Christmas Eve Sermon

Bishop Mouneer Hanna Anis' Christmas Eve Sermon given at All Saints Cathedral, Cairo, Egypt on 24 December 2009 at 10:30pm. "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2).  In this verse Isaiah describes how the people were living in darkness and prophesies of an important event that would transform the people from darkness into a wonderful light.

But, what did Isaiah mean when he spoke about the darkness in which the people were living in, and who are these people?

The people are the People of Israel.  They were called by God to live a holy and acceptable life to God, so that they would be a blessing to all the nations around them.  These nations did not know the one and only God, and worshiped many gods.

The darkness in which the people were living in is:

• The darkness of not having the real knowledge of God or going away from God.

In spite of God's call to the people of Israel, through many prophets, they turned their backs away from Him and they worshiped foreign gods.  Isaiah wrote: "'The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.' Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption!  They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel, and turned their backs on him" (Isaiah 1:3-4).

Jeremiah recorded what God said about the people of Israel, saying:  "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water" (Jeremiah 2:13).

• The other darkness is the darkness of living in a superficial relation with God.

"The Lord says: 'These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men'" (Isaiah 29:13).

Jesus also described those who worshiped God in a superficial way when he said:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean" (Matthew 23:27).

• Another type of darkness is the darkness of sin

Sin makes a barrier between us and God.  It also keeps the glory of God from reaching us.  Isaiah, when he said, "the people walking in darkness" prescribed the situation of the people who do not see God's glory.  And God's glory does not shine upon them because of the sin in which they are immersed in.  Isaiah wrote, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.  For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt.  Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things" (Isaiah 59:2-3).

All this resulted in the cessation of God's conversation to His People.  He sent one prophet after another who carried God's message to the people, but this stopped for almost 400 years until John the Baptist came to prepare the way of Jesus.

My beloved brothers and sisters, do you not agree with me that the world where we live today lives in similar darkness?  Many have run away from God and many deny the presence of God.  I was surprised to see some buses in London on which some atheists wrote: "There is probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life."  To that extent, the darkness has become so deep.  This is why we hear of a brother killing a brother, a mother killing her child, and the eruption of wars, conflicts, violence and terrorism.  Moreover, many societies have failed to discern between the truthful and the sinful acts.

Yes, the darkness in which the people have lived in the past is very much like the darkness of today's world.

Let us now go back to "the people walking in darkness."  Isaiah said that these people suddenly "have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2)-a light that brought a new hope with it to a people that were crushed by spiritual darkness, to a people who lost all hope in salvation from their sins and darkness.

This light accompanied a great event which is the birth of Jesus Christ!  Isaiah explained the reason for the appearance of this great light when he said, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

The prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled.  We read in the Gospel of Luke how the light shone and the angels appeared when he wrote:  "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:8-11).

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, described the coming of the Jesus as light in these words: "to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:79).

It is this great light that led the Wise Men (Magi) from afar to come and worship Jesus Christ.  "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:1-2).

The Apostle John described Jesus Christ as "the true light" when he said, "There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light [Christ], so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him" (Matthew 1:6-10).

Jesus Christ confirmed this when he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).  He also said, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness" (John 12:46).

The birth of Jesus Christ, which we call "Christmas," and with all the spiritual light and the great hope that accompanied it, requires from us not just an annual celebration, but a response.  It requires a response for the birth of Christ and for the message of salvation that he presents to us.  Many have responded and are still responding to Christ and his message until today.  But, everyone responds in different ways.

• There are those who live in the darkness and reject the light.

John says, ^"In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" (John 1:4-5) and "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him" (John 1:11).  Yes, the People of Israel have rejected Jesus and did not accept him-not only that, but they persecuted and crucified him.  They preferred to live in the darkness, rather than accepting him as the saviour for their lives.

• There are those who live in darkness who have seen the light but who have not allowed it to penetrate their darkness and save them from their sins.

There are those who recognize the uniqueness of Christ in his love, message, birth, resurrection, authority over nature, ability to heal the sick, cast out demons and raising the dead.  And yet, they do not accept him as the saviour and Lord over their lives!  They have turned away from him.

• There are those who live in darkness who have seen the light and believe in it.

These people have allowed Jesus to shine in their lives and to reign over them.  They have allowed Jesus to save them from their sins.  So, they walk with him, and they follow his steps.  And because of this, their lives have been transformed and are filled with light and real peace-a peace that the world cannot give.

One example of those who have allowed Jesus to shine in their lives and to reign over them is the Apostle Paul.  Jesus appeared to him as a great light and transformed his life.  He moved from being a persecutor of Christians to being an apostle who guided others to the light of faith.  Jesus said to Paul, when he appeared to him and sent him to the People of Israel and the Gentiles, "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:18).

Today, what is your response to the birth of Jesus Christ?  Are you going to reject him?  Are you going to ignore him?  Or, are you going to accept him?

My beloved, as we celebrate Christmas today, let us respond to the love of Jesus and his call.

Let us open our hearts to him, so that we can say with Paul, "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him" (Colossians 1:12-16).