The Christmas Light
By Shauna Leis
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
1 John 1:5-7
As we head through the Christmas season, one of the things that we love to do as a family is to drive around neighborhoods and look at all of the Christmas lights. There is something very special about the houses that have the greenery, red bows, and a single candle burning in each of the windows. It has such a classy look and feel. Then there are some houses with animated reindeer and icicles. Finally, there are other houses with Christmas lights covering every square inch of the house. And some of these houses even have lights that flash timed to music.
In our neighborhood, we have light contests to see who has the best set of Christmas light decorations. Several of our neighbors drove around last Friday and judged the best three decorated houses. Many of the houses down the street had the lights covering every square inch of the house, along with animated figures in the yard and going down the driveway. With our two animated reindeer, we knew that we were the underdogs for sure and had no chance of ever winning. But, the funny thing is that no matter if you have one light or a thousand, they all pierce the darkness the same. Just a little light shines across the distance and dispels the gloomy night.
Even though all of the Christmas lights, whether few or many, are very beautiful, they all pale in comparison to the one, true Christmas light, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to the earth to be the light of the world, the light that would pierce the darkness. Just like all of those other Christmas lights that light up the night time, Jesus came to light up all of those who are around Him. John 8:12 says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Those of us, who have chosen to follow Him and allowed Him to be our Savior and Lord, will never again have to face the empty darkness.
God intended this from the beginning for the light to separate from the darkness. That is how it all began so many years ago. Genesis 1:1-5 records, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called, ‘night.’”
God spoke, “In the beginning,” forming the heavens and the earth, and He created the physical light for us to be able to see during the day and night. And when He sent Jesus as a tiny babe so many years ago, He once again gave us a Spiritual light for the earth. Finally God ended the Bible, the Word of Life, with the indication that He will forever be our light. “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp,” Revelation 21:23. When we get to heaven, there will be no need for any lamps, candles, or Christmas lights because God’s glory will shine so brightly that it will light up the city!
May we all remember this Christmas that Jesus is our true light. He will never burn out, and He will never fade. His light is strong and pierces the darkness across the distance for all to see.
Pray with me:Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus Your Son to be our light in this very dark world. Thank You that You loved us so much that You were willing to give us the most precious gift You could give, Jesus sacrifice for our salvation. We know that You are the ultimate Christmas light. You were in the beginning as the light, and You will forever reign in heaven as the light of the city. Lord, pierce the darkness that surrounds all of us this Christmas season. May we rely on You and Your light to guide our path and lead our way. We love You so very much and pray all of this in the precious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ! Amen!