibility) of using PEDs.
Eventually, the light that was being directed upon him got stronger and stronger until there was no longer any denying the fact -- and in January he sat down with Oprah Winfrey and confessed to everything.
Then he crawled into a dark place and no one ever heard from him again. Yeah, right.
1. Income Inequality
Not since the 1928 has the difference between the very rich and the rest of us been so wide. The Pew Research Center, Reuters news service, USA Today, the New York Times, and dozens of other organizations confirmed, as 2013 drew to a close, that the rich really are getting richer while everyone else gets poorer.
In 1944, the top 1% of American families shared 11.3% of all pre-tax income in the country, while the bottom 90% shared about 60.5%.
Today the top 1% shares 22.5% of the country’s wealth, while the bottom 90% shares only 49.6%. For the first time in the history of our country, 90% of the people are taking home less than 50% of the wealth. The top 10% of families are taking home more than half of the money in the country, and the average CEO is now paid more than 273 times what the average wage earner takes home.
What will happen if this trend continues is anyone’s guess, but it can’t be good for the country.
Honorable Mention:
* The “death” of Manti Te'o’s online girlfriend;
* Beyonce lip-syncing the national anthem at the presidential inauguration;
* The death of Glee star Cory Monteith from a drug overdose;
* The IRS targeting Tea Party organizations for “special attention”;
* Lululemon founder and CEO Chip Wilson saying that his company’s pants were see-through only when they were stretched across the bottoms of women who were too fat to wear them;
* 60 Minutes blows the Benghazi story.
In the Scriptures
The promise of Isaiah is that the glory (light) of the Lord shall shine upon the People of God and the world will be attracted to this light because the world lives in darkness.
This can be good or bad news. Do we really want the light to shine upon us? Do we want the world to see us as we really are? The light can be flattering, but it can be revealing is well.
Whether we like it or not, our faith shines a light upon us that attracts the world’s attention. People look at us and say, “So that’s what Christians are like.” Are they getting an accurate depiction?
In John’s gospel, it is Jesus who is the light that illuminates the world. Jesus shows us the world as it truly is, and as it might be. Jesus is the light that illuminates and exposes, even as it enlightens.
In the Pulpit
A mixed metaphor may be helpful here: Light is a two-edged sword.
The light that is Jesus Christ illuminates and exposes; it shows the world as it really is. But it also enlightens. It shows us the path of righteousness that leads to God’s Kingdom.
We are called in scripture to be agents of the Christ, doers of the word, the prophetic voice that illuminates and exposes injustice and hypocrisy (or, if we’re not afraid to use the word, “sin”).
And we are also called to be agents of light as enlighteners. We are called to show the world the better way, the way of truth and love.
Karl Barth said, “Christians don’t need to argue better than atheists. They need to live better.”
The season of Epiphany, the season if light -- as illumination and enlightenment -- challenges us to stand in the light for the sake of the Gospel and the one who gave it to us.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Carrying the Real Light of the World
by Leah Lonsbury
Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12
The Olympic Games are often understood as a grand beacon, a spectacle of the human race’s best and brightest stars, and a symbol of humanity’s triumph and glory. And what better symbol could there be of this magnificent display than the Olympic torch itself? Even its beginnings are grandiose. The flame originates at Hera’s temple in Olympia, Greece, lit by “supposedly Greek virgin priestesses” who harness the sun’s rays via a parabolic mirror and then transfer it to the latest manifestation of the torch created by the current year’s host country.
This year, that bigger and better torch has been designed by KrasMash, a Siberian company that typically manufactures submarine-launched ballistic missiles. As a result, it seems reasonable that these torches might be expected to do their job -- and then some. Confident of this, Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the Sochi 2014 organizing committee, said on the day before the first torch was lit, Our torches don’t go out in wind speeds of up to 60 kilometers an hour and temperatures of up to minus 50 degrees Celsius. There are versions of the torch which burn underwater.”
As a part of a Games that has been “built on superlatives,” according to the New York Times, the 2014 torch relay has been designed to be “bigger, better, and more thrillingly ambitious” than any one before it. The 40,000-mile route is the longest in Olympic history and makes its impressive way through the North Pole, into space, and even underwater in Lake Baikal. 14,000 torchbearers, the most ever, are set to take part and will travel not only by foot, train, plane, and car, but also by snowmobile, icebreaker, jet pack, zip wire, sleigh, horse, and camel.
It’s a good thing these torches are so impressive, since 16,000 of them were produced to the tune of 207 million rubles ($6 million), right?
Wrong, it seems.
