Reflections on "Looking for Chrismons: Light"

this sermon combined a few thoughts on the Southern Cross Chrismon of the day with a few thoughts from last year's Christmas Eve service from FPC, Troy, which focused on light and darkness.  

Due to the choir's presentation of Lessons and Carols Sunday morning, I preached a short sermon.  The music was terrific, and no one seemed to mind a short sermon!

The brief sermon took place between the story of the wise men following a star from the Gospel of Matthew and the opening verses of the Gospel of John, which references Jesus being the light in the darkness.  The sermon alluded to both of those texts.

when I chose the Southern Cross Chrismon for the sermon topic, I anticipated building a portion of the sermon around the fact that the Southern cross constellation can only be seen in the southern hemisphere.  I had in mind some sort of theme based on being in the right place to see the light.  But, the need for brevity kept me from expanding the sermon to include developing that theme.

“Looking for Chrismons: Light”  SAPC, Troy; Advent 3; December 11, 2016  Lessons and Carols

Matthew 2: 1-11  In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,  asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”  When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;  and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

    who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’”

 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

the Chrismon this Sunday is the constellation of the Southern Cross. 

Although we do not see it, this constellation looks like a cross as it lights up the sky of the southern hemisphere.

For centuries, it has guided sailors in the dark.

Light the star in the sky the wise men followed.

Light in the darkness. 

We know our need for light to transform the darkness.

Children are often afraid of the dark.

They go to bed at night and crack their doors so that light from the house filters into their rooms.

Or they have night light.

The light a comfort in the dark.

Even adults can be afraid of the dark.

We leave a light on when we are going to return home at night so we do not have to walk into a dark house.

What's the first thing you do when you walk into a dark room, feel around the wall for the light switch to turn on the lights.

there is a cartoon of Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is Calvin is sitting in bed, darkness surrounding him, eyes wide open with fright. He says, "I think nighttime is dark so you can imagine your fears with less distraction."

We know what it is like to imagine our fears in the darkness of our lives.

The darkness of death as we imagine our own mortality or grieve the death of loved ones.

The darkness of disease.

The darkness of helplessness

the darkness of our doubts.

The prophet Isaiah said, “The people who walked in darkness...”

We know those people.

We are those people.

Our Chrismon of the Southern Cross imagines Christ as the light who comes into the darkness of the world and our lives.

Christ sent by the God who previously had looked into the darkness of the formless void before creation and commanded: “let there be light.”

When the darkness seems to have overcome the world, God acts again and sends the Christ-child to be the light of the world.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

The light that will not be overcome by the darkness of the world.

Amen.