There are a great many things that I love about the winter months. While I don’t enjoy being cold, I do enjoy dressing in layers and I am particularly fond of stocking hats, puffer vests, and sweaters of all kinds, but especially of the Christmas variety. I enjoy sitting under blankets watching movies and shows with the fam. And, while we have not been blessed with much of it in recent years, I absolutely love snow. I enjoy looking at it, playing in it, driving in it, and shoveling it, in certain amounts. All that being stated, there is one thing I absolutely detest about the winter months. I HATE THE DARKNESS!
I’m not a morning person on even the best of days and, by God’s good grace, I have a job that doesn’t usually require me to be an early riser. On most days, my alarm goes off at the crack of 7am. I can normally delay opening my eyes, in earnest, until after the second snooze cycle. But, even after prolonging the start of the new day as long as possible, when I finally throw back the covers, put my feet to the floor, and awaken to the new day, I am greeted by nothing but the darkness of night in the middle of the morning.
As I have noted in a previous article, the date of Christmas is coordinated with the Winter Solstice. December 21 is the darkest day of the year. Just four days later, on December 25, we celebrate the coming of the Light of Life, Jesus Christ. In John 1:9-12 we read…
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.
the coming of Christ is not a momentary flash in the pan, but the joy-filled promise of what is to come.
I love how the wording of that passage plays into the date of Christmas. John doesn’t simply state that Jesus had, but that He “was coming into the world.” The wording highlights the idea that light was on the rise. Yes, the Light of Life was present, but the glow would continue to grow. It communicates the increase of the hope, redemption, and life that Jesus brings. The dawn of the morning doesn’t just mark the beginning of the light of day, but the sure and certain increase of light on the horizon. In the same way, the coming of Christ is not a momentary flash in the pan, but the joy-filled promise of what is to come.
It’s a truth that’s hard to remember in the days, weeks, and even months following Christmas. The mountain top of Christmas gives way to the valley of the shadow that is January and February. Even as the light continues to increase, it’s easy to get bogged down by the darkness. I think this physical and psychological reality highlights a spiritual reality. During the Christmas season, there are constant reminders of the coming of Christ to foster hope and joy in the face of increasing darkness. But, once the party is over, we quickly forget. We need reminders to enlighten our souls and enliven our hearts.
Those who have recognized and received the Son, those who have believed in His name, accepting the honor and privilege of being called the children of God, have a God-given responsibility to let the light of Christ shine in us.
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus hands the responsibility to light up the darkness to His followers. He says, “You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Those who have recognized and received the Son, those who have believed in His name, accepting the honor and privilege of being called the children of God, have a God-given responsibility to let the light of Christ shine in us.
The Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, is almost upon us. Christmas, the celebration of the dawning of the Light of Life, will follow shortly thereafter. What comes next is, to some degree, up to you and me. Will we let our lights shine in the darkness through acts of love and grace in obedience to our God? Or, will we hide our lights away and in doing so contribute to the darkness that surrounds us? Christmas may only come once a year, but the truth it proclaims, the coming of Jesus the Christ, should fundamentally influence the way we live and love in the world. Merry Christmas to you and yours and may the light of Christ shine brightly in and through you.
