Ian Williams - "The Light and Darkness Following Christmas" (December 29, 1996)

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-	Thank you, Dr. Tucker for your welcome this morning.	0:16
	I am delighted to share in this service	0:20
	with you on this Sunday after Christmas.	0:23
	It's been an interesting experience,	0:27
	to spend the Advent and Christmas season	0:29
	here in the United States.	0:32
	It's so cold and dark	0:35
	certainly the climate here provides	0:38
	a most appropriate backdrop for the Christmas light	0:40
	and helps illuminate the truth of the message of this season	0:44
	that the light shines in the darkness.	0:48
	However, during this Sunday in Australia,	0:52
	as on Christmas Day, many who participated	0:55
	in morning worship would have spent the rest of the day	0:59
	and perhaps much of the evening, at the beach	1:04
	or in some other summer activity.	1:07
	Yes?	1:10
	Christmas for us, comes in the time of light, in mid-summer.	1:11
	As your dean commented in his sermon	1:18
	that last Christmas Eve, we in Australia,	1:22
	have an upside down Christmas.	1:24
	This presents some logistical problems,	1:29
	such as having to wait until 9:30 or 10 o'clock	1:31
	in the evening before we can have	1:35
	our carols by candlelight service,	1:37
	and having to exercise our imagination to gain meaning	1:41
	from many of those carols, with their references	1:45
	to in the bleak mid-winter, snow on snow.	1:49
	But perhaps most of all is the theological	1:55
	or faith challenge.	1:58
	How are we to celebrate the coming of the light	2:00
	when it is light already?	2:06
	A not dissimilar issue faces us, at Easter time,	2:10
	which comes of course in our autumn, or fall.	2:14
	And therefore, all the metaphors of new life	2:18
	and nature, which is, which have been utilized	2:23
	by traditional theology, proclaiming the new life	2:25
	of Christ's resurrection, are contrary to what we experience	2:30
	in our climate.	2:34
	Thus, I live in a country, where the climate	2:36
	is at odds with theology.	2:41
	Or remembering, that within	2:45
	a very few years, there are likely to be more Christians	2:46
	living south of the Equator, than north of it.	2:50
	Perhaps, traditional theology is at odds with the climate.	2:54
	These comments may help you understand why the themes	2:59
	of light and darkness, were prominent in my mind,	3:03
	as I reflected upon our gospel reading from Luke,	3:07
	for this Sunday after Christmas.	3:11
	For example, was it cold and dark or warm and sunny	3:14
	outside when Mary and Joseph and the child Jesus	3:19
	went to the temple that day as Luke describes.	3:24
	We have always tended to assume that it was cold and dark,	3:29
	befitting a Palestine winter.	3:33
	But of course, the decision	3:37
	to celebrate the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December,	3:38
	was made by the church in the Northern Hemisphere,	3:43
	many years after the event, to replace	3:46
	an existing mid-winter festival.	3:49
	There is no mention in Luke, that it was winter,	3:53
	at the time of the birth of Jesus.	3:57
	And to hear this story as I have for 50 years,	4:00
	indeed just over 50 years,	4:04
	with the sun shining brightly outside,	4:06
	and the prospect of an afternoon at the beach ahead of me,	4:08
	makes a big difference to how one understands	4:12
	and receives Luke's story.	4:15
	Is this time following Christmas,	4:19
	one of light or of darkness?	4:21
	There is the shade, if not the darkness	4:27
	of the letdown we invariably experience following	4:30
	the brightness of our Christmas celebrations.	4:34
	As your dean has commented, this Sunday signals	4:37
	the ordinary resumption of life after the grand	4:42
	intrusion of the joy of the Christmas message.	4:46
	There are also other ways in which we can understand	4:50
	the twin themes of light and darkness	4:54
	to be present in our lives today	4:58
	and also in our gospel story.	5:01
	Much of the light comes from the understated	5:06
	beauty of this story from Luke.	5:10
	Here, with Mary and Joseph following the traditions	5:14
	of the Jewish law, in bringing their first born	5:18
	to be presented at the temple,	5:21
