So our first reading tonight comes to the Book of John in chapter one verses one to 14 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, so the Word was God, he was in the beginning with God, so all things came into being through him without him, not one thing came into being what has come in to be In Him was life, and the life was the light of all people the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.

"there was a man sent from God, whose name was John, He came as a witness to testify to the light so that all might believe through him, he himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light, the true light which enlighten everyone was coming into the world, he was in the world, in the world came into being, through Him, yet the world did not know Him, He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him as but to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He, He gave power to become children of God who were born not a blood or of the will of the flesh or the will of man, but of God, and the word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory, the glory as a father's only son full of grace and truth as darkness, is the absence of light.

So the only way to remove darkness is to add light Jesus was the light of the world, coming to the darkness, the world was crying out for a savior from the darkness cries for light could be heard, so Jesus being fully God heard these cries saw the darkness and responded.

He responded not by fixing things from afar, but by entering into the darkness to bring light Jesus became flesh and blood to live among Us, the world still Christ out for a savior so sin evil darkness is all around it, but for the love of humanity as so Jesus Christ moved into the darkness to offer light a... So as people who follow Jesus, who followed the light we must ask ourselves if we spend our lives living only in the light so or searching for places to bring the light.

For many of us, we've been told that to be a Christian, we must avoid those dark places in our world for fear that the light in US would be extinguished by the darkness, but Christ offers us a different example, a different narrative, the God who brings light and life to us leads us to places of darkness so that we can help spread Christ light. There are 40 million slaves throughout the world, the slaves are trapped in all sorts of conditions in brothels and brick yards cocoa fields and boats and rice Mills and houses a the slaves lived in the darkest parts of our world out of the darkness, they cry for the light.

International Justice Mission, listens for the cries of the needy the oppressed and the violated. They receive tips about potential slaves, and then begin their investigation, they search for the darkest places in the world, and know that in order to bring light they must enter those dark places.

So our next reading comes from the Book of Philippians, chapter 2, verses 1-8. If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love and sharing in the spirit, and compassion and sympathy, I make my joy complete be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full or and one in mind "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others is better than yourselves.

Jesus, in humility, humbled himself taking the form of a slave putting his own needs aside for the sake of our freedom and our lives, the Apostle Paul encourages us to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus.