The light of Jesus offers hope!

Isaiah 9:1-2,4,6 NIV
Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever…The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine…For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod…For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The light of Jesus offers hope!

With Jesus the darkness is temporary!

With Jesus no darkness is too dark!

With Jesus the darkness doesn’t control you!

John 3:16-19 NIV
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 8:12 NLT
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.

Christmas and lights are linked together like Peanut butter and Jelly! Christmas even has it’s own category or lighting, Christmas lights. Big bulb, small bulb, led, colored, white, flashing

*How many of you are the color light people?

*How many of you are the white lights only people?

*How many of you already have some of your outdoor lights up?

*How many of you have a neighbor who just does way too much?

This is a guy in Arizona that loves lights!

And this is a guy in Fairfield, CT

Wonderland at Roseville 350,000 lights, 4 trains, dozens of Santas, and hundreds of other inflatables, gnomes, statues, all of it set to Christmas music. Averaged over 1,000 visitors per night, and 30,000 visitors during the season…

Some of his neighbors not thrilled

45 of his neighbors signed a petition to get them to either stop or tone it down!

What holiday cheer they have…Merry Christmas, we hate you!

But, even the most scroogy of us has to admit that Christmas and the lights of Christmas evoke and incredible feeling in us. The street lighting, walking around downtown with all the lights, even shopping has a special feel to it during Christmas! Some of it has to do with our kids for sure, but there is just something unique a special about Christmas, and specifically Christmas lights and Christmas candles.

But have you ever wondered how Christmas and lights got connected with each other?

3,000 years ago, people of Israel had a civil war, divided into 2 nations, Israel/Judah. Israel had rejected God pretty much all together, practicing all sorts of idol worship, witchcraft, even as bad as child sacrifice. The people were incredibly religious, but far from godly. God sent Isaiah to preach and prophesy to them. God said that Israel the northern kingdom would be destroyed for it’s rejection of God, 721 BC, Assyrian Empire.

Then through Isaiah he warned Judah that basically the same thing was coming to them if they didn’t repent…and he went on to describe just how horrible it would be, but gave Isaiah this incredible vision in Isaiah 9…

Jesus lit up the world with hope! He loved the unloveable, he challenged the religiosity and the system of the day, he healed the sick, he gave sight to the blind, he made the crippled to walk again, he set those captive by demons, disease, and their past free!

Has the light of Jesus faded over the last 2,000 years? Is his light any less brilliant or powerful than it once was? Has the darkness of our world become so pervasive that the light of Christ can’t pierce it?…The darker the world gets the brighter the light of Christ shines!

Listen, our world has tried everything to combat the darkness:

Educate our way out of it
Govern our way out of it
Police our way out of it
Religion our way out of it
Love our way out of it

There is nothing in all of creation that can break through the darkness except the light of Jesus Christ…and the Light of Jesus pierces even the darkest world!

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