The Christmas Tree (part 2)

I am the light of the world (John 8:12).

When most people set up a Christmas Tree, the first thing they do is put on the lights. Even without ornaments, a lit Christmas Tree brightens the room; no matter how beautiful they are in the box, ornaments and tinsel look their best when sparkling with reflected light.

Our world started in darkness. When God began the process of creating, the first thing He made was light. People fear darkness. How many times have you woken up to a strange noise in the night, but were too afraid to get out of bed and investigate because it was dark? Severe weather is always frightening, but the terror gets much worse when storms come at night and knock out all the lights.

Talk of darkness makes us think of bad things, things that make us afraid. The Bible equates darkness with sin and evil. Scripture says, God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). If a person rejects God, he rejects the light. Jesus describes hell as a place of utter and eternal darkness, a fitting place for those who don’t want the light of Christ in their lives.

But our Lord does not want us to live in darkness. That is why Jesus was born in Bethlehem so long ago; He came to bring God’s light to us. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Jesus fills each of us with light that comes down from heaven, light that pushes back at the sin which darkens our lives. He took our darkness upon Himself; during those terrible hours when He suffered for our sins on the cross, darkness fell across the land. The light did not come back until Christ died, showing that our Lord had successfully overcome the darkness of our sins. Then Jesus rose from the dead to open heaven to us, so that when we die we can live in God’s magnificent light forever.

When you look at Christmas lights, remember what they represent. Sin has made our world dark; Christ came to bring back the light of life. That light glows within every heart that trusts in the Savior; like a string of Christmas lights, God shines through us to push back the darkness of the world with His beautiful light.