Sermon for Christmas Morning – 25th December 2023

St Paul’s Athens

 

Do you know who said,  it is better to light candle than curse the darkness? Well rather than John F Kennedy to whom it is often attributed it was first said by Peter Benenson, the English lawyer, who is famous for

founding Amnesty International.

I think that could well be our Christmas motto. The darkness is seen in the oppression of the Roman

Empire No one likes to be taxed by a foreign power and that was what was happening. No one likes the problems of gossip. That was what was happening. No one likes the problems of homelessness. There was no room for him in the inn. No one likes being afraid. The shepherds were

terrified. Not a promising start to the story of Christmas. Christmas doesn’t come to the good and the

comfortable. It is found at a time when all was dark. BUT in the midst of this is found a multitude of the

heavenly host with the volume turned up Glory to God

Peace on earth. It starts with the light shining in the darkness. We have had our lights here in St Paul’s. We see them all around Athens. Our task is to bring this light.

That is our task today and in the coming year.

To bring glory to God = to show that he is indeed the loving Father he says he is. To live under his rule and

show he is king in our lives. To bring peace on earth – to remove the suspicions and fear which cause the violence both verbal and physical which damage other people. What is light in this context? Not something which travels at 186,000 miles per second. Not something which is both a wave and a stream of photons. No, it is about bringing reality and hope to a world of darkness. Christmas has told us that a Saviour was born. The light is to show us we need to be rescued from our present condition. The light is to show us the right way. Yet the light is not only to be for us but from us. As we get ready to start again how are we going to be light? There is a lot of darkness around. Places where there is no hope, no peace, no joy. We are asked to bring light by our attitudes and by our actions. Are we those known to be grumpy and despondent? Or do we bring light with our knowledge that God has not left us alone? Do we bemoan the present problems of the world or do we work with those who are seeking to bring changes and to make things better? Not all are called to be Mother Theresas going out to live with the poor (though we need more), but all can support. Later on when the message of this Jesus was being preached throughout the Roman Empire Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” Will you curse the darkness or will you try to shine a light to the world around you?