A Christmas Eve candlelight service
The Fall
(the lights are extinguished)
NARRATOR: Gloom… Darkness… Man — the crown of God’s creation, made in God’s image and likeness, the pinnacle of all the Lord had made — sinned (Psalm 8:5). Slowly but surely, like a poisonous weed, sin crept in and overran the beautiful world the Creator had made (Romans 5:12). The tentacles of the dark, like a predator stalking its prey, rushed down and swallowed every light made by the Father of lights (James 1:17). With cunning and deceit the prince of darkness deceived man and cut him off from God’s presence, severing him from the Eternal Light (Isaiah 60:19–20), making sin an abyss and a chasm to divide man from God forever (Isaiah 59:1–2). The hour of the kingdom of darkness had come. For ages, gloom, sin, and darkness ruled over mankind. And there was no salvation… and there was no Savior… and there was no Light…
But God did not stop loving man. His loving Father’s heart ached for His prodigal son. All creation groaned together, waiting to see how Heaven would answer in the arena of this great cosmic contest (Romans 8:22). Everything trembled, awaiting the answer of the kingdom of Light. And it came… And God said:
God’s Plan
GOD:
On the tormented earth there will be no more gloom, as in former times (Isaiah 9:1). My own arm has worked salvation (Isaiah 52:10; 59:16; 63:5). I myself will give you the sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel — God with us (Isaiah 7:14)! I will make him a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). He will say to the captives, “Come out!” — and to those in darkness, “Be free!” (Isaiah 49:9). Nations will come to his light, and kings to the brightness of his dawn (Isaiah 60:3).
The Incarnation
NARRATOR: But ages passed… ages of gloom and sin. The kingdom of mankind was still in darkness. Yet the true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world… (John 1:9)
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16)
Through the incarnation of Jesus, the light of heaven pierced the darkness of sin and of Satan.
(the candle of Jesus is lit)
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
God’s sign was fulfilled. The virgin conceived and gave birth to a son. Jesus was born… Yeshua was born… The Savior was born, who would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” (John 1:4)
The Lamp that illumines God’s heavenly city, the Lamb (Revelation 21:23), came and lit up the dark place where mankind lived. The gentle rays of the bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16) pierced the kingdom of darkness and split it open.
The Ministry of Jesus
JESUS:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!” (John 8:12) “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world!” (John 9:5) “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (John 12:46)
Through his ministry Jesus passed his light to the apostles.
(the candle of Jesus lights the candles of the apostles)
NARRATOR: This God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness” at Creation, now shone in human hearts through the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
The light came into the world, but people loved darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19) — because every inclination of the thoughts of the corrupt human heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5).
JESUS:
“You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light!” (John 12:35–36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5)
The Crucifixion
NARRATOR: And people hated the Light and would not come to it, because it exposed their evil deeds (John 3:19). So the darkness sought to put out the Light. This lamp shining in the gloom had to be stopped at any cost. And the cost turned out to be thirty pieces of silver — the price of the One who was appraised (Matthew 27:9). For so little did people value the Author of life (Acts 3:15). Thirty pieces of silver, paid to remove the Light from the world. So, handed over for our sins, Jesus of Nazareth, the light of the world, was crucified on the rough cross of Golgotha and breathed his last, and the apostles were scattered and afraid.
(the candles of Jesus and the apostles are extinguished again)
The kingdom of darkness rejoiced. Once more the hour of darkness had struck. This hateful, irritating Light, which warmed and illumined everywhere, had at last been stopped. While Jesus was on the cross, “from the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45). The demons feasted. Even the little kindled lights that the Light had lit went out. Like fragile fireflies, they were swallowed up by the overwhelming spiritual gloom. And once again darkness fell… And it seemed that every hope had died…
The Resurrection
NARRATOR: But the demons did not suspect… Oh, they had not the slightest idea that their victory was a delusion — that they were actors, directed personally by the King of Light, carrying out his great plan. God’s boundless wisdom had ordained everything that happened (Acts 2:23). What the kingdom of darkness took for victory was in fact the beginning of the end… the end of the kingdom of darkness. On the third day, the Sun of righteousness rose with his resurrection, life-giving power (Malachi 4:2) and shone forth life and immortality (2 Timothy 1:10).
(the candle of Jesus is lit again)
And as light is better than darkness (Ecclesiastes 2:13), his bright shining generously scattered its warm rays and lit up the kingdom of gloom with his Eternal Light. The chains of sin fell away. The gloom dispersed, the darkness retreated… The Light conquered and triumphed over the dark. And this glorious Light, whose whole essence was Love, warmed and revived the human heart, rekindling the smoldering, snuffed-out wicks.
(Jesus lights the candles of the apostles again with his own; the apostles light the candles of everyone in the hall)
But this time, no one and nothing would ever be able to take away or put out their light (John 16:22)!
JESUS:
You are all children of the light, children of the day; you do not belong to the night or to the darkness! (1 Thessalonians 5:5) You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). You are the light of the world! And just as no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bed, but on a stand so that it gives light to everyone in the house, so let your light shine before others (Matthew 5:14–16). Therefore, arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you! (Isaiah 60:1) Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you; and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age! (Matthew 28:19–20)