What is light? The technical definition is; “A photon is an energy particle that has no mass and moves at high speed. … In a manner of speaking, photons and electromagnetic waves are synonyms, and in everyday terms, they are simply referred to as “light.” In fact, a photon can be thought of as a “particle of light” and an electromagnetic wave as a “lightwave.” Now if I were to ask you what is light, you probably would not give me that definition, unless you were a science fanatic. You would say it is the absence of darkness, or it is the sun, the moon, or the stars. After all, Genesis tells us that God made them to give the day and the night light. However, this is not the Light of Christmas. The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the Light of the world. He is the Light of Christmas.
John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
What does Light do? It exposes whatever is in the dark. Before Jesus came as a baby the world was in darkness. He made a way to rescue us from that darkness.
Colossians 1:13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”
Before Christ, there was no permanent relief for their sins. Year after year, God’s people would go to the temple to sacrifice animals. This would symbolize a covering for them until the next year. They had no indwelling of the Holy Spirit, therefore, it was necessary to go through the sacred rituals that God had instituted when Adam and Eve chose to sin. As time went on other feast days and rituals were added. A provision was made so even the poorest had a means of forgiveness.
Now, things would change drastically. The Christ-child brought light to a dark world.
The Light would expose all things done in the darkness. We know from scripture that men love darkