Finding Love in the Darkness (Redemption of Scrooge Part IV)

Sermon Title: Finding Love in the Darkness

Good News Statement: Jesus illuminates us with love

Preached: Sunday, December 18, 2022 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NKJV): Matthew 1:18-25 Today’s scripture reading comes from the words of Matthew who writes in the first chapter, verses eighteen thru twenty-five, of his Gospel about the Joseph’s angelic dream.

 

Christ Born of Mary

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

²⁴ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

Introduction:

The bell strikes twelve, and the Ghost of Christmas Present is gone, replaced by a draped phantom moving toward Scrooge. The ghost is silent and only responds with a pointed skeletal finger when asked if he is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Scrooge is transported to depressing scenes foreshadowing his own demise. The scene moves to the Cratchit’s home, where the once jolly family is now grieving over the loss of Tiny Tim. Bob Cratchit has just returned from Tiny Tim’s grave, telling his wife how lovely and green a place it is. Scrooge, distraught from seeing his own grave, exclaims that he will change his ways and live with the spirit of Christmas in his heart in order to change his future. The ghost shrinks away, saying not a word, and Scrooge finds himself back in his familiar bedroom. Scrooge’s story of redemption has filled his heart with love.

Unlike Scrooge, who is seen in the many film adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol crying and shouting words of confusion, dread, and despair, Joseph from the Gospel of Matthew says nothing when the angel of the Lord brings him the message about Mary through a dream. We don’t know what Joseph was feeling. We don’t know what Joseph said. We don’t know how long it took Joseph to process this dream. But we do know that Joseph was told that Mary, who he is engaged to, is pregnant; Joseph was told that this child is to be named Jesus, Emmanuel—God with us—and this child will “save his people from their sins”; Joseph is told that he is going to be a father; and Joseph, in a moment of confusion and quite possibly darkness, decides to divorce Mary quietly or as the text reads “put her away secretly.” He does all this without saying a word.

Both Scrooge and Joseph find themselves in situations where their actions and decisions speak louder than their words. Both Scrooge and Joseph find themselves experiencing a situation of darkness, confusion, and absent of any redeeming hope. Both Scrooge and Joseph find themselves walking through the “valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4) and wandering through the land of dry bones (Ezekiel 37). They are lost, hopeless, and feeling dead inside. But by the end of both of their situations, they are transformed. They are transformed by the love of Christ! How many of you could use the love of Christ in your life right now? How many of you are in the shadows of the cross instead of seeing it in its fullest glory and light? How many of you need the reminder that, “Yes, Jesus loves you”? Jesus illumines our life with a never ending, never ceasing, light of love.

Opening Prayer:

Let us pray… God of Redeeming Hope and Love, may the message of Scrooge and the first dream of Joseph remind us that nothing can separate us from your love: no amount of hurt, pain, confusion, or darkness can prevent your love from illuminating our life. May my words fall to the ground as your words settle in the hearts of all those before me. In Your name we pray, Amen.

 

Body:

“I am in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?” said Scrooge (Matt Rawle, The Redemption of Scrooge, pg. 118).

The happiness Scrooge feels from seeing his friends from the past, and the compassion he feels in hearing Tiny Tim’s “God bless us every one,” soon gives way to fear, and his journey takes a dark turn. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a shrouded, silent spirit, and Scrooge becomes uneasy and fearful when his questions elicit only a skeletal pointing figure. The actions of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come speak louder than its words, and its silence bring discomfort. Have you ever experienced that awkward five-second silence at the end of a group conversation? At best the conversation is just over or at worst someone has said something inappropriate and the group is rather stunned. Maybe you’ve experienced the silence as a result of gossip gone wrong. Maybe you’ve experienced the silence that expresses shock or disbelief.

