The Light Has Come :: Christmas Eve 2022

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus holds our mixed Christmas emotions

Some arrive to this season radiant with good news; others come with grief, delay, or uncertainty. You may be celebrating a new baby or sitting with a new diagnosis, wrapping presents early or waiting on a package that may not come. However you come, Jesus can hold all of it in His sovereignty and love. Joy is not denial; it grows as we understand why we need Christmas, what Christmas truly is, and how to respond. Bring your honest heart to Him, and let His kindness steady your steps. In His presence, the whole mixed bag finds a home [02:30].

Isaiah 9:2 — People who have walked in the dark now see a blazing light; those who lived under the shadow of death watch a new dawn break over them.

Reflection: Which emotion are you carrying into this week that you sense Jesus inviting you to place in His hands today, and how will you entrust it to Him before tonight?

Day 2: Where the soul gazes shapes our night

Darkness grows when we rely on what is in our hands rather than what is in God’s. Our souls can fixate on markets, bills, performance, or the fragile approval of others, and anxiety swells. Helpful fields like psychology, economics, and politics have value, but they cannot cure the deepest shadows of the heart. Faith is the soul’s steady gaze on a saving God, and faithlessness is the soul staring at anything else. Turn your eyes from the earth to the One who made heaven and earth, and let His word reorient your steps. Where you gaze today will either dim your hope or flood your path with light [06:55].

Isaiah 8:20–22 — Return to God’s teaching and His warning; if people won’t align with His word, no dawn will break for them. They will wander hungry and angry, even blaming the very One they ought to bless. Looking only to the earth, they will see nothing but gloom, and they will be swept into deep darkness.

Reflection: What are you most tempted to keep checking or controlling this week, and what simple practice could help you redirect that gaze toward God each day?

Day 3: Nevertheless—the dawn of Christ’s light

Into a world pressed by empires and personal fears, God speaks a strong “Nevertheless.” Nevertheless, a great light rises; nevertheless, a child is born and a son is given. He is both fully human and fully God—the wonder-working counselor, the true and mighty ruler, the enduring Father-hearted King, the Prince who makes wars cease in the heart. His arrival is not wishful thinking; it is the doorway of hope in the middle of the night. Welcome the King, and let the sunrise of His presence chase the shadows from your room. In Christ, the night will not have the last word [12:33].

Isaiah 9:2, 6–7 — A great light dawns on people who have lived in deep shadow. A child is born for us; a son is given to us, carrying the government on His shoulders. He will be a wonder of a counselor, truly God, a Father who never quits, the ruler who brings peace. His reign will only grow, established with justice and what is right, now and forever.

Reflection: Where do you most need a “Nevertheless” from God today, and how will you welcome His light into that specific darkness?

Day 4: Light that brings life, truth, joy, and peace

Light sustains life; without it, everything withers. Light reveals truth; with it, we stop bumping into unseen obstacles and start walking with clarity. Light awakens joy; where light is scarce, sadness often swells. Light calms fear; even a child reaches for the lamp in the night. Empires rise and fall, systems come and go, but the light of Jesus outlasts them all and brings a kingdom of steady peace. Follow His light and let it define your life more than any headline, season, or fear [15:16].

John 8:12 — Jesus said He is the world’s light; whoever follows Him won’t keep stumbling in the dark but will carry the light that gives life.

Reflection: In what specific area do you need clarity right now, and what step of obedience could you take this week to “turn on the light” by following Jesus there?

Day 5: Receive the gift—step from darkness into light

Christmas announces a gift, not an achievement. The Light of the world entered our night, even embracing the cross’s darkness, so that all who receive Him can live in His day. You cannot earn this gift or tidy up enough to deserve it; you simply open your hands and welcome Him. As you receive Him, you are welcomed as family and given a future where shadows finally pass. Begin with a simple prayer: “Jesus, I receive You—be my light, my Lord, my peace.” Let His unending day rise in you now and carry you forever [18:27].

Revelation 22:5 — Night will be no more; no one will need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God Himself will shine on His people, and they will share in His reign forever.

Reflection: What simple prayer of welcome will you voice today to receive Jesus anew, and what one concrete step will confirm that welcome in your schedule this week?

Sermon Summary

Merry Christmas. Today I named the ache and the joy sitting side by side in this room—first Christmas with a baby, first Christmas without someone you love, first Christmas with a diagnosis, and some of us just waiting on delayed packages. Into that mix, I lifted Isaiah 9 over our lives. Israel was squeezed by superpowers, tempted to solve spiritual problems with earthly resources. That is still our temptation. When we trust what’s in our hands instead of what’s in God’s, the Bible calls that darkness. I confessed my own soul-gaze drifting to the S&P 500, repair bills, and retirement math—and how anxiety rises when I stare at them. It isn’t that psychology, economics, or politics don’t matter; they do. But they cannot heal the core darkness. They can’t replace God.

Into that reality, Isaiah breaks in with one word: nevertheless. Nevertheless is the hinge of the gospel. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. The light given is a Child given—a Son, who is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” Light gives life, unveils truth, awakens joy, and settles peace. When the Light arrives, darkness does not negotiate—it scatters.