	we catch one of the few glimpses in the New Testament	5:24
	given us of how the ordinary people of that time	5:28
	lived out their religious commitment.	5:32
	I always remember the comment made to me	5:36
	by my Australian friend and colleague, Robert Banks,	5:38
	now teaching at Fuller Seminary. Robert remarked saying	5:42
	he wondered quite often how the ordinary folk,	5:47
	the Bible-believing, or scripture and law-believing	5:53
	Jewish folk at the time of of of Jesus, lived out	5:57
	their religious commitment.	6:01
	Today we catch a glimpse of this.	6:04
	For Mary and Joseph, who were simple folk, only able	6:07
	to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtle doves,	6:11
	or two young pigeons, as they could not afford a lamb,	6:15
	and their faithful obedience to the law	6:20
	was an expression of their joy and praise	6:24
	of God, and not an unremitting demand placed upon them.	6:26
	And we meet two other people of faith,	6:32
	Simeon and Anna, who each in their own way	6:35
	provide testimony to the enduring power	6:40
	of faithfulness and the faithful power of endurance.	6:43
	Their lives and witness radiate a light,	6:49
	not a blinding light, but one of graceful radiance.	6:52
	With Simeon's poignant words continuing to enter our lives	6:57
	through the words of the liturgy,	7:03
	"Lord, now let us thou thy servant,	7:05
	"depart in peace, according to thy word.	7:08
	"For mine eyes had seen thy salvation."	7:12
	Then there was Anna, a very old widow,	7:18
	who also belonged to the simple folk of faith	7:21
	of the time.	7:25
	Indeed, such was the strength,	7:26
	and constancy of her piety, today we would say spirituality,	7:29
	that we are told that she never left the temple	7:35
	but worshiped there with fasting and prayer, night and day.	7:38
	We are reminded of the Annas in our lives.	7:44
	Of the people of faith, indeed many of them being	7:50
	older women, whose prayers for us continue	7:53
	to support and sustain us, even without our knowledge.	7:58
	Yes, the light of their faithfulness often illuminates	8:04
	the darkness we experience.	8:09
	And our gospel story today ends in the brightness	8:14
	of the knowledge that after Mary and Joseph	8:17
	finished all that was required by the law of the Lord,	8:21
	they returned home to Nazareth, and the child	8:24
	grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.	8:27
	And the favor of God was upon him.	8:31
	All the things that we would wish for our children,	8:35
	were given to the young lad, Jesus.	8:40
	Physical strength, wisdom of heart and mind,	8:43
	and being the recipient of God's gracious favor.	8:48
	Yes, the ordinary resumption of life was filled	8:53
	with the promise given by the Grand Intrusion.	8:57
	The light shines in the darkness.	9:01
	But as we have all heard, within the brightness	9:07
	of this poignant story, are the shades of darkness.	9:11
	For we note that following Simeon's moving words,	9:18
	that we now know as the Nunc dimittis,	9:21
	come his words to Mary the mother,	9:25
	"This child is destined for the falling and rising	9:28
	"of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will	9:32
	"be opposed so that the inner thoughts	9:35
	"of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce	9:39
	"your own soul too."	9:44
	Hearing these words, a dark cloud shades the brightness	9:50
	of the blessing, at that moment there in the temple	9:54
	for the parents, especially Mary the mother,	9:59
	for the child, knowing that he will be opposed	10:03
	by many and have the sharpness of the sword	10:06
	pierce his soul too,	10:10
	and for us too, as we remember the dark clouds	10:13
	amidst the light of the Christmas blessings,	10:20
	of the vacant seat around our Christmas meal tables	10:25
	because of the death of a parent or grandparent,	10:29
	or because of separation from children or their spouses,	10:33
	of the words spoken in haste	10:38
	and anger as old family resentments resurfaced,	10:41
	of the dark thoughts and feelings	10:47
	we harbored amidst the Christmas lights.	10:49
	And also, there is that sense that we may	10:55
	be experiencing today, of the mundaneness of our life ahead,	10:57
