The Worlds Okayest Pastor

When Darkness Meets Light: Why Christmas Still Rescues Us

• Jason Cline

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If you’ve ever been told your past defines you, this conversation turns that verdict on its head. We pull a surprising thread from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to the road to Damascus and into the manger, showing how redemption grows in hard soil and why hope arrives where life feels most fragile. Scrooge doesn’t stay Scrooge. Saul doesn’t stay Saul. And a dark, cold night in Bethlehem becomes the doorway for light that doesn’t flicker when life gets messy.

We talk frankly about the reality of Christmas: not twinkle lights and neat schedules, but a young couple under pressure, a hunted child, and four hundred years of silence cracking open with a cry. From there we sit with Romans 8—no condemnation, life in the Spirit, adoption as sons and daughters, and the relentless love that refuses to let go. Paul’s words land with the weight of someone who remembers his worst day yet refuses to be named by it. That tension—the memory of what was and the promise of what is—becomes a map for anyone trying to believe change can last.

Practically, we turn symbols into mission. Swapping candles for glow sticks isn’t a gimmick; it’s a reminder that light is a tool for emergencies, a guide for the lost, and a sign that we don’t keep hope to ourselves. We gather to be renewed, then scatter to be sent, carrying the message that no one is beyond rescue. If God is for us, who can be against us? Press play for a bracing, compassionate invitation to step out of old names, live by the Spirit, and bring light to the places that feel stuck at midnight.

If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find the show. Where will you carry your light this week?

Can We Find Jesus In Scrooge

SPEAKER_00

Amen.

Scrooge’s Reputation Versus His Redemption

Saul To Paul And Trust After Change

SPEAKER_01

I uh we're actually finishing up on Scrooge. And I think it's interesting. Uh if you saw anything online, um I I don't know. Social media always cracks me up anyways, but uh, we had posted that we were doing this series, and there's a couple comments that have been posted that have since been since been deleted. Because you know, it's our Facebook page, we can delete stuff. You know, we don't have to let things be said. But but a couple people accuse us of being pagans, and then like you're talking about screws, and so on's like, that's not Christian. And listen, I I'm 100% aware that ebonies are screwed, that the Christmas Carol is not Christian. I understand that. But it doesn't mean that we can't find Jesus in those things, right? And that's probably one of the most important conversations is the fact that that we can find God, I believe, anywhere. God reveals himself in in some of the craziest places. Movies, media, uh a Christmas carol. Like we can find attributes of God, we can find important things out of scripture through these different kinds of stories. And and Charles Dickens had the same idea when he wrote Scrooge. When he wrote the character of Ebenezer Scrooge, he he was dealing with a time and a culture that had become blind to the needy. Social classes were incredibly divided. There was some conversations or some uh information that I read that that at some point uh throughout this time when he wrote it, that that England was even considering doing away with all Christmas celebrations. People had lost sight of of what mattered. And so Charles Dickens writes the Christmas Carol, he he uses the story to to capture this idea. And and one of the biggest ideas behind it, and I talked about this by the way, if you were not here last week, good. We weren't here. If you did come, sorry about that. Let me put you on the text list to make sure, okay? So I I was sitting in my living room, which is really cool, uh, drinking my hot cocoa thanks to my lovely wife. And and I told a couple people, I wish you could have seen the setup for the camera and how we had it. It was like on a cat tree, and it was crazy uh because we didn't have a stand in my house. So so I talked about last week that one of the important aspects of Scrooge's and and Charles Dickens captures this well. But when we talk about ebonies or Scrooge, we automatically associate him negatively, right? And so anytime someone is kind of down and out about the holidays, or or you know, we call them a Scrooge or we call them a miser, or or really we just we kind of we harp on them because they're not joyous and celebratory and all of that, right? And then I can tell you that there's a part of that that's right, but there's a big part of that that's wrong because Ebenezer Scrooge didn't stay that way. That that's the point that we miss. That Scrooge didn't stay Scrooge. He became this joyous man. Spending time with family became more giving after his encounter with the spirits and kind of his own self-reflection. He changed his life. And we compare that to the life of Saul. Saul, who we know as Paul, was a man who was killing Christians. He was good at it, too. And so on the road to Damascus, when when he has this encounter with Jesus, his whole life changes. But but his past doesn't quite disappear, right? So Ananias comes to him and and God says, Go to Paul. And Ananias says, God, do you know who this is? Have you met this man? You know he kills people like me, right? And God's like, no, no, I know. Go. This man will be my instrument. He he will learn what it is to suffer for me. And and so Saul, who we know as Paul, by the way, he he carried both names. I don't know if you knew this or not. And I'm not trying to like ruin anyone's like theology here, but maybe a little bit. So Saul and Paul, he carried both names equally. He was a Roman uh because I think it was his mother, it was father. Yeah, then I think his mother would have been Jewish. So so he had the name Saul in the Jewish community, and then he was known as Paul in the Romans, right? So this allowed him, it's actually kind of neat when you think about it. God chose him specifically because he could walk in both worlds. So when God sent him to the Gentiles, he was already kind of in the Gentile world, right? He he was known among the Romans. But but his pen name throughout all the letters that he wrote is Paul. That's what he goes by, and that's because he's writing to the Gentiles. But but he had this past, he had this history where people really just they didn't trust him. And rightfully so. He killed people. He was at the death of Stephen, and he was rounding up Christians, and all of a sudden, like he shows up and says, Hey guys, I'm part of the group. So they had hesitation, but but what I love about it though is God saw something in Paul that everyone else missed. And I think when we talk about Scrooge, that that's the point. Dickens doesn't stop with Scrooge being a miser who's selfish. He talks about his change, his redemption, his his past is no longer defining him. And and listen, that that is the message of the gospel. That who I was before Jesus doesn't matter nearly as much as who I am now. I think about that a lot. It is only because of Jesus that I stand in this place. I didn't grow up in this. We didn't go to church. It's only because my life has been saved, and and and I hate to think that that people wouldn't give me a chance because of who I was. And and and that's important. Because some of us still live under our own name. Some of us still live in that brokenness. And even we talk about our story, our redemption story, we talk about what was, and God says, no, no, no. I need you to focus on what is. What what's coming? What about your life has changed? That that is so much more important.

SPEAKER_00

Scrooge had a transformation. And then we get to the story of Christmas.

SPEAKER_01

You know, I've never been a big fan of this time of year. Nothing personal. I love Jesus. I'm not anti-Christmas. But sometimes it's a lot. Sometimes it feels overwhelming. The expectation. All the lights. I feel like you're always in a competition with your neighbor's house for some reason. We get caught up in these things. And the older I get, the more I and listen, I enjoy those things. We enjoy celebrating Christmas with our kids. But what I've come to enjoy more is the fact that it's about family. And so the night of Jesus' birth, and again, this is one of the reasons why when we talk about it, when we come into this room, it's all nice and pretty. And listen, Glenda and Amanda did an amazing job in here. I don't know who else helped them, if anyone else did, but they did a fantastic job. I love it. My brain could not see this for a million years, even if you told me. Right? I I understand that. But but we we come into this Christmas story, and and Christmas is so festive, and it's well lit, and all the lights, and listen, the reality is that night was not anything but it was dark. Mary was incredibly pregnant. Had to travel a very long way. No room to sleep. They were tired. They were hungry. Some little drummer boy showed up for some reason. But they were also running in fear. Herod was looking for them. Jesus was a target. You know the the the night of of the birth was was anything but pretty.

SPEAKER_00

It was hard. It was cold. It wasn't easy.

SPEAKER_01

And listen, we rejoice at the angels and revealing themselves to the shepherd who probably scared him half to death. And we talk about those things, but but but hardly do we reflect on on really how broken that night would have felt. 400 years, 400 years of absolutely nothing from God. The people that God had chosen had not heard from him in 400 years.

SPEAKER_00

A prophecy. No hope.

The Gritty Reality Of Jesus’ Birth

SPEAKER_01

Complete darkness. Slaves. Living in captivity, oppressed by the Romans, the people of God were anything but joy. And then Jesus showed up. Not a king, not a conqueror. A baby. I talked about a couple weeks ago. AW Dozers has a best a baby with rubbery legs. An infant. Trying to process through life, trying to to find a way to live. Raised by two parents who were willing, but but man, they were young. Carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Running from kings. They would spend the rest of their life trying to raise their son Emmanuel, God with us, to the best of their ability. Can you imagine the pressure of raising Jesus? How do you discipline that? Jesus, sit down. I don't have to. You know who my dad is? Yep. No, I don't think Jesus was like that. I would like to think that he wasn't. But can you imagine in the back of your mind, knowing that this is the Son of God and constantly processing the questions, the nervousness, the you know, even as he gets older, is he going to get found out what's going to happen? I mean, just the constant stress of that. And yet you and I consider it the greatest thing that ever happened. And I can imagine that they do too, but but at the time it wasn't easy. And that's where I think the stories intersect. Scrooge had to go through something difficult to challenge himself. He had to come face to face with who he was in order to realize who he could become. Right? And so the world was in complete darkness. And the Savior of the world came into the world, and it was hard.

SPEAKER_00

He lived a life that was challenging.

SPEAKER_01

He would eventually find himself dead. He would die on a cross of all things. Criminal, a criminal's punishment.

SPEAKER_00

Someone, something he did not deserve. And yet he would go on to change the face of the world. Paul included.

SPEAKER_01

Because Paul, if you read his writings, he he he he mentions who he was, but he doesn't worry about that so much. He's more worried and concerned about the message of the gospel being spread, and he continues to challenge people to pay attention to what's happening. Paul, the the man who persecuted Christians, who was there at the death of Stephen, would write a letter to the Roman church.

SPEAKER_00

Romans chapter 8, Paul writes this, starting in verse 1.

From No Condemnation To New Life

SPEAKER_01

He says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Can you imagine how he felt penning those words? God, I know what I've done, but because I'm in Jesus, you no longer hold those things against me. He continues, uh, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do, because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of a sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemns sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. Paul is saying to this audience, Listen, you no longer live as the rest of the world does. You are in the Spirit. The sacrifice for your sin and your weakness has been made through Jesus. He continues, says those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires. Those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. Paul is saying you can't help yourself. Yourself, your flesh is not enough. Only the spirit offered through Christ can save you. Only the spirit offered through Christ can please God. That's it. Verse 9, it says, You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh, but are in the realm of the spirit. If indeed the spirit of God lives in you, and if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And in the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of the spirit who lives in you. He's talking about Jesus. You you mean this baby that came into the world 33 years before? The Son of God stepped into the world, and he he took the sin, my sin, my brokenness, my weakenness, and gave me his spirit. Paul continues, he says, Therefore, brothers and sisters, you have an obligation, but it's not to the flesh to live according to it. For if you live according to your flesh, you will die. But if by the spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God or the children of God, the Spirit you receive does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again. Rather, the Spirit you receive brought about your adoption to sonship, and by him we cry Abba Father. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Paul says, He says to this audience, he's listen, if you are in Jesus, you are now heirs.

SPEAKER_00

You are children of God.

SPEAKER_01

In all of my brokenness, in all of my weakness, and all of my frailty, I am a child of the Most High. There is no name, no title that I will wear more proudly than that. Because that's the only one that matters. That's the only one that saved me. Jesus, Paul is writing of this baby who stepped into the world, he became a sacrifice. He took the penalty for my sin. And he replaced it. And he gave me mercy and grace that I put on Christ. You know, we we talk about this, we talk about baptism. This is why baptism, I think, is such an important thing, is because the Bible tells us that when we are baptized into Christ, and Paul talks about this in Romans chapter 6, that as we are buried with him in his life, in his death, in his burial, that we also rise with him. Because the Spirit of God is on us. It's the saving work of Jesus. That's how we step into that moment. That's why Christmas is so important, because God didn't just come here so we can have festive services. He didn't come here so we can write cool songs about Christmas. Those are great. That's that's why Jesus is important. That's why the Christ of Christmas matters. It's not just another holiday.

SPEAKER_00

It's a reminder.

SPEAKER_01

Christmas Eve service. And last year we did something unique and different. And listen, I'm I'm not one for traditions. Just ask my mother. Never really have been. But we changed something last year that we did. And we're going to do it again this year. And a couple people asked me why, and and I probably didn't explain it well enough. But we don't do candle lighting anymore. A couple reasons. One, we have a lot of younger families with kids. And so a couple of parents appreciated that we're not handing out open flames to children. But but really it was it was more than that. So we actually switched to glow sticks. We actually have two different colors of glow sticks. We have one red and one green, and and part of that is to make it festive. But really, there's a reason why I did this. And it's because when when we leave here, my hope is and my prayer that everyone will take a glow stick. You know what glow sticks are meant to do? Bring light to the darkness. That's the reason they exist. Some of them can last for hours. But a lot of times we see these in emergency situations when people are lost and they can't find their way home.

SPEAKER_00

So if they're lucky, they have a glow stick.

Adopted As Children And Heirs

Why Christmas Matters Beyond Festivity

SPEAKER_01

To me, that's that's what Christmas Eve is about. Listen, it's not about us gathering with our families. That's part of it. That's not it. It's not about coming together and singing a bunch of songs that we like. Again, not bad. But the reason we come together on Christmas Eve is because it reminds us, those of us who are here, that at our darkest moment, Christ stepped in. He stepped into my life. He gave me something that I needed. I was missing something before him. And Christmas Eve reminds us that the story is not something we just celebrate in here, but it has to go out there. That's why this matters. It's an emergency. This is a tool to help people find their way. And I always tell my kids: if it's a tool, we use the tool for what it's supposed to be used for, right? We distinguish between tools and toys in my house. This is a tool. The message of Christmas is a tool for us to walk into a very dark world and say, listen, it doesn't have to stay this way. So we send these home with people to remind them that your light, everything you find in here on Christmas Eve, has to find its way out there. Because people aren't coming here. For whatever reason, people are not coming to find Jesus, and that's okay because we're going to go rescue them. I talked about a couple weeks ago. You and I are part of a divine rescue mission to take the light of the world into the darkest of night and remind them that their past doesn't define their future. It's simple. But that's my prayer. Every time we do this, and as we continue to do it, that as we leave here, we look for an opportunity to rescue someone from the dark. Paul understood that more than anybody. Paul would suffer greatly for the name of Jesus. He would. He would face some of the harshest criticism, some of the biggest challenges. And yet this man who would eventually be crucified, or not crucified, sorry, be killed. Peter was crucified. This man who was eventually killed on behalf of his allegiance and obedience to Christ, in Romans chapter 8 and verse 18, writes this. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, and hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness, we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans, and he searches our hearts and knows the minds of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God forknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called. Those he called, he also justified, those he justified, he also glorified. What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns no one? Christ Jesus died. More than that, he uh who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is all also intercedes for us, who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword, as it is written, for your sake we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to the slaughter. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angel, nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will ever be able to separate us, separate us from the love that God has in Christ Jesus our Lord. Here is a man who experienced brokenness. A man who had an encounter with Christ and it changed his entire life. And as he writes to these early Christians, he reminds them remember who you are. You are a child of God. Jesus stepped into the darkness.

SPEAKER_00

So that the world could find its way home. So when you ask me why I think Christmas is important, because it's the only hope that I have.

Glow Sticks As A Mission

SPEAKER_01

And if Christ is for me, no one can be against me. And not only is that a message that that you and I need to remind ourselves of, but that's a message that world out there so desperately needs to hear. You are not beyond rescue. You are not beyond transformation. You are not beyond saving. Because God never expects you to do it on your own anyway.

SPEAKER_00

Instead, he sent a baby. A baby that would give us a light. So they could always find their way home.