A Light in the Darkness

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Episode 7

Hello, and welcome to this special Christmas edition of In the Lighthouse: your safe harbor from the storm. This is Daphne Collins, your Lighthouse Keeper. I’m so glad that we’ve chosen to take a break from our regular programming, to reflect on this time of year when we once again celebrate the birth of our Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He is the Messiah whose coming was first promised by God Almighty, and later, foretold through the centuries by his prophets. But why exactly do we celebrate? Well, for the believer of Jesus Christ, it’s a celebration of that promise made and fulfilled by our Holy and Faithful God. A fulfillment of good news given in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve before they were cast out from the abiding presence of God.

In Genesis 3:14, God cursed the misbegotten serpent, and the evil one controlling its actions. To this serpent he said, “on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.” And on the evil force controlling the serpent – Satan, God declared war. In verse 15 he said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” What Adam and Eve overheard from God’s pronouncement to the serpent was what is known as the protoevangelium, the “first gospel.” The very basis of our faith as Christians stems from the forgiveness of the cosmic treason committed in the Garden of Eden. All of humanity and nature was cursed because of Adam’s sin, but God promised a Savior who would take the curse of sin and death upon Himself, and crush Satan’s power. The ravages of sin and its consequences are seen throughout the generations, and continue to this day. The curse of enmity – war – between good and evil men is still present today as we bear witness to the downward spiral of our culture into wickedness and darkness.  This darkness is not new to humanity. It’s happened countless times in our world ever since Adam and Eve were ejected from God’s presence. This is where our story begins.

It takes place during a time of great unrest and authoritarian rule. Fear was palpable, and the people were crying out to God for the promised Messiah. Time has a way of showing that some patterns are often repeated. We speak of ancient days, but in essence, the same spirit of unrest at work then is at work in our world today. This narrative is entitled, “A Light in the Darkness,” and is a story about hope, amid hopelessness; love, when it feels as if there is none to be found; peace, when we need it most, and joy, because our King is coming again. Okay, let’s get started!

Mistakes are typically repeated because of our failure to learn the lessons of the past. We plunge headlong into the next venture without humbly taking measured consideration. The Bible has been the proven reliable historical resource to reference in order not to pursue the folly of previous generations. Have we demonstrated that we’ve learned our lesson?

Before we take a journey into our far distant past, let’s first examine the world as we see it today. I challenge you listener, to look closely at our world through eyes of honesty, even if you’re not willing to admit it openly to someone you know, because you want to avoid any potential conflict. The truth is, we live in this world, therefore we must partake of the chaos that we have knowingly or unknowingly caused. Ask yourself this; if God knew about the sin introduced to Adam and Eve in the garden which resulted in the fall of all creation, and placed the curse of enmity between Satan and the woman’s seed, is he also aware of what’s happening now?

Events just over the past few years are seen, and will be judged by God: a world pandemic perpetrated by nefarious actors; abortion of babies in the womb; racial tension and division; witchcraft and divination; homosexuality and the transgender movement; corrupt world governments, judicial systems and oligarchies; military coups and proxy wars; abuse and trafficking of women and children; forcible imprisonment of people in their homes under the guise of safety; mass suicide and murder. These are only a few things seen by God for which humanity will be judged. When you look at it honestly, do you feel hope in your heart or do you feel that evil has triumphed?  The overwhelming escalation of evil in our world indicates that there is a fervor of spiritual darkness overwhelming the sin natures of anyone it can devour. The apostle Peter gave warning of this centuries ago. In 1 Peter 5:8, he says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  If you regularly read of your Bible, you will know that these same problems were present in the Book of Genesis. Sin is active in our natures and has been present throughout human history. And we have an enemy at war with us. The apostle Paul reminds us of this in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Show Notes

Opening Theme: Going for Gold

Transition Theme: Rivers by Marco Zannone

Conclusion Theme: Calm Christmas by Klimentina

Insights From an Elder - “The Sign of the Manger” - by Laine Wilder

Transcript of “A Light in the Darkness” - by Daphne Collins

Transcript of “The Sign of the Manger” - by Laine Wilder