In 1964, Simon and Garfunkel released a song on their “Wednesday Morning , 3 A.M. album,” titled The Sound of Silence. The song begins, “Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping left its seed while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains within the sound of silence.” In moments of silence, our thoughts become the loudest thing in the room. In moments of silence, we find ourselves alone. In moments of silence, we have time to think about what was just said, what we heard, what we felt, and what emotions we are feeling. In moments of silence, that five-second awkwardness becomes all we need to find a way forward, to see the vision planted in our brain. Silence is not a bad thing: believe it or not, silence can help find the never ending, never ceasing, light of love given to you by Jesus Christ. From the silence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge begins to find the light of love in the darkness.

We don’t often think about Christmas as a dark time, but Scripture points out that darkness, and quite possibly silence, seemed to follow Jesus wherever he went. For instance, Jesus was born during the night—on a silent and holy night, on a midnight clear. The Gospel of Luke tells us that the shepherds were “guarding (or watching) their sheep (or flock) at night” (Luke 2:8). The Magi traveled at night, following the Bethlehem star to find the place where Jesus lived as a two-year old child (Matthew 2:2). Jesus’ father, Joseph, was told in a dream to take his family to Egypt in order to escape Herod’s persecution (Matthew 2:13). Later, during Jesus’ ministry, he meets with Nicodemus at night to reveal that one must be born from above (John 3:2). Before Judas betrays Jesus, Scripture says “and it was night” (John 13:30). Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels tell us that when Jesus was crucified, the sky turned black for hours. Three days later, in John’s Gospel, Jesus was resurrected before the sun had risen and later that evening he appeared to the disciples.

Darkness is almost its own character in Jesus’ story, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come reminds us of why we should acknowledge this darkness in our own lives, especially if darkness is part of Jesus’ life. My second year in Seminary, I co-hosted a Christmas Healing Service on December 21^st—the longest night of the year. Our gathering was simple. We set up chairs in a circular shape, placed a single candle in the center, sang a song or two, read Scripture, and opened the floor for prayers. I remember one woman talked about how her husband had died several months ago, and this was the first Christmas without him. Another person wept remembering her father died on Christmas morning. Someone who was silent for most of the service surprised us, calling out in a loud voice, “I wish I could forgive and be forgiven.” It is difficult to find healing when we bury our sadness, especially when everyone around us seems to be happy hanging tinsel while we can’t find enough courage or strength to hang a picture of our loved one who has passed on the tree.

At the close of that evening, we read from Psalm 42: “My tears have been my food both day and night, as people constantly question me, ‘Where’s your God now?’… Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God” (Psalm 42:3, 5). The Psalms give us permission to speak our grievances to God, to shake our fists and ask, “Why?”, and embrace those moments of silence in our life. It is important to acknowledge our sadness and talk to God about the heaviness of life. For by doing so we allow God to see our pain and give Him the opportunity to replace that pain with love and grace. When was the last time you gave your sadness to God?

Scrooge must journey with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come to see the sorrow of the Cratchit family and witness his name on the tombstone and see his body covered in the “very dark” room. Charles Dickens’ writes, “The room was very dark, too dark to be observed with any accuracy….A pale light, rising in the outer air, fell straight upon the bed; and on it, plundered and bereft, unwatched, unwept, uncared for, was the body of this man” (Matt Rawle, 117). The spirit points to the head of the body, urging Scrooge to pull back the shroud. Scrooge admits that he does not have the strength to face himself, and often, neither do we. Scrooge must travel into the darkness, not so that he might be scared into changing his life, but so that he can fill the emptiness in his heart with the love of Jesus Christ. Scrooge must struggle before he sees the light. Jesus illumines our life with a never ending, never ceasing, light of love.

What Scrooge comes to experience is similar to what Joseph encounters when the angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream. Mary, who is engaged to Joseph, is found to be with child. Mary and Joseph are not married and not living together, so being pregnant under these circumstances, back then, were socially and culturally immoral. As a matter of fact, one could be stoned to death for something like this. Finding out this news, Joseph, a righteous man, plans to “divorce her quietly” as the text tells us. Joseph is experiencing darkness. Joseph is probably asking the same question that Mary asked, “How can this be…?” (Luke 1:34). Joseph, a righteous man, is probably terrified, frustrated, angry, perplexed, and at a loss of words. But yet, Joseph has enough sense to divorce Mary quietly or secretly to protect her from public disgrace and humiliation.

