The Children’s Pageant went off this year without a hitch, which was nice because you never know what is going to happen with a bunch of children in one place. You can dress them up and show them where to walk and what to do, but there is always the possibility that one or another is going to stand up in front of everybody picking their nose like they are mining for gold—or worse. Of course it is all part of the charm of the program and you just have to take it in stride.

There was one children’s pageant where Mary and Joseph, with all due solemnity, strode in and took their places next to a manger with a light bulb nestled among the swaddling clothes to represent Jesus, the light of the world. Next followed the shepherds, angels, animals and such. Finally came the wise men with their gifts. One of them strode up, laid his gift by the manger, looked at Joseph and said in a loud whisper the whole cast could hear: "So Joe, when are you going to hand out the cigars?"

The spell of that occasion was not only broken, it exploded. The Mary & Joseph cover was completely destroyed and it became impossible for the holy family to hold back bursts of laughter. But the angel standing on a chair holding the star of Bethlehem was the worst. She fell from the chair to the ground and, while holding her stomach, began rolling on the floor and convulsing in laughter. When it was all over the good-natured youth leader shrugged his shoulders and said that the only thing that didn’t go to pieces was the light bulb in the manger. What a great image—the light in the manger never goes out regardless of the mess we make of things.

That bit of Good News is pretty much the theme of John’s Gospel and, like any good writer; he sets out the theme of his Gospel in the opening words. Where Matthew and Luke begin their Gospels with the classic nativity texts, and Mark begins his with Christ’s forerunner, John the Baptist, the writer of our text begins with a theological statement about Christ. In the beginning, he writes, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning (Verses 1-2).

In the beginning should sound familiar, because it is with those very words that the Bible begins in the book of Genesis. John, the Gospel writer, knows that and is intentionally providing a literary cue linking God the Son with God the Father and creator of us all. But he refers to Jesus as the Word. Why? Because words express who we are. Some folks familiar with the sound of my voice recognize me when I call on the phone before I introduce myself--even when they don’t have Caller ID. Just as our words express our identity and thoughts, so Jesus Christ is God expressing himself in human form.

Not only so, this Word was God and He was with God in the beginning. You will recall that In the beginning… God gave the word and things happened. The first thing God spoke was "Let there be light," and there was light (Genesis 1:3). God continued to speak and things continued to come into being, like water and land and vegetables and animals and people and such. As John continues in our text: Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (Verse 3).

But the first thing created by the Word of God is light, and John follows that progression of thought with what he writes next. In him was life, and that life was the light of men (Verse 4). Before we get to what light represents in the Bible, let us consider what the term "life" represents. Life is more than mere existence in the Bible. When the Bible speaks of life it speaks in a qualitative sense of the term.

Elsewhere in John’s Gospel Jesus says, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10). Jesus came that we might have a full, rich and abundant life. Indeed when the Bible speaks of "eternal life," the translated adjective "eternal" is not just a quantitative designation but qualitative one—a life without limit, if you will. When, in our text, we are told that in Jesus was life, it is speaking of a rich, full and abundant life without limit.

There are some things all people everywhere share in common whether black or white, young or old, male or female, mentally ill or well, rich or poor, from times past or times present and future, very religious or not at all, from this place or any place around the globe. All people breathe, for instance. But all people share one other thing in common. They all, without exception, crave a rich, full and abundant life just like they crave water when they are thirsty or food when they are hungry or sleep when they are tired. Even folks who take their own lives only do so because they are despairing and without hope of ever living the full life they crave.

Our Creator created us with this yearning because he intended to fulfill it. Saint Augustine prayed to God: "Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee." God wants for us exactly what we want for ourselves. Not only so, but he promises to provide it if we will let him. That is why he was born into our world in Jesus. In him was life, and that life was the light of men (Verse 4).His life is a beacon—a light shining in the darkness—leading us to a safe, secure, calm and peaceful harbor.

The late Joseph Campbell, scholar of comparative religion, developed a philosophy which was summed up in the phrase: "Follow your bliss." Follow what leads to life at its qualitative best. Follow the Lord of Life. When life turns dark and depressing and we can’t seem to find our way; when we stumble and bumble into every pitfall and snare that increasingly diminishes and destroys the quality of our lives, that is a pretty sure sign that we have wandered off the path of God’s choosing and that we are lost souls.

But wait, you say, I am only miserable because of somebody else—my alcoholic spouse, my foolish child, the rotten economy, the unfairness in the world (fill in the blank). There are lots of excuses we can point to for having a dark and discouraging life. But there really are no excuses according to John’s Gospel, because a dark and discouraging life is evidence of only one thing: we have wandered away from the path of God’s choosing. Other people and situations may be problems to be sure, but if our lives are spiritually distressed, that’s our problem.

We may not be able to snap our fingers and fix the world’s economy, or transform our troubled spouses and children into the model of perfection, but we can ask ourselves that all important question: "Given the distressing circumstances in which I find myself, what does it mean to live my life in faithful obedience to God?" What changes in my life do I have to make to get back on the path of God’s choosing? Never mind everybody else. How is God trying to get my attention in this difficult situation?

If we go to our knees in complete surrender before the Almighty and commit ourselves to doing what he tells us to do, you can be sure that he will tell us something. He will speak to us. He will speak to us in the language of life—a language no one can misunderstand. In our prayerful soul-searching a spiritual nudge will come—a spiritual prompting will be given in a specific direction. A light will appear in the darkness like the star of Bethlehem. Is that a signal from God—a message from the Almighty? There is only one way to find out.

Follow the light. Make the change. See what happens. It will either lead in the way of a richer, fuller and more abundant life or it won’t. In short, follow your bliss. We’re not talking about hedonism here. Some folks accused Joseph Campbell of promoting hedonism with his philosophy. Joseph responded, "I wish I would have said: ‘Follow your blisters.’" Pleasure-seeking does not lead to an abundant life. It may be intoxicating for a moment, but if it leads to a hangover and headache and getting sick, that is not what following one’s bliss is about.

Indeed, giving up drinking is the solution to the problem of alcoholism, just as exercise and dietary restraint are the solutions to the problem of obesity all manner of ill health. But if we are willing to make these personal sacrifices, they will prove to have been small prices to pay for the surpassing benefits they achieve for our lives. Follow your bliss. Follow what leads to an abundant life. Follow the light that always shines even in the midst of the deepest darkness.

My wife asked me to do one thing for her at this service. She said, "Dim the lights!" So I am going to dim the lights as much as I can to make a point. No matter how dark life gets, if there is a light that remains we will see it. As one translation concludes our text: The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it (Verse 5). We may have wandered light-years away from that star in the heavens, but we will still see it if we look up.

And if we follow that light, like the Wise Men of old, we will discover that it enlightens us. It is the nature of light to enlighten. Jesus not only said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (8:12); he also said: "You are the light of the world," and, "let your light shine" (Matthew 5:14&16). Pretty soon our dark world becomes brighter, and the burdens we bear get lighter, and, before you know it, we are back on the path of a good and full life—God’s Christmas gift to us.

It really is possible, even in the midst of the darkest night of the darkest month for all to be calm—all to be bright.