DECEMBER 7TH
Christmas Lights
John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth
So far we have only looked at passages from the Old Testament. These were all prophetic messages that looked forward to and foreshadowed the coming of the Messiah and Savior of the World. But today, we will begin looking at passages of scripture from the New Testament. Today's passage is a very powerful one that speaks of Jesus and describes the significance of who this baby is that came into our world at Christmas. Jesus didn't first come on the scene as a baby in the manger. Unlike us, Jesus wasn't created in the womb. This same Jesus that was born in a manger was there at the beginning;He was there at creation, and it was through Jesus that all creation came into existence. (Col 1:16) The baby was the word of God; He was with God and He was God. Think about that for a moment: The baby in the manger is God. This is also the meaning of the word Immanuel: God is with us. God is not distant or far away in another realm or dimension. He is right here in our midst. The passage also tells us that within Jesus is life and He will be the light of all mankind that shines in darkness. Evil darkness will not be able to overcome or extinguish that light no matter how hard it tries.
Have you ever gone for a drive at night in December? It may be the best time of the year to do it. It's even much more enjoyable to go and experience someone else's lights, rather than dealing with tangled cords and burnt-out bulbs in your own house. Some neighborhoods even have special lanes, routes, and organizers that direct traffic through their neighborhoods because of the incredible Christmas light displays. The thing about Christmas lights is that you can see them from far away, and the brighter they are, the further away you can see them. In fact, the darker it is outside, the more you can see the light, which is why Christmas light drives are so much better at night. In this same way, Jesus is the light of the world, both then and now, and He shines brighter than ever because He came into a fallen world that was lost in sin and darkness. Everyone who saw Jesus, either as a baby, a young boy, or an adult, saw something unique and different about Him. Many bowed down to worship and follow Him. Many placed palm branches on the ground in front of Him. There was something about Jesus that was different, like a light shining in the darkness.
When it comes to light, we can either be drawn to it or avoid it. When sin is exposed, a person can either admit their failure or try to cover that sin up. This happened in the ministry of Jesus all the time. People either repented of sin or tried to hide from the exposing light. The same is true today and it is a question we all need to answer. Will the light of Jesus be warm and comforting to you? Will it draw you in, no matter what it exposes, or will you avoid it? Our prayer is that you would choose to step into the light of Jesus this Christmas and see that He is the true light of this world.
Have you ever gone for a drive at night in December? It may be the best time of the year to do it. It's even much more enjoyable to go and experience someone else's lights, rather than dealing with tangled cords and burnt-out bulbs in your own house. Some neighborhoods even have special lanes, routes, and organizers that direct traffic through their neighborhoods because of the incredible Christmas light displays. The thing about Christmas lights is that you can see them from far away, and the brighter they are, the further away you can see them. In fact, the darker it is outside, the more you can see the light, which is why Christmas light drives are so much better at night. In this same way, Jesus is the light of the world, both then and now, and He shines brighter than ever because He came into a fallen world that was lost in sin and darkness. Everyone who saw Jesus, either as a baby, a young boy, or an adult, saw something unique and different about Him. Many bowed down to worship and follow Him. Many placed palm branches on the ground in front of Him. There was something about Jesus that was different, like a light shining in the darkness.
When it comes to light, we can either be drawn to it or avoid it. When sin is exposed, a person can either admit their failure or try to cover that sin up. This happened in the ministry of Jesus all the time. People either repented of sin or tried to hide from the exposing light. The same is true today and it is a question we all need to answer. Will the light of Jesus be warm and comforting to you? Will it draw you in, no matter what it exposes, or will you avoid it? Our prayer is that you would choose to step into the light of Jesus this Christmas and see that He is the true light of this world.