“If now I seek the forgiveness of sins, I
do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there… But I will find in
the sacrament or Gospel the word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives
to me that forgiveness which was won on the Cross.” (AE 40, 214)
St. John 1:1-14 – LWML Sunday (2006) Rev. George F. Borghardt III – St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conroe, TX Listen Here
In the name of Jesus. Amen. When I was a kid, when I would have a bad dream or get scared at night, like most kids, I would call out for my parents. No matter how quietly or loudly I cried, my father would always come. The first thing he would do is turn on the light.
With the light on, everything was ok. The light chased away whatever was scary in my life. In a bit, I could sleep again in peace.
Whether you are young or old, darkness is a bit unsettling. You can't see. You don't know what's going on. Sneaky things happen in the darkness. Bad things happen in the darkness.
Until the light turns on. When the light comes on everything scatters – including the darkness.
St. John tells us today that the Light has not only come on – but has come on for good. The darkness of our universe has been scattered! The Word, Who was with God from the beginning, through Whom all things were made and apart from whom nothing was made that is made, He has come. Jesus has come.
In Him is life and that life, the life of the Word made flesh, is the light of men. That light, His light, shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot grasp it.
Light and Dark. While the Church is familiar with the Light and the Darkness, the world cannot comprehend it. Yes, our American culture may have seemed once to know the difference, but now we see everything as gray. There is good and there is bad, yes. But, there is a bit of good in everyone and a bit of bad in everyone. So says the world.
In fact – the world will consider you full of light if you call a thing “gray.” Don't call a spade a spade – don't call light light and dark dark. Be tolerant and understanding – of any lifestyle or any faith. And whatever you do – don't call Jesus the one true Light. Be gray.
Dear children of God, I know that you struggle with this, I do too. It is very difficult to confess before a world that darkness is darkness and that Light has come into the world. It tears up families. It breaks friendships. It brings loneliness.
It's easy to tell an enemy off. It's much more difficult to stand up to a friend and tell them about the darkness of their sins and the true Light of the world.
But, sadly, the children of God are so worn down by the world's darkness and “gray” that it even effects how we see our sins. We excuse ourselves – as if we have to decide between the lesser of two evils, two darknesses.
It goes like this... If I stay in this situation, life won't get any better – only darkness there. But, if I do this, it's a sin. But if, I don't, I'll remain miserable. So, I lose if I do and I lose if I don't, so I'll go ahead and do this sin anyway. I'll chose the lesser of two darknesses.
Or worse, there's this one: There's sin all around me. Darkness everywhere. Christians are forgiven. I'll do this darkness and get some Light and forgiveness afterwards. I do this, do you?
It's horrific, isn't it? But we do it every day. It isn't playing in the gray, it's walking in darkness. It's walking in death.
There is one Light of the world. There is one life of the World. He is your Light. He is your life.
So often we think of Jesus as a little candle shining in a dark room. No, that's not Jesus. That's you in this world of darkness reflecting His light. We'll talk about that candle in a bit.
Let me describe for you what the Light of the world looks like. It's not that there is a flash light that has come into the world, or a mag light. No, imagine a light so bright that it drowns out the sun's light. Imagine light so bright that it makes everything white, it lights everything, fills the world with Light.
That's Jesus. He's the one true Light – the Light of the world. He came in to his own, but His own did not receive Him.
John says, He who is Light came and took upon our flesh, we saw Him, we touched Him, we beheld His glory. The glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.
Light and darkness aren't abstract for the Christian. The aren't platonic ideals or some sort of pie in the sky mentality – like the idea of a perfect day or a the pursuit of the perfect hamburger.
There is Light in this world. The Light of the world has flesh, He has blood. Christ is the Light. The whole world is lit up – including you and me – up by Him alone.
He came into this world of darkness and His own received Him not. He was betrayed in the darkness, beaten and bruised. His own chose a murderer over Him, rejected Him, and handed Him over to be crucified. There on the Cross, the Light shined in the darkness from the sixth to the ninth hour.
