Christ’s Light is Stronger

John 1:1–18

The sermon begins by naming the weariness many people feel toward the constant stream of bad news in the world—violence, division, cruelty, and despair. Drawing on the Prologue of John’s Gospel, Father Mark contrasts this with the Christmas proclamation that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. While darkness is real—within individuals, societies, and the world—Christmas insists that darkness does not have the final word.

At the heart of the good news is how God looks at humanity. Unlike news outlets searching for scandal or failure, God looks at us with love. God does not come in Christ to condemn but to save, to share fully in human life, to endure suffering and sin, and still to love, forgive, and restore. Even amid war, hatred, and human brokenness, God’s response is not rejection but deeper love, revealed in the Word made flesh.

Finally, the sermon turns from receiving good news to making good news. Like the shepherds and the wise ones who saw light in the darkness, and like Desmond Tutu who lit candles of hope in a wounded world, Christians are called to bring light themselves. As the new year approaches, the congregation is invited to find tangible ways to see others with God’s eyes and to act boldly in love, trusting that Christ’s light is stronger than any darkness.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.