The Light Radiates Love

After the Darkness, Light. Both Christmas and the recent 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation provide an opportunity to talk about light. It is not lost on any of us that Christmas, in the northern hemisphere, falls in winter and just days after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and thus the day with the most darkness. Christmas, with its promise of the Light, gives hope in the midst of that despair. For its part, the 16th century Reformation was seen similarly by Protestants. The unofficial motto of the protest was, in Latin, post tenebras, lux, or after the darkness, light. For centuries people had been kept in a virtual theological darkness by the established church. The Reformers saw to it that the Scriptures were available in the language of the day, and the truth about Christ, grace, and faith were revealed. Light shone in the darkness, and the world was forever changed.

With that as the backdrop, this Christmas-themed series starts with an examination of the Light from the first chapter of John’s Gospel, then continues on to the Nativity accounts and an ancient prophecy by Isaiah, which point to that which the Light produces in those who believe: love, joy, peace, and hope. After the darkness, there is light for all who would come to the Saviour in faith. This message, looks at “The Light Radiates Love” from Luke 1:26-55.

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Sermon Notes

Post Tenebras, Lux (After the Darkness, Light)
The Light Radiates Love
Pastor Todd Dugard
John 1:1–18; Luke 1:26–55
December 2–3, 2017