	now that the brightness and joy of the grand intrusion	11:03
	of Christmas is finished.	11:06
	Whilst this may not be a black cloud, and more like	11:09
	a feeling of flatness, nevertheless, it brings its own sense	11:13
	of a darker shade into our life.	11:18
	Now, I realize that many preachers throughout the world	11:23
	will be emphasizing this point today:	11:27
	That already within the brightness of the message	11:30
	of Christmas, are contained glimpses of the darkness	11:33
	of the suffering and death which the Christ child	11:38
	is to experience.	11:41
	It's only right and proper	11:44
	that this emphasis be made.	11:46
	It's not simply a form of psychological reality testing,	11:48
	okay, you've had your time of celebration,	11:52
	now back to the real world.	11:55
	No, more profoundly, it directs us	11:58
	to the heart of the truth and promise	12:02
	of the Christmas message.	12:05
	For I believe, that the Christian message	12:08
	affirmed in our gospel reading today	12:12
	is that darkness is always present	12:16
	in our lives on Earth.	12:19
	It is real, sometimes the result of our own perversity,	12:21
	sometimes the result of the incomprehensible forces	12:27
	of evil and suffering, always a dark mystery.	12:30
	Indeed I wish to suggest that darkness	12:37
	is a constituent part or a constant companion	12:41
	of our trust of God in Christ.	12:44
	Remember to the one who can rightly be called	12:49
	the true model of faith, to Mary, these words were given,	12:51
	"And a sword will pierce your own soul too."	12:57
	What was true for Mary is also true for us.	13:02
	Light and shade are part and parcel of our life here	13:07
	as Christians on Earth.	13:13
	My father was an art teacher.	13:19
	He used to emphasize	13:23
	in his classes at our high school, the importance	13:24
	of light and shade in our endeavors of painting.	13:27
	Indeed he referred to it so often	13:31
	that it became his nickname.	13:33
	Thus for most of my time at high school,	13:36
	the only time I heard my father referred to by my fellow	13:38
	students was as Light and Shade Williams.	13:42
	Come to think of it, I also heard them refer to him	13:46
	in a couple of other ways, which is not perhaps	13:48
	appropriate to mention here.	13:51
	Dad had a great love of the classical European tradition	13:55
	of painting, especially that of Rembrandt.	14:01
	And I can still remember him showing me	14:04
	one of Rembrandt's paintings,	14:07
	yes, it was of the presentation in the temple.	14:09
	And saying to me, "Son, look at the way	14:12
	"in which Rembrandt has made use of darkness	14:16
	"in this painting."	14:20
	And in preparation for today, I looked it up again	14:22
	and those familiar with it, will know that it shows	14:26
	Mary and Joseph and the child Jesus, with Simeon and Anna	14:29
	and a few others, in the temple that day.	14:35
	And against a very dark background, a brilliant live	14:40
	shaft of light, illuminates the group.	14:45
	Especially Simeon, as he tenderly holds the child	14:48
	in his arms.	14:52
	And Simeon's face is radiant, with the joy and mystery	14:54
	of the moment.	14:59
	Most commentators emphasize the extraordinary	15:01
	way in which Rembrandt used light to portray	15:05
	the meaning of the event.	15:09
	However, for my father, it was the darkness	15:11
	that was indispensable to the portrayal	15:15
	of the message and to the genius	15:18
	of Rembrandt's expression of it.	15:20
	And I believe that my father's insight into the genius	15:23
	of Rembrandt, helps illuminate the power	15:27
	of our gospel reading this morning.	15:30
	The brightness of the Christmas message, and the light	15:34
	it shines into our lives, is surrounded by the various	15:37
	shades of darkness that we experience.	15:41
	It is not only that the light	15:45
	makes us aware of the darkness,	15:47
	but as my father remarked, the darkness allows us	15:49
	to see the promise and reality of the light.	15:53
	Yes, our life beyond Christmas Day and beyond our baptism,	15:58
	is one where we experience the reality and suffering	16:03
	of darkness, but because the darkness	16:07
	despite its terrible power,	16:11
