Light

"In Him was life, and His life was the light of men and women. And this light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. He is the true Light who gives light to all people and He has come into the world."

- St. John, John 1:4,5,9

"It makes me happy...when I don't know what to do… and then suddenly I do."

- Shiloh Alcorn, My 4 year old granddaughter

I'll never forget that Christmas, years ago, when I was flying back into San Diego on a late flight from visiting family in Iowa. As the plane made its slow turn and began its descent, I looked out the window… and almost began singing! Wow! The entire floor of the city was blanketed with a carpet of light, unlike I had ever seen before. It literally took my breath away! Bigger and brighter and more brilliant than any Christmas Card Lane I had ever seen… this City of Lights illuminated the dark sky like some cosmic Christmas tree. It was like God said all over again, "Let there be light!"

And I found myself smiling, thinking, "God, You are so clever. Because, even a stranger visiting from another planet would have to admit, “Holy cow! Something's up! Something's going on!'"...as the whole earth decorates itself with a billion candles, bulbs, and lights, and almost unwittingly declares, "The Light of the world has come!" John the Apostle said it like this:

In Him (Christ Jesus) was life, and His life was the light of all men and all women. And this light shines in the darkness but the darkness cannot overcome it. He (Jesus) is the True Light who gives light to all people and He has come into the world...[On Christmas Day!]"

- John 1:4,5,9

The characteristic of light is to reveal. So John is declaring this astounding truth - that the God of Heaven and Earth has revealed Himself in Jesus. God has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ to light up our darkness. Isn't it true… there are so many life situations that leave you and I feeling like we're "in the dark?" Disappointments… discouragement… depression… unforeseen troubles… complicated problems… family stresses… financial pressures… health challenges… and on and on. And they all catch us sometimes off-guard, especially at Christmas, and leave us confused… in the dark… not knowing which way to turn or what to do.

The other day, my four year old granddaughter, Shiloh, was drawing a picture. It was really quite impressive, even though I did not have a clue what it was. I said to her,

"That picture is Amazing, Shiloh. How did you know what to draw?"

Without looking up, she said, "Well, at first I didn't know what to draw… but then I did."

Then she smiled and said, "It makes me happy when I don't know what to do, and then suddenly I do."

And that's the good news of Christmas… that Jesus has come as the Light of the world. And His Light is greater than your darkness. Which means that, with Jesus, when you don't know what to do, suddenly you will. So, this Christmas, if you're feeling like you're in the dark and you don't know what to do, why not invite Jesus to step into your confusion… into your hurt… into your discouragement… and He will not only show you what to do, but He will also give you the strength, the grace, the wisdom, the power to do it.

Then, like Shiloh, you will know the Joy of hearing God the Father declare all over again in your darkness… "Let there be LIGHT!" MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Pastor Harry

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