The Light

This afternoon I was finally able to finish stringing some Christmas lights on the tree in front of our home.  Such ordinary seasonal jobs don’t get done nearly so easily or quickly  as in the past.  Later, as I drove Lozanne to the hospital for an evening of pastoral care work, we had the opportunity to see many homes decorated with thousands of brightly colored light bulbs.  Each year the display of lights becomes more impressive.  Lights are now strung on every possible outside structure including very tall trees.  The result at night is really quite impressive.  New this season are the inflatable and lighted Santas, snow men, sleighs, skidoos or Santa helicopters actually placed on the roofs.  The sight is really quite beautiful.  I began to wonder to myself this evening as Marley and I  returned alone from the hospital why so much time, effort and money is spent on Christmas lighting at this time of year.

I would like to believe that the majority of these beautifully decorated homes dramatically underscore the true reason for the season and that would be the birth of Jesus.  I am only too aware that the recognition of Christmas has become all too secular and is celebrated simply as a long and commercially entrenched  early winter festival.  I was reading an article the other day by the environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki who was postulating that,  since December 21 is the shortest and darkest day of the year in northern climes, by putting up many lights we are attempting to shed great light in the darkness in the hope of reminding ourselves that spring will actually come with longer days.  He could be right.  Personally, I regard Christmas lights as representing Jesus Himself as he came into this world two thousand years ago.  In John 1: 4-9 we read that Jesus Christ is regarded as light or as in His case, “The Light”.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

 6 ¶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.

 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 

In these five verses we learn that John the Baptist was sent by God as a witness to “The Light”.  Jesus, who is “The Light”, provides believers with the light they require to understand and follow in the ways of the true Christian life.  Verse five tells us the light shines in the darkness of this world and yet the darkness (world) did not and can not comprehend it.   This verse summarizes my thoughts on the ever increasing assault of Christmas lighting.  The light gets brighter and brighter with each passing year, but the vast majority just don’t understand why the lights are installed in the first place.

In John 12: 46 Jesus tells us Himself that he has come into the world as a light.

46 “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

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