	did not overcome the light of the incarnation,	16:13
	darkness need not overcome us too.	16:17
	Even as today, we may be experiencing the flatness	16:21
	and darker shade of life.	16:26
	In conclusion, let me reaffirm two major promises	16:31
	I believe are given in our gospel story this morning.	16:36
	One is to affirm that our discipleship here on Earth	16:41
	in this experience of our discipleship, we never	16:48
	experience the light of the gospel without	16:52
	some darkness impinging upon its brightness in our lives.	16:57
	This I believe is both reassuring and demanding.	17:02
	Reassuring, in that we certainly can be recipients	17:06
	of the light and truth of God's presence through the spirit,	17:11
	while experiencing the shadows of darkness and suffering.	17:15
	Even though we may only be able	17:20
	to see through a glass darkly, as Paul put it,	17:23
	we can still receive the light of God's truth and love.	17:30
	It is demanding in that at those times when all seems dark,	17:35
	we are not exempt from the demands of faith.	17:41
	For our crucified and risen Lord, calls us to faithfulness	17:46
	precisely within the dark storms of life	17:50
	we may be experiencing.	17:54
	But the final word and the sure promise given this day,	17:56
	as we move from Christmas to the New Year,	18:01
	even and especially as for most of you, unlike me,	18:04
	will be having to endure the coldness and the darkness	18:08
	of the winter ahead, I return to Australia	18:11
	and its summer in a week's time.	18:15
	We come to the last part of John's testimony,	18:18
	to the incarnation.	18:21
	For after his first promise	18:23
	that the light shines in the darkness,	18:25
	he then affirms, "And the darkness has not overcome it."	18:29
	So often, the positive is best expressed	18:35
	as the double negative.	18:38
	The darkness has not overcome the light.	18:40
	Darkness is not the final reality or the ultimate power.	18:44
	In that truth, and hope, we move into our future	18:50
	with its light and darkness, knowing that it is indeed	18:54
	God's future, established for us	18:59
	in the birth, life, death and resurrection	19:01
	of our Lord Jesus Christ.	19:05
	And in that promise, we return to the ordinary	19:07
	routines of our lives.	19:11
	To our hometowns, as Mary and Joseph did that day.	19:13
	And as we do, may I wish you a blessed and faithful	19:18
	New Year in darkness and in light.	19:22
	May the Lord be with you.	19:28
	Amen.	19:30

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Title:

Ian Williams - "The Light and Darkness Following Christmas" (December 29, 1996)

Description:

Sermon start time: 00:16. Sermon end time: 19:31.
The Gospel displays the Christmas message as containing both light and darkness. Like a painting, it is given its depth through the play of light and shade. There is both the light of the promised Messiah and the darkness of his (and our) prophesied suffering and death. Through this we see two main points: 1.) Though darkness is always present with us in this life, we can still expect to experience the light of God's truth and love; and 2.) The darkness has not overcome the light, as John puts it. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The brightness of the Christmas message, and the light it shines into our lives, is surrounded by the various shades of darkness that we experience. It is not only that the light makes us aware of the darkness, but…the darkness allows us to see the promise and the reality of the light.”

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4nk36k40

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December 29, 1996

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Williams, Ian

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Duke University. Chapel

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UA.17.01.0003 CS-0838
ref9824_az6
uachapelsermaud
duke:320633
dcrau001483
ark:/87924/r4nk36k40
b98b5480-9824-4c68-a9cd-d8d1ce6cdaf6

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Ian Williams - "The Light and Darkness Following Christmas" (December 29, 1996)

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