When you dig past the flashy marketing surrounding the 2014 Games and its flame, it becomes clear that not all Russians are as “on fire” about these torches as Chernyshenko. Those 14,000 torchbearers have been invited to purchase the torch they carry to the tune of 12,800 rubles ($388), but many have been unable to do so due to the struggling Russian economy. This might sound like adding insult to literal injury to some of the torchbearers. One participant was set afire when the torch “dripped” flame on his uniform. A 13-year-old girl had a torch explode in her hands and burn her, and a 73-year-old sports director and Greco-Roman wrestling coach had a fatal heart attack when he attempted to walk his assigned distance -- 150 meters (about 218 yards).
Apart from the woes this torch relay has brought to its bearers, mishap just seems to have become its mode of operation. When the flame was blown out by a gust of wind on the Kremlin grounds, the torchbearer on duty panicked and had a guard relight it with his Zippo cigarette lighter. Zippo picked up the footage to use in its own marketing campaign, but the Olympic committee quickly squashed those efforts because the company was not licensed to advertise using Sochi 2014 imagery.
Numerous eyewitness reports and video evidence suggest that the flame has died as many as four dozen times -- including eight times in the first six days alone -- despite the official story that it has only gone out three times. Roman Osin, the torch relay spokesperson, set out to settle any torch-bearing fears or fury, asserting that “the flame [has] set people on fire only on three occasions, and never in a hazardous way.”
“It’s not dangerous,” Mr. Osin said. “It didn’t even damage the garments of the torchbearers.”
Not everybody’s buying this kind of spin. A committee has been formed in Russia’s parliament to investigate the enormous cost and high number of torches produced. “Any normal person will have at least a few questions,” says parliament member Mikhail Starshinov. “Why were 16,000 produced? How much does each torch cost, and is this price appropriate? And finally, why don’t they work?”
So much money, so much spectacle, so much hype... and a serious number of foibles and failures.
If we want to talk about light-bearing biblically, perhaps this is what happens when we march ahead with the flame instead of following the light. Perhaps this is the result of buying into the hype (or producing it ourselves) that tells us that we are “bigger, better, and more thrillingly ambitious” when we run out in front instead of studying and carefully following the star. After all, it doesn’t get much more superlative than the Light of the World whose “glory will appear over [us].” How could we or why would we try to shine brighter than that?
When we forget that we are called to arise and shine in the light that has come, that has risen upon and for us, and instead get caught up in the glory of our own shining star, then that’s when problems inevitably arise. That’s when we see our spectacle of a relay race go up in flames, explode in our very hands, and fall down lifeless.
Despite our zip wire, snowmobile, and icebreaker efforts, nothing will draw others to the flame like when we see and take on God’s light for our journey. Isaiah tells us that this is when we will be radiant and when our hearts “shall thrill and rejoice.” This is when all of God’s people will draw near and “proclaim the praise of the Lord.”
God’s light is made manifest to us in the Christmas season, and especially in the celebration of Epiphany. May we receive and reflect that gift and live in its brightness.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:
John 1:1-18
Light -- Both Particle and Wave
Dust off your old physics notes, and you may recall that light exhibits the properties of both particles and waves. Since the time of Aristotle this has created a good bit of debate, but today physicists largely agree that there exists something known as the “wave-particle duality.” One team of physicists notes:
At times light behaves as a particle, and at other times as a wave. This complementary, or dual, role for the behavior of light can be employed to describe all of the known characteristics that have been observed experimentally, ranging from refraction, reflection, interference, and diffraction, to the results with polarized light and the photoelectric effect. Combined, the properties of light work together and allow us to observe the beauty of the universe.
Here’s another time when theology and science go hand in hand. It is perhaps no easier to explain how light can be both particle and wave than it is to say the “Word became flesh and lived among us.” Christ is perhaps both particle and wave, transcendent yet immanent, matter and yet also energy.
*****
John 1:1-18
The Light Spreads
Susan Palo Cherwien’s poem “Light: Both Particle and Wave” captures this dual understanding of light and connects it to the incarnation. In part, it reads:
Light.
Both substance and energy.
Christ.
Both particle and wave
Both earthly and heavenly
(And all of us, with unveiled faces
are being transformed into that image
from one degree of glory into another.)
-- from Glory Into Glory: Reflections for Worship (Morningstar Music Publishing, 2009)
*****
Isaiah 60:1-6
Dangerous Illumination?
Epiphany is the celebration of God’s light, but what happens when human-produced light becomes toxic? Is our proclivity to take light everywhere actually damaging to humans and to the planet?
Financial Times journalist Clive Cookson believes it may be time to fight the spread of light. He notes, “If the Star of Bethlehem reappeared this year it would be lost in the artificial urban glow of a modern city.” Cookson reports about the growing number of “dark sky” enthusiasts who see light pollution as a threat to animal and human health. According to Scott Kardel, the managing director of the International Dark-Sky Association, “More people are realizing the value of restoring the night sky to the glory it had before civilization, and appreciating the harm that light pollution can do to human health, plant and animal life, as well as the money and energy wasted on excessive lighting.”
