A Tangled Ball of Lights
A reflection for Christmas
Several years ago, I was serving as the pastor of a church where the tradition was to have the Christmas Eve service at 11:00PM so that the service would end at midnight going into Christmas morning. One particular Christmas Eve service was going really well. The band played some of my favorite Christmas hymns. We lit candles and lifted them up into the air as we sang the closing song “Silent Night.” It was such a special evening.
But then things started to take a turn. Just after that service, my wife Ally and I ran back to our house to grab some things and then we were going to drive over to her parent’s house. We were going to spend the night over there so that we could all wake up and be together on Christmas morning.
So, after the service, Ally and I get to our house. I go inside and grab our stuff, and we get in the car. And as we get ready to go, Ally says: “Hey, give me your keys real quick. I’m going run inside and use the restroom.” I say: “Okay,” and I take the keys out of the ignition and hand them to her. Ally runs inside. Does her thing. And then she comes back out and gets in the car and say, “Okay, let’s go.”
And I say, “Okay, give me the keys.” And she “O…kay, I don’t have them.” And I say, “What do you mean you don’t have them?” And she says, “Oh, when I went inside, I must have put them down on the table and left them there.” And when she had come back out, she had locked the door behind here.
So, here we are (at this point it’s about 1:00 in the morning and it is freezing outside). And we are in my car. Sitting in the dark. Stranded. My parents have a spare key, but they are all the way over in Nashville. So, we call Ally’s mom who gets in her car and drives 35 minutes in the middle of the night to bring Ally’s keys to us (because for some reason, Ally didn’t have her keys with her that night). But I’m not bitter.
And so, on Christmas Eve, in the middle of the night, Ally and I sat and waited… And after thirty-five minutes, I can still remember seeing that beacon of light from the headlights of that little Dodge Dart pulling in. I felt that sense of relief. It was a symbol of hope in the darkness.
I know that is kind of a silly example. (And we were totally fine. I’m just picking on Ally). But you know, I think we can all relate to that story in some way. I’m sure that we all have similar stories where we have been stranded and left in the dark.
Maybe that has happened to us literally – like when we lock our keys in our house or in our car. But maybe we have also experienced being stranded and left in the dark in a more figurative and personal way. And when we are in experiencing those dark times, it is always good to have a glimmer of light shining in the darkness. The Prophet Isaiah has something to say to us about when we leave a place of darkness and enter into the light.
Isaiah 9:2-7 (NRSV) 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. 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. 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. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 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. His 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.
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The Prophet Isaiah is writing at a time when the Jewish people have experienced a dark and difficult period. Israel is in conflict with the Assyrians. There is panic. The people don’t feel safe. They distrust the government and the leadership. It’s a difficult and dark time.
It’s a time when folks look at their lives and can’t see any hope of a future. It is almost as if they are walking blindly, not knowing what is ahead of them. The people have been walking in darkness. And in this dark context, the Prophet Isaiah writes a poem; he writes this song of good news – letting us know that we won’t be left in the dark forever. “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” Isaiah 9:2 (NRSV).
There is a message of hope; there is light shining in the darkness. And we are told that this light comes to us – not from a Dodge Dart – but from a little child. A little baby. Isaiah says: “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” Isaiah 9:6 (NRSV).
And in this prophecy, Isaiah speaks of a baby who will be a political figure of authority – a baby who will bring peace, security, and justice to Israel. This baby represents new life. This baby represents a fresh start. This baby represents hope.
Ultimately, Isaiah points us to the Gospel of Luke where we find the Christmas story. Jesus is born as a baby, placed in a manger, and brings forth light into the world.
Light is brought into the world. And strangely enough, the first to learn about the birth of the Christ Child is not the kings, rulers, and leaders of the day… No… it is the shepherds. This message first comes to the shepherds, who are out in the darkness – out in the fields, watching their flock at night. It is the shepherds who are visited by an angel of the Lord who tells them:
“Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger” Luke 2:10-12 (NRSV).
This light is promised, not only to the shepherd, but also to you and me. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John we hear these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 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” John 1:1-5 (NRSV).
