But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness ? on them light has shined.

3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.

4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Luke 1:39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary?s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ? Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.? And Mary said, ? My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.? Our series called t h e ?Advent of Peace? has been the time of waiting and preparing for peace during this season. We have talked through the desire that individuals could have for an inner peace, to being a worshipping congregation filled with peace, to living in a community of peace, and today dreaming of peace for the whole world.

In all of that, we recognize that it starts from within. But what is peace? It can be defined as freed from disturbance; as quiet and tranquility. It can also be defined as freedom from or a state when there is no war or violence. It is the ultimate sense of shalom, wholeness, completeness, harmony, health, safety, soundness. A powerful blessing. And it all sounds amazing. But where does it come from? And how does peace fill our world? I invite you to pray with me over the sermon called ? A Whol e W o r l d .? It has hit that time in December. Where many of us are so busy, that the days slip by us without feeling we have gotten much done. We all have a list of things that have to get done by a certain time and each day we cross off something off the list just to add something else back on. Whether or not it is writing and mailing Christmas cards, baking, cooking, decorating, shopping, packing to travel, going to parties, cleaning, or something else… almost all of us have a long list of t h i n g s t h a t ? m u s t get done.? I was amazed when Emma and I were at TJ Maxx yesterday and after we had been checked out, the women at the cash registered apologized to me. I looked at her and asked why she had apologized. She responded because of the wait and looking up a price on an item for me. I responded by saying there was no need to apologize for those two things. The wait wasn?t long and I appreciated her finding the price for me.

She looked at me and said thank you and shared that most people are upset by those things. I then apologized to her on behalf of the people who are so hurried that they are rude and mean. In those moments, it seems like our ? to – do? list takes over our lives and we forget the reasons for going shopping. Busy-ness has a way of taking over our lives and creating a constant sense of urgency and things t h a t w e ? m u s t g e t d o n e .? Ye t , n o m a t t e r what happens, Christmas morning still comes. And we will still be able to celebrate the birth of the child in the manger, even if our list is completely done. And even in the busy-ness of this season, we still have the opportunity to welcome that child, the Son of God, the light of the world, into every busy moment, every to-do list, and everything we don?t complete. I sometimes wonder if our obsession with being busy is the way that we allow the darkness to overcome our lives? I wonder if we began to remove the busy-ness, we could see the light and peace a little easier.

And that led me to think about this passage from Isaiah, and I realized I am amazed by the reality of this passage from the time it was written to the time it was fulfilled to the now where it is still very real. This is a passage written out of fear, during a time of war, when regions had fallen into exile and death… fear and desperation, longing for good news. It is a passage that is overshadowed by distress and darkness, where the king mounts his throne by stepping over the bodies of those from all sides, sacrificed for his victory. Peace came through death of the enemy. Yet in this passage of fear, there is still hope. There is a comparison between darkness and light. Listen to these words : ?

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness ? on them light has shined.? Darkness is a metaphor that suggests evil, sin, suffering, distress, and death. As we look around the world we live in-a world of war, violence, torture and prisoner abuse, terrorist bombings, and wrongful use of power. In addition, we know that darkness isn?t just in the world, but it is in our lives- the darkness of family quarrels, disease, death, enfeebled parents, rebellious children, fear and guilt, loneliness and bereavement. Darkness is a real aspect of this passage. Darkness is no small part of our everyday lives. And darkness is what the light of Christ makes its way into. Could the meaning of Christmas be these words: ?The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light??

Then we have the metaphor of ?light? is a metaphor and how it suggests the presence of God, the approach of God?s grace, mercy, and peace. Isaiah refers to ? a great light.? And although the light of Christ is great for those who have seen and welcomed it, it was not great at its coming. In the sense of being a blazing or blinding light,and it is not great in that sense now. It was and is now a gentle, modest light that Christ brings, so as not to overwhelm or coerce. What I love about this idea of light and darkness, is the full truth that the light does not fully make the darkness go away. Yet the light of Christ has proved to be tough and tenacious. So however great the darkness in our lives or the world ? and sometimes it is very great indeed ? we should be encouraged to trust that the light of God?s goodness and grace continues to shine, as well as to approach Christ with whatever darkness is within ourselves. From darkness and light, we also have these words: ?

6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.? It is the claim that out of the darkness and the perception of darkness in the world and our lives, that a sign is being sent into the world, the gift of a new life, in an innocent and vulnerable child. This child is a great and powerful sign, for this child is the ultimate peace. When Isaiah wrote these words, the fear the people were experiencing because of wars, death, destruction, darkness ? were very similar to what was happening in the world at the time of Jesus? birth. People were under a tyrant of a king, people were suffering under oppression and destruction. They were looking for a Messiah to arise and take the throne.

And I would dare to say, that although we are personally experiencing a war in our backyard, we are seeing all the darkness that is happening in our world, and we too are searching for a sign of hope and peace… we are seeking light in the darkness as well. It is our hope, along with the prophets of old, along with those who were waiting for the Messiah to come during the time of Jesus, that light will come into the word … yet again. And that light comes through us. As I think through ?a whole world? and peace, I am reminded that in believing and celebrating in the birth of Jesus, we are bound to listen to him. As those who do so, we are called to the Christian practices of peacemaking and ministries of social outreach and justice.

We are encouraged to celebrate the ? Prince of Peace ? by walking in the light, doing what we can to honor Isaiah?s vision o f a world where justice and righteousness flourish, and by living out our faith in our community and world. By doing these things, we may not completely change the world, but we will all be changed from the inside out, which is where it must all begin if God?s intention for the world is to ever be realized. Sometimes a sense of peace begins by stepping away from the busy-ness of this world, being nice to the people checking you out at the store, and remembering to be the light to others in a time of darkness. Be the sign of love to the world that Isaiah promised and God brought forth, so that our world might be saved. Amen. How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all of its beauty? It felt the encouragement of light against its being, otherwise we all remain too frightened. -Hafiz