Isaiah turns to the night sky to see the glory of God revealed. Perhaps in dimming our human-produced lights we may be better able to perceive that glory today.
*****
Isaiah 60:1-6
Light to Live By
Isaiah calls God’s people to stand in the glory of God’s light, and to share the abundance God has provided. On this Sunday, many church members will be still wrestling with resolutions for the new year. The promise of Isaiah is broader than any one-year resolution, but at its core is a call to rise and do something in response to God’s glory.
One writer and consultant offers a list of 22 essentials for the new year, and three things to avoid. It’s not a particularly Christian list, but it is still good advice. In response to the light of the new year, Andrew Scharf suggests keeping calm, keeping your head above water, maintaining a positive outlook, and above all else to “keep on believing.” The full list also includes three things not to do: don’t join the bandwagon if it means mortgaging your soul; don’t refuse to let go of issues and grudges; and don’t hang on to resentments and painful memories instead of letting them subside.
*****
Isaiah 60:1-6
Letting It Shine
It’s not easy keeping our new year’s resolutions. In fact, Time magazine reports that only 8% of persons who will make a promise to change something on January 1, 2014 will end up keeping that promise. The article’s author suggests making small steps toward change, the way light spreads across the world. To do this, we could take a cue from one of the most fascinating persons of 2013 -- Pope Francis.
Martin Marty suggests that much of what Pope Francis has done so far has resulted from gestures he has made -- small signs of bigger change:
On every level, though, the gestures of this pope serve as defining visual instruments of his papacy. Some commentators and critics have studied them to question his sincerity, which the wrong gestures and symbols could obscure. Near the end of his first year, however, the consensus now confirms that the pope we see is indeed authentic.
He shuns pomp and speaks informally to the crowds assembled below his window. He casts off the trappings that his predecessors used to keep a distance from the people. Instead of going formal with a formidable encyclical, Francis issued an evangelical exhortation. He has now begun to shuffle personnel at the Vatican, moving rigid Catholic conservatives out of influential roles, to indicate where his priorities lie.
***************
From team member Ron Love:
John 1:1-18
The smartphone innovation for future will be a phone that has a roll-up screen and batteries so it can be placed easily in your pocket. The reason for this, as described by Silicon Valley futurist Paul Saffo, is to create a phone “small enough to carry with you at all times without thinking about it, and will essential enough that you won’t want to get rid of it.”
Application: We can only hope that the Light of the world is with us at all times, inseparable from us.
*****
John 1:1-18
Bobby Cox, the former manager of the Atlanta Braves, was recently unanimously elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame. In reviewing his role as a manager, Cox said: “You’ve got to create an environment where [the players are] knocking down that clubhouse door when they get there in the afternoon or evenings.”
Application: John the Baptist was enthusiastic when he proclaimed the coming of the Lord, just as we should be this day.
*****
Ephesians 1:3-14
Former managers Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa, and Bobby Cox were all recently tapped for membership in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Of his fellow electees, Cox said: “I considered them enemies on the field, but friends off the field.”
Application: Ephesians speaks of a community of forgiveness and acceptance.
*****
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Though Bobby Cox, the former manager recently elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame, was a little rough around the edges, he was always a staunch defender of his players against any criticism. If a pitcher gave up several home runs, Cox would blame it on an unfavorable wind -- even if the flags around the stadium lay limp on their poles. If a player struck out, Cox would say that it was a pitch that even Babe Ruth could not have hit.
Application: Jeremiah expressed God’s support for his people, that now they would become like a “watered garden.”
*****
Jeremiah 31:7-14
“Rocky Mountain High” has taken on a new meaning as Colorado has legalized the possession and use of marijuana. Colorado’s ski resorts and mountain towns are bracing for a new kind of tourism, as marijuana tours are now being organized to bring people from across the country to the state. Marijuana buses will take vacationers from resort to resort, with stops in between to sample different varieties of marijuana.
Application: A marijuana tour is not the type of “watered garden” where Jeremiah expected us to find peace and solace.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: May our leaders dispense your justice, O God.
People: May they deliver your righteousness to the people.
Leader: May the mountains yield prosperity for the people.
People: May the hills offer an abundance of righteousness.
Leader: Have pity on the weak and the needy.
People: From oppression and violence redeem us, O God.
OR
Leader: Come and rejoice in the light of our God!
People: Our God brightens all of creation!
Leader: God’s light shines and all is revealed.
People: The false fades away in God’s presence.
Leader: Receive God’s light and share it with others.