“It is finished.” He cried out. He was done – snuffed out by a world that will attempt to snuff you out too.
Imagine this, dear children of God, the One through Whom all things were made and apart from Whom nothing came into being died. The one who is Light suffered the Darkness of death and hell in your place. The One is, was, and is to come, died in your place.
Then, on the third day, three women – where they the first members of the LWML? Three women showed up to the tomb in the darkness looking to prepare a dead, snuffed out body.
But, they found no dead body. No, Instead, they found the shining glory of the Risen Christ.
Light has come into the world. The Light that no darkness can overcome!
Don't fear anymore. Don't fret. Don't cower from confessing Him. It isn't judging to call darkness darkness. It isn't evil to speak the truth of what's Light and to reflect His Light on those around you.
That's the cross of being in the Light. You can see things clearly - what's dark and what's light.
And since you can see, help someone who can't. This week, do this: One person who is struggling or stumbling around in the dark and the gray of this world. Ask them to come to where the Light is on. Invite them to church with you. You don't have to be St. Paul. No, simply rejoice this LWML Sunday by inviting them to Church.
“Friend, times are tough for you. I have an idea. Come to church with me. Come where the Light is on...”
Don't be afraid, you are in the Light. You are not walking in darkness, not anymore. He is the Light of the World. You are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the Light. Walk in goodness. Walk in His righteousness and walk in the Truth.
This is the truth: Light has come into the world. The Darkness hated the light. The Light of the world took on our darkness and died. Now, He lives and no more shall He die.
You too, in Him. Me too, in Him. You are in the Light. So, lit up by Him that you are light in the Lord.
Yes, sometimes, everything looks gray, gloomy, and dark. Sometimes, Christ seems like a candle in a darkroom. I think this is why you were given, me too, a candle at Baptism. To remind us that in the darkest and grayest moments of our world, the Light has come.
“Receive this burning light to show that you have received Christ who is the Light of the world. Live always in the light of Christ, and be ever watchful for His coming, that you may meet Him with joy and enter with Him into the marriage feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom, which shall have no end.” (LSB 271)
He is coming soon. Come and eat the Foretaste of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Take and eat the Flesh of the Word made flesh and the blood of the Light of the world and have your life and light lit up – illuminated!
Soon, very soon, you'll see that He's more than a candle. He's brighter than anything you've ever seen or will see. He is the light of the world, the kosmos as He says later in St. John. The light of the whole universe.
And if it gets too scary remember your baptismal candle. With the Light on, everything will be ok. The Light has chased away whatever was scary in your life. In a bit, we'll be able to sleep again in peace. In the name of Jesus, the Light of the world. Amen.
Father Borghardt,
Salve! Would you say that grace is tolerant? You speak of tolerance as a bad thing, but it would seem to me that the very grace of Christ Jesus is exactly tolerant. It tolerates the persistent iniquity of a fallen world all the way to the Cross. Then, in a demonstration of total tolerance it excuses all sin without reservation. Just curious on your thoughts...
Posted On: October 05th, 2006 at 1:18pm by Bloghardt
Erasmus,
Thanks for the comment.
Yes, God does do some tolerating of sin in the Scriptures, but his tolerating provides no comfort. When He's tolerating, He's storing up wrath (Noah, Sodom, etc). That doesn't cause rest for troubled consciences.
Excusing sin is no comfort either. The sin which is excused is still out there and unanswered for. Whether it is excused without reservation or simply overlooked, it's still there. No comfort there either.
What Christ has done is died for all sin, taken sin onto Himself, and become sin for us. Our sins have been left in the tomb - buried with Him. As Christ is risen from the dead on the third day, we too have risen to new life.
The wrath of God has been poured out on the Son. This has freed us from our sins, set us free from the slavery of being trapped in the situation where our only hope is for God to excuse or tolerate us. He's done one better than that - He's forgiven us.
So, Holy Absolution ends with the happy words, "Go and sin no more, you are free!"