But then, in the silence of the night, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, and says “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21). We don’t know who this angel is exactly, but we do know that this angel knows Joseph and what the name of child is and what the child has been called to do, “save his people from their sins”: to save the people from their darkness. Joseph awakes from his sleep, did has the angel of the Lord commanded, didn’t say a word; and took Mary has his wife and named the child Jesus, which means “God saves.” Joseph, “because of a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while [he] was sleeping, and the vision that was planted in [his] brain still remains,” found love during a time of darkness and silence. At a time of darkness and maybe hatred towards Mary, Joseph shows Mary love. Joseph allowed the never ending, never ceasing love of Christ to fill his heart.

I appreciate what author and Pastor Susan Robb says about Joseph in her book The Angels of Christmas. She says, “Joseph discovers that being righteous sometimes requires struggling with complex moral decisions and problems, seeking and listening for the voice of God, and then responding to what God is calling us to do. Sometimes that work is messy and difficult. Sometimes following God’s voice is dangerous” (pg. 63). Sometimes we, like Joseph, need to remain silent and allow our actions to do the talking. Sometimes we, like Scrooge, need to be reminded of how powerful and transforming the love of Christ can be for us and those around us. Sometimes we need to struggle with how to proceed with the calling that God has given us; and through this struggle, we learn that there is love in all moments of life because God is with us. God has chosen you, and in the choosing makes you favored. God knows who you are—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and calls you by name. You are favored, not because of you are, but because of whose you are. And because you belong to God you have been given the opportunity to allow the love of Christ to overcome the darkness in your life. Because you belong to God, Jesus will forever illumine your life with a never ending, never ceasing, light of love.

Conclusion:

It’s okay to experience darkness: Jesus loves you. It’s okay to be terrified: Jesus loves you. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, pressured, and stressed: Jesus loves you. It’s okay to be angry, upset, and be emotionally frustrated: Jesus loves you. It is okay to be silent and allow your actions to guide you: Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you. And he is never going to stop loving you. “For I am persuaded,” states Paul,  “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Scrooge experienced darkness and witnessed his death, but Jesus forever illumined his life with a never ending, never ceasing, light of love. Joseph, who could have divorced Mary, lived a different life, could have been extremely upset, and could have chosen to talk back to the angel of the Lord, remained silent and righteous and will forever be illumined by a never ending, never ceasing, light of love. And we, who find ourselves struggling with our own form of darkness, who sometimes ignore what God is calling us to do, who talk back to God as if we are better than him, are still given the opportunity to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and through the valley of the dry bones toward the never ending, never ceasing, light of Christ’s love. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

The love that we receive from Christ on a daily basis is what we need to fulfill his mission, and this love is powerful enough to overcome any amount of darkness, uncertainty, and sorrow in our heart. Similar to Scrooge and Joseph, we must strive to allow the love of Christ to do the talking while we show love through our actions. Yes, Jesus loves you. Yes, Jesus loves. Jesus will forever illumine your life with a never ending, never ceasing, light of love if you let him. Love is coming down at Christmas, is your heart prepared to accept that love?

If Scrooge, who represents greed and lust can find love and transformation and redemption during a moment of darkness, then you, too, can be lifted up and made new in Christ.

Closing Prayer:

Dear God, may we, like Scrooge and Joseph, find the love of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ this season so that we may be able to witness a never ending and never-ceasing light in moments of darkness. May your love be the light in our life, guiding us toward your will for us today. Amen.

Benediction:

Love. It’s more than a word: it is the light that guides us through our moments of darkness and assures us eternal salvation in the warm embrace of Jesus Christ. May Christ’s light of love shine brightly within you today and every day. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go transforming lives as you live well and wisely in God’s world. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.