More than 2000 years ago a baby was born in Bethlehem. On the night of His birth the sky was alight with the brightness of a chorus of angels. Luke 2:9 says that that an angel of the Lord came to the shepherds and that the glory of the Lord shone around them.
The wise men traveled many miles to see this young child and how did they find Him? By following the light of a star. The birth of Jesus and the life of Jesus was encompassed in light!
In John 8:12 Jesus announced – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”
In Psalm 27:1, the psalmist writes – “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
Isaiah 60:19 states – “The Lord shall be your light forever.”
Yes, that child born more than 2000 years ago in a lowly stable was our King, our Christ. He came into this world with light and His whole ministry was light. When He comes into our lives, He gives us that same light.
Light takes away fear, darkness fosters fear. When we have the light of the Lord in our lives our path is illuminated by the King of Kings, the Creator of the universe, and the Savior of the world. This light shines brightly and as long as we stay close to the originator of this light the darkness cannot overcome us. We may have tough times, but His light will always be with us shining on us and directing our footsteps.
But Jesus didn’t just say that He was the light of the world, He says that we are lights! Matthew 5:13-16 says – You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on tis stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
In Philippians 2:15 Paul tells us that our light should “shine among them like stars in the sky.”
So as you go about in this Christmas season gazing at the vast array of Christmas lights, remember who the true light of Christmas is. And each time we see a light, let it remind us that we too are to be lights in this dark world.
Take this Christmas season to ponder on how you want your light to shine. What act of kindness might you do? What gift of mercy might you bestow on someone in need? What can you do to show those around you that you have the light of Christ in your life? If we spend our time always understanding that we needed to be light, always looking for the next way to show the world that our Savior has filled us with His light, what miracle might happen?
As children many of us sang a simple song – This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine… So let’s let it shine this Christmas season and continue to do so until our Lord returns!
© Marlys Popma
Dec 9, 2015
The Christian Conservative
