John 1:1-14
December 23, 2012
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
We gather this joyous day to celebrate, singing the beloved music of Christmas that proclaims the good news of our faith: the light shines in the darkness. As our day time hours got shorter and the rains of the season cloud out the light, we look toward this Christmas Sunday seeking to see the light shining in the darkness.
In the Gospel of John, we read that the babe of Bethlehem is light, the light of the world, and the light shines into the darkness, our darkness, with a radiance that is inextinguishable!
Each one of you is here this morning because in some way or another, the light that is Christ has shined in each of your lives. When we sing, “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” you heard it and you came this morning. If we had all day and perhaps the rest of the week, some of you would be able to testify to the fact that you were once stumbling about in the dark, clueless and lost, and then you were unexpectedly blinded by this light.
For others of you, you have been bathing in the light of Christ as long as you can remember, all the way when you came as a child, and then this light came into your heart as if someone flipped a switch and you came to your senses as Christ became real and present to you.
And I know that there are some of you for whom that light was lit when you were young, perhaps by a parent or a wiser old friend or a Youth Camp counselor. And that light has flickered at times and has burned brighter at one time than another. Still, through it all, the light of Christ continued to shine sufficiently enough for you to be here this morning. You know that on Christmas Day is the “Birthday of a King.” You are still familiar enough with the songs to sing: “In him was light…and the light shines in the darkness.”
Did Not Overcome
We know how just a little light can help us to see in the darkness. My little light on my key chain helps me to put the key in the door lock. But John proclaims even more for Christ as the Light of the world. John says not only “the light shines in the darkness” but also “and the darkness did not overcome it.”
The word in our Bibles for “overcome” in the Greek is: katalambano.
Since the unspeakable tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut nine days ago, the constant news reports fill the top of our minds and into the tender places of our hearts. We wonder what tragically went wrong that such darkness has come upon these people and in fact, has come upon all of us. We say that we are “overcome with sadness.” We say that we are katalambano with sadness.
The Psalmist speaks about tragedy in life when “waves have gone over me.” Some of you know what it feels like to have the waves crashing around you and the waters rising up to you and you feel that you are going to be overcome with sadness. Whether it ‘s the powerful wind and waters of Hurricane Sandy or the deranged mind of a troubled youth who caused such waves of sadness at the Sandy Hook School, we say, “when it rains, it pours.” There are times when it’s one struggle after another and the good news seems to be in danger of being overcome by the bad.
But John rejoices, “the light” who is Jesus Christ come into the world shines forth “and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Jesus Christ is more than the light that shines in the darkness. John’s Gospel does more than simply announce the advent of light. John also says that “the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” This means that Jesus intrudes into the world amid all of the world’s enslavement in chaos and evil. And in the evil that we see in our world today, even those that leave us so disturbed that we continue to have a problem to speak about it, even in such sadness, the darkness did not overcome the light of Jesus Christ because we know that he conquered death in his resurrection.
Did Not Comprehend
This Greek word katalambano, rendered in the old King James Version says, “And the darkness comprehended it not.” I like this version too.
We have a nice crowd here this Sunday, but it is still only a minority of people in our community joining us to sing our Christmas carols. For most of those who are not here it’s not that they are opposed to the Christian faith, not that they are hostile to us. Rather, they just don’t get it. They just don’t katalambano the faith.
For them, Christmas is a holiday, a grand time to eat and to drink too much, to spend too much, and to travel too far. I have said this before but when Joy and I leave Sausalito to drive to church at 7:30, no one else is on the road. They are sleeping and sheepishly not understanding why we would give up a perfectly sunny Sunday morning. You probably experience this yourself. When we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come,” they don’t get it. They think it’s odd. They “comprehend it not.”
Some of you have had the experience of a dramatic, life-changing spiritual event when God seemed particularly present and real to you. We sometimes have called these times “Jesus Moments” or “Jesus Sightings.” You get so excited about this that you can’t wait to tell your family and friends about it. And after you have given them a point-by-point narration of what happened to you, they politely say to you, “Sorry, I just don’t get it.” What was an undeniably life-changing for you was incomprehensible to them.
When we baptized and welcomed our 6 new members into our church last Sunday, some of their family members and friends after hearing that they will be joining FCBC, the Body of Christ, they might have said, “That’s great for you but sorry, I just don’t get it.”
The Bible is a long account of God having tried to speak to us down through the ages, has in the Incarnation at last “spoke through a son.” We look at Jesus of Nazareth and see God speaking, revealing himself to us, here, right now.
But most people look at Jesus and see only an historical figure from the past who said a few interesting things and then faded into obscurity. Most people look at Jesus at this time of the year and only see a baby lying in the manger. Most people look at Jesus and say that my friend believes but I don’t. They don’t see a light shining in the darkness; they see that which they “comprehend not.”
And yet the amazing thing is that you have comprehended Jesus. You get it. Your presence here this morning is testimony that you, despite any intellectual or cognitive limitations, comprehend the deep, cosmic, world-shaking significance of this peasant baby born in Bethlehem.
