Sermon- Light in dark times: explaining our theme – Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

SERMON – Light in dark times: explaining our theme.

Advent is an invitation to make a pause in our busy lives. A great opportunity to examine our lives.

This year our theme for Advent is: Light in dark times.

Light and darkness are very well-known Christian metaphors that represent constant struggle between the forces of good and evil. We can find the use of this metaphor also in other religions, literature, music, drama, art and film among others ( to read more click on title)

I would like to mention two films that explore this from different stand points of view.

One is a fiction movie, the new Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. If you are familiar with these films you will know that all the stories and plots of Star Wars centre around the idea of the “force”…and its dark side. In that sense it is a classical film representing the struggle between good and evil. The moral point of the film is that the characters have to choose which side of the force they want to embrace.

The other film is the documentary How to Change the World by Jerry Rothwell. This film gives us an intimate account about the creation of Greenpeace. The story take us to its beginnings, the wonderful idealistic vision and then the inner fighting, falling outs and eventually broken relationships. This film explore the dark side of humanity.

At this point maybe it will be helpful if I suggest a definition for “darkness” in our advent context.

I would like to suggest that darkness is: the innate human impulse for destruction; the destruction of ourselves, others and the planet.

This impulse towards the darkness is in all of us. The capacity to destroy others and ourselves, by words, actions, thoughts and apathy/indifference is remarkable and terrifying.  It is the matrix of human history. It would be naïve—and dangerous—to thinks that this struggle is over when we become Christians. Rather the opposite we should become more aware of these destructive forces within ourselves. I think St Paul offers us a tremendous insight about these inner conflicts in Romans 7 -8 —“For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time”.

The moment we believe that because we are Christians these dark forces have not influence in us is when the problems began and will cost us dear.

Nick Cohen in the Observer wrote a piece exploring the dark side of the militant tendency in the Labour movement and its dogmatic intolerance.

[http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/05/jeremy-corbyn-new-politics-self-righteous-left-wallows-in-cruelty]

He wrote “Brecht understood that the certainty of your virtue will lead you into cruelty”.

This illuminating reflection from Bertolt Brecht is an accurate description of some Christian groups. The paradox is that in their pursuit for take the bible teaching to its literal forms these people who claims to be in the light end up embracing the darkness of cruelty. Think about the role of evangelical leaders in The Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014 (previously called the “Kill the Gays bill”). These Christians have the right to reject gay behaviour, and even condemn gay people to eternity if they like, however to support a law to kill them is beyond my understanding. It is a contradiction of the Christian message: “Love your neighbour”. This is a case where you can see the dark forces operating. This Christian behaviour is also present within many of our churches. The level of cruelty that I have witnessed within the church is beyond believed. Maybe that is the explanation why people keep away from the church.

The only way to overcame darkness is with light.

I would like to suggest a definition for light. Light is grace; grace towards others, grace with ourselves, grace towards the planet. Grace is the force that will help us to overcome the destructive impulses within ourselves we called the ‘darkness’.

In the film How to Change the World there is a moment when Bob Hunter addressing the inner fighting in Greenpeace said: “How can we save the world if we can’t save ourselves”.

I can paraphrase these words and said: How can we talk about God’s grace if we cannot show grace to each other in the church.

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”.

Ephesians 4:32

 

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”.

John 1:5

 

Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga