The Christmas Light (2 of 4)
Series: The Immanuel Chronicles
Jeff Strite
Isaiah 9:1-7
OPEN: How many of you have ever been in a cave?
How many of you have ever been to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky? My family and I have been there several times ourselves and I've always been impressed by the beauty and grandeur of that cave and others we've visited.
I once read about a tour of Mammoth Cave where the guide stopped and addressed the crowd. "Do you want to see what a real cave looks like?" he asked.
Thinking he was going to take them on a side trip that was different than the usual tour, every eagerly agreed.
So, without another word... the guide reached over and shut off all the lights.
That's what a REAL cave looks like.
APPLY: Caves can be really scary places especially when all the lights are out. I'm told that - in the total darkness of those moments - many people begin to get a little edgy. In fact, the if the lights remain off for any length of time, some people can even begin to panic.
Most people don't like sitting around in darkness.
ILLUS: One preacher noted: We learn from an early age to be fearful of darkness. That's why nightlights are so popular in little children's bedrooms: that little 4-watt bulb is able to chase away just some of the darkness and bring a huge measure of comfort to a little one afraid of the dark.
Even as we grow up, there is still an inborn fear of the dark. If you hear a strange noise in your house while it is the middle of the afternoon you might think, "that's a little odd," and not even give it a second thought.
But if you hear a strange sound in your totally darkened house at 3:00 in the morning, your wife will begin to nudge you and tell you to go find out what's going on. In the middle of the night darkness breeds fear.
Darkness is uncomfortable.
Darkness can be confusing.
And at time darkness can be terrifying.
(from a Peter Schmidt, sermoncentral.com: "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...")
Her ...
Series: The Immanuel Chronicles
Jeff Strite
Isaiah 9:1-7
OPEN: How many of you have ever been in a cave?
How many of you have ever been to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky? My family and I have been there several times ourselves and I've always been impressed by the beauty and grandeur of that cave and others we've visited.
I once read about a tour of Mammoth Cave where the guide stopped and addressed the crowd. "Do you want to see what a real cave looks like?" he asked.
Thinking he was going to take them on a side trip that was different than the usual tour, every eagerly agreed.
So, without another word... the guide reached over and shut off all the lights.
That's what a REAL cave looks like.
APPLY: Caves can be really scary places especially when all the lights are out. I'm told that - in the total darkness of those moments - many people begin to get a little edgy. In fact, the if the lights remain off for any length of time, some people can even begin to panic.
Most people don't like sitting around in darkness.
ILLUS: One preacher noted: We learn from an early age to be fearful of darkness. That's why nightlights are so popular in little children's bedrooms: that little 4-watt bulb is able to chase away just some of the darkness and bring a huge measure of comfort to a little one afraid of the dark.
Even as we grow up, there is still an inborn fear of the dark. If you hear a strange noise in your house while it is the middle of the afternoon you might think, "that's a little odd," and not even give it a second thought.
But if you hear a strange sound in your totally darkened house at 3:00 in the morning, your wife will begin to nudge you and tell you to go find out what's going on. In the middle of the night darkness breeds fear.
Darkness is uncomfortable.
Darkness can be confusing.
And at time darkness can be terrifying.
(from a Peter Schmidt, sermoncentral.com: "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...")
Her ...
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