People: In joy we offer God’s light to those around us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Jesus Shall Reign”
found in:
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELA: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
“Go, Tell It on the Mountain”
found in:
UMH: 251
H82: 99
PH: 29
AAHH: 202
NNBH: 92
NCH: 154
CH: 167
LBW: 70
ELA: 290
W&P: 218
AMEC: 122
STLT: 239
“Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies”
found in:
UMH: 173
H82: 6, 7
PH: 462, 463
LBW: 265
ELA: 553
W&P: 91
“When Morning Gilds the Skies”
found in:
UMH: 185
H82: 427
PH: 487
AAHH: 186
NCH: 86
CH: 100
LBW: 545, 546
ELA: 853
W&P: 11
AMEC: 29
“Rise, Shine, You People”
found in:
UMH: 187
LBW: 393
ELA: 665
W&P: 89
“I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”
found in:
UMH: 206
H82: 490
ELA: 815
W&P: 248
Renew: 152
“Let There Be Light”
found in:
UMH: 440
NNBH: 450
NCH: 589
STLT: 142
“Thy Word Is a Lamp”
found in:
UMH: 601
CH: 326
W&P: 664
Renew: 94
“Shine, Jesus, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
“Arise, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 2
Renew: 123
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is light and in whom there is no darkness: Grant to us the courage to look at ourselves and others in the light you bring to us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise and worship you, O God of Light! You come and reveal the truth to us. Help us to see ourselves and others clearly, as we are in your sight. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways we try to hide our faults while exposing the faults we see in others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are aware that we are flawed, and yet we ignore our shortcomings or try to rationalize them. Often we make ourselves feel better by focusing on the faults of others. We are glad to expose others’ sins while refusing to acknowledge our own. Forgive us, and send your Spirit upon us that we may be truthful about ourselves. Help us to look at others through your eyes of love. Amen.
Leader: God loves us all and sends the light of truth set us free. Receive God’s gifts of truth and of grace.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We worship and praise your name, O God, for you are light and truth. You are the steadfast one that we can always rely on.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are aware that we are flawed, and yet we ignore our shortcomings or try to rationalize them. Often we make ourselves feel better by focusing on the faults of others. We are glad to expose others’ sins while refusing to acknowledge our own. Forgive us, and send your Spirit upon us that we may be truthful about ourselves. Help us to look at others through your eyes of love.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have enlightened our lives with your presence. We thank you for the scriptures, and for those who have lived the truth of the scriptures before us. We thank you for the light of love which has touched us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We know there are many places that seem to be lodged in deep darkness. We pray for those who find illness, death, poverty, or violence to be blinders which block the light of your presence. We pray that we may be part of your work clearing those obstacles from their lives, that they may live more fully in the light of your presence.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Look through a kaleidoscope and exclaim about how pretty and bright it is. Then let the children look through it too -- but hold your hand over the end so no light enters it. Let this go on until every child has looked into the kaleidoscope... or until they catch on. Then talk about how it doesn’t matter how pretty something is unless there is light so you can see it. God’s light helps us to see all the beauty in each and every person.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
You Can’t Hide the Light
by Wesley T. Runk
John 1:1-18
Object:a box with a hole on one end -- with a blanket attached that can cover the hole and shut out the light (and uncover it and let the light in)
Today we are going to have a little fun, and also learn something about Jesus. I brought a special box with me that I want to share with you. I want you to put your head inside the box and shut out all of the light with the blanket. I want you to see how dark it is inside of that box. Then when you tell me that it is dark, really dark, I am going to open up this tiny hole in the other end of the box and see if you can see the light, and also if the light lets you see the inside of the box. (begin the experiment with several of the children)
The whole box is dark. We have a lot of darkness and only one small bit of light. What I want you to learn is that all of the darkness in the whole world cannot shut out a little bit of light. The little bit of light can be seen in the biggest amount of darkness. Do you understand what I mean? (let them answer)
The reason that we shared this little experiment is because it is what the Bible teaches us about Jesus. Jesus is like the light. He is only one person in the world, but he is such a strong person that he can overcome, or be stronger than, all of the rest of the people in the world. Jesus is light; Jesus is good. There is nothing wrong with Jesus at all, and wherever Jesus is, he will bring his goodness with him.
Let’s say that there is a lot of sin in the world. All of us make sin, and are a part of sin. There is so much sin in the world that you might think we could not get rid of it. But that is not true. Jesus is like the light in the darkness. He gets rid of the sin by just being there. When you have sin in your heart (and you can have a lot of it), then ask Jesus to share your life with you, and your sin will go away. Jesus will forgive you your sin and you will have no more.
That is why I want you to put your head in the box. The box is like a world full of sin. We don’t think that we will ever get rid of sin, but the Bible teaches us that when Jesus came into the world he was like a light, and wherever he went he made the darkness (or the sin) leave so that people could live without living in sin.
Maybe you want to make your own box when you go home. Then you can remember how glad we are to have Jesus in our lives so that we don’t live in the dark, but rather in the light. God bless you all.
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The Immediate Word, January 5, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2013 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