Light is always the prettiest when you’ve been sitting in the dark. In a world that is often dark, we need the light to welcome us in – to invite us into the love and peace of Christ. We need the light to show us the way. We need the light to bring about hope in times of hopelessness.
I think, often times, life can feel like a jumbled up, mess. It’s kind of like a ball of tangled up Christmas lights. I can’t help but think of Clark Griswold from Christmas Vacation. You have this big ball of tangled up lights that you have to try to unwind and untangle. And it can be frustrating.
But life can feel like that…. Life can feel complicated, chaotic, and unexpected. It can sometimes feel like life is happening to you, but you don’t really have any control. You feel like, you have to figure out this whole adulting thing – and you just have to figure out how to straighten out your life.
But I want to talk about three things when it comes to dealing with the “Tangled Ball of Christmas Lights” in our own lives.
1. Accept the Mess: Here’s the thing… life is never going to be perfect. It’s never going to go the way you plan 100% of the time. You’re never going to make everyone happy. You’re going to mess up as a parent, as a spouse, as a friend. There’s always going to be issues at work. There’s always going to be awkward moments around the table at Thanksgiving. Life is messy, and we have to accept the mess.
When we think about the Christmas story, we see how messy it is. This engaged couple, Mary and Joseph are told by the Angel Gabriel that – even though Mary is a virgin – she will give birth to the Son of God. And Joseph eventually makes the decision to stick with Mary – and to believe that God is working in this situation.
Then, as Mary’s pregnancy progresses to her final trimester, Mary and Joseph are forced to travel from their home in Nazareth all the way to the town Bethlehem. Their home of Israel is occupied by the Roman Government, and the Emperor Caesar Augustus issues a decree that everyone must go to their hometown to be registered. So, Mary and Joseph make this 90-mile journey that takes into Bethlehem.
Once they arrive in the town of Bethlehem, things just seem to get even worse, because the time comes for Mary to give birth to her baby. Unfortunately, there is no place for them in the Inn. There is no Holiday Inn Express to take reservations. There is no hospital that can help deliver the child in a safe and sterile environment. Mary cannot even give birth in the comfort of her own home. Instead, Mary gives birth in a barn, and she wraps her child in strips of cloth and places him in a manger.
This is a messy story. And yet, God is still working in the mess. Sometimes, it’s about finding peace in the midst of the mess, knowing that God’s light shines through it.
2. Let God Do the Untangling: So, when it comes to dealing with the “Tangled Ball of Christmas Lights” in our own lives – we need to be willing to let God be the one to deal with it. We often want to try to fix, control, and straighten out the messes in our lives. We try to manage our “tangled lights” by pulling, tugging, or even forcing things into place. And we think that we know best. But this approach only leads to more knots and frustration.
The truth is some things are beyond our ability to sort out on our own. In those moments we need to take a step back, trust in God, and allow God to work through our mess. We need to allow God to untangle our lives and bring healing in ways we might not even expect.
In the story of Christmas, we celebrate the fact that we, as humans, couldn’t set things straight on our own. And so, God came down at Christmas in the form of a baby. Jesus came in the flesh to deal with our mess because we couldn’t do it ourselves. And so we need to acknowledge that ony God can deal with our mess.
3. Remember that the Light Still Shines. Even when the lights of our lives are tangled up in a big ball, they still shine. Even in times of struggle, doubt, or chaos, God’s light and love remain within us and around us. Whether you are dealing with stressful situations in your relationships, career, or family – the truth is, those struggles do not dimmish the fact that God is always there. God’s presence, God’s light, is always with us – even when we can’t see it.
But not only that, we are called – in the same way that God shines love and light in the darkness – to be a source of light for the world. We are called to reach out to others – to be a witness to those who are finding themselves in a dark and difficult place.
At Christmas, we celebrate the God who enters into our lives and comes among us in the flesh. We celebrate the love of God through the person of Jesus Christ. We celebrate the God who walks with us – even in the midst of our brokenness and sin. God has entered into this place with us. God has come to bring the light of Christ into the world.