You think of all the things in the world you don’t understand and yet you understand this. I was talking to someone at the church that Joy works in Berkeley who works at the Chevron refinery in Richmond. He is rebuilding the burned refinery and heard from this fellow that it will be up running by February next year. You heard it here first! I had no knowledge about how oil is refined until I talked to this man. Did you know that that refinery used to make over 900 petroleum products? Did you know that there is actually a pipeline that goes from Richmond all the way to SFO so that the jet planes can get their jet fuel directly? Now I am beginning to know that the propane gas we use for our grills is a byproduct of refining crude oil. Did you know that?
There are so many things in the world that we don’t understand and comprehend but amazingly, we comprehend the world-shaking significance of this peasant baby born in Bethlehem. Of course, your understanding of the gift of God in Christ is, itself, also a gift of God in Christ. God has given us the ability to understand the revelation of Christ. And still, when you consider all the factors working against your ability to stand up this day and truly sing, “He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness,” it’s rather amazing that you comprehend.
Did Not Overtake It
This Greek word, katalambano can be interpreted as the darkness has not been able ever to “overcome” the light and that the darkness did not “comprehend it.” There is yet a third way to understand katalambano. It can mean that the “darkness has not overtaken it.” The darkness doesn’t “get it” in more than one sense. The darkness doesn’t comprehend it and the darkness doesn’t “get it” in the sense that the darkness doesn’t catch up with the Light, doesn’t take over or capture the Light.
The Gospels depict Jesus always on the move, a perpetual road trip, on a constant journey. When the people were trying to trap him on some of his teachings, he had to hightail it out of town as quickly as possible. People were trying to catch up with Jesus.
There is something to be said about this. Jesus’ whole ministry was a race against time. His critics are always on the prowl and threaten to overtake him. It’s like the darkness threatening to “overtake” the light.
I think about the many letters and appeals that we all have received this year asking us to make a donation. In most cases, we agree with these causes and if we had more resources, we would love to send them some support. All these worthy causes are on the brink of financial disaster, no more than a few months before bankruptcy. They are racing to not have darkness overtake the light.
I think about the ministry of this fine church that has been at this same corner for over 132 plus years. There have been some rather dark days when the saints of this church had to rebuild from the rumbles and ashes in 1906 so that a phoenix of hope and good news in Christ might rise again. The darkness in 1906 has not overtaken the light.
I think about how Christianity was outlawed in China after the People’s Revolution that cast out Christian workers, missionaries and pastors. Those were very dark days for the Christians who were left behind and went underground. For many years the government tried every way they knew how to extinguish the light of the gospel and miserably failed to “overtake” the light. When you look at how the Christian church is growing in China, the government got overtaken by the light.
I am happy to celebrate Christmas with you this year. Like every congregation, we have challenges that threaten to divide us and make us distrust and second-guess one another. These kinds of things are the darkness that wants to overtake us and turn us into people who walk only in darkness. But I want to say that on this Christmas Sunday, we were not overtaken. We are still here, not only tolerating each other, but even prospering with each other because the darkness has not overtaken us.
Light in the World
In the aftermath of the Newtown, Connecticut school tragedy, we know that there is still darkness in the world that creates great sadness. Evil is still running rampart in the world where the innocent suffer and injustice afflicts so many.
Paul says in Romans 12, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” In other words, we are to respond to evil in the world as God has responded in Christ. We are to let light shine. We don’t overcome evil with the ways of the world—through force, violence, retribution or revenge. We overcome evil as Christ has overcome evil—through his love shining into our darkness.
Today, John joyously proclaims the triumph of the light of the world. While the power of darkness will resist the light, the light will overcome all the forces against it. And before not too long, we know that there will be suffering and blood before the full story of the babe in Bethlehem ends.
Therefore, as we sing the songs of Christmas joy, we must always take great care to admit to the sadness that still occurs among us. Jesus is light but he is light that shines into real, serious darkness.
Last Sunday when we witnessed the baptism of our new members and their public profession of joining the Body of Christ, this church, you saw for yourself with your own eyes the power of the Light of Christ overcoming darkness.
I’m not saying that these persons are like this but when you think about how materialistic and self-absorbing our society has become believing that we can realize the American Dream by hitting the mega jackpot lottery, only to watch God working through us transforming us to become Jesus’ disciples who care and have compassion for others, we know that the darkness has not overcome these people.
The world tried to overtake the Light of the World. And surprise, through you and me and this fine church, the world got overtook! The Light of the World is the Light in the world. The Light of Christ does not avoid or deny the reality of the darkness; the light enters into the realm of darkness, works within the realm of darkness, and ultimately triumphs.
Today we explored the meaning of this Greek word, katalambano. We sing on this glorious day not only with joy but with hope. Surely, we have our challenges in the days ahead. Surely, there are perils and evils before us. Surely, there will be times and events that will break our hearts again.
But today, I have good news for you. The Light, the Light of the World, the Light is in the world, shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it, did not comprehend it, or overtook it!
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, in your nativity among us you came to show us the fullness of God’s glory. Into our drab darkness, light has dawned. Into our unfulfilled lives, joy has come. Into our silence, a word has been spoken and that word is joy, that word is love. We praise you for making your home among mortals like us. Amen.