Kingdoms rise and fall—Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome. Ideologies and systems do too. But Jesus’ kingdom does not wobble. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. So how do we respond? Not by achieving, but by receiving. On the cross, from noon to three, darkness covered the land. The Light entered our darkness so we who dwell in darkness might be brought into his light and called children of God. You don’t earn a gift; you open your hands and receive it. And when you do, the end of your story is not night, but the unending day of God’s presence.

So bring your mixed bag to Jesus. He can hold it. Lift your gaze from what is in your hands to who is in his. The Light has come. Jesus is Lord. Receive him.

Key Takeaways

1. Darkness grows where self-reliance reigns Isaiah calls our self-trust “darkness” because it asks the world to heal what only God can. Even good things—skills, systems, strategies—become dim lamps when we use them as saviors. The result is anxiety, despair, or endless fidgeting to avoid facing the void. Darkness lifts when our confidence shifts from our word to God’s word. [04:11]
2. Nevertheless interrupts our fatalism “Nevertheless” is God’s refusal to let the last word be our ruin. It announces an intervention from beyond us—a light we cannot kindle and a salvation we cannot manufacture. When God speaks “nevertheless,” history bends, hope awakens, and despair loses its inevitability. The hinge turns, and the door opens to joy. [12:02]
3. Jesus the Light restores reality Light doesn’t just comfort; it clarifies. In Jesus, life grows, truth is revealed, joy rekindles, and fear quiets because reality becomes visible again. He does not merely offer insights; he is the illuminating presence by which everything makes sense. Where he shines, sin and sadness retreat. [13:20]
4. Receive the gift, don’t achieve it A gift dishonors the giver if we try to pay for it. The Son is given—not earned—so the right response is open-handed trust. On the cross the Light stepped into our night so we might step into his day and be named children of God. Grace begins where self-effort ends. [17:52]
5. Re-train your gaze toward God Faith is the steadying of the soul’s attention on the Savior. Our gaze forms our interior climate—fix it on market swings, repair bills, or performance, and anxiety multiplies; fix it on Christ, and confidence deepens. Spiritual maturity is the re-habituation of attention, day after day, to the Light. [06:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Christmas never gets old
[00:57] - The mixed bag we bring
[02:30] - Prayer for wounded and weary
[03:20] - Why we need Christmas: Isaiah 9
[04:11] - Darkness of self-reliance
[06:38] - The soul’s gaze and anxiety
[07:09] - Why solutions fall short: psychology
[07:58] - Why solutions fall short: economics
[08:31] - Why solutions fall short: politics
[09:45] - Despair or numbing without hope
[11:43] - Nevertheless—the hinge of hope
[12:33] - The Light dawns; the Son given
[13:30] - What light brings: life, truth, joy, peace
[16:54] - Receive the gift of Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Isaiah 9

Observation questions

In Isaiah 9:1, what word opens the chapter in many translations, and what contrast does it create with the darkness just described?
According to Isaiah 9:2, what are the people doing, what do they see, and what changes for them?
In Isaiah 9:6, which titles stand out to you, and what do they say about the identity and rule of the Child?
Israel lived “in between” superpowers. What pressures did that create, and what choice was set before them about where to put their trust? [03:42]

Interpretation questions

“Nevertheless” is called the hinge of hope. How does that word reframe the story of someone who feels stuck in fear, failure, or fatigue? [12:02]
Why does trusting “what’s in our hand” lead to darkness, even when those things (skills, systems, strategies) are good gifts? [04:37]
Isaiah names the Child “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” How do these names together explain why light scatters darkness rather than negotiating with it? [13:20]
If kingdoms and systems rise and fall, but the increase of Christ’s government and peace has no end, how should that reshape the way believers read the news and hold political or economic hopes? [15:42]

Application questions

Where has your soul been gazing lately—market swings, repair bills, performance, or something else? Share one example, and one small practice this week to re-train your gaze toward Christ. [06:15]
Where do you need God to speak “nevertheless” over your life right now? What would welcoming that word look like in prayer or action this week? [12:02]
A gift dishonors the giver if we try to pay for it. What are you trying to “pay” for with God—by effort, fixing yourself, or proving yourself? What would it look like to open your hands and simply receive? [17:52]
If Jesus is the Light, what specific place of confusion, fear, or sadness needs his light this week? What step will you take to bring it into his light—Scripture, confession, asking for prayer, making a hard call? [13:20]
Name the ache and the joy you’re bringing into this week. How will you bring your mixed bag—without editing—to Jesus? [01:49]
“Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.” What is one practical way to live like that is true when you face headlines, workplace pressure, or family conflict? [16:23]
On the cross, darkness covered the land. What is one concrete burden of guilt or shame you will bring to the Crucified Light this week, and how will you mark that act of trust? [16:54]

Sermon Clips

24s

#SonIsLight

“So which is it? What's being given here? Is it a son? Is it God? Or is it light? Which is it? It says a light has been given and then a son has been given. Which is it? Answer? Yes. The light is a son. God in his love gives us his one and only son. Fully God. Fully human.”

29s

#ChristIsKing

“Kingdoms come and kingdoms go. Psychological systems come. Psychological systems go. Economic systems come. Economic systems go. Political systems come and political systems go. All except for one. Jesus Christ who is king. He is coming. He has come. And the coming of the king means the coming of the kingdom. The coming of the kingdom means the coming of life, light, joy, peace, and truth. That's the message of Christmas. That's what Christmas is all about.”

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The Light Has Come :: Christmas Eve 2022 :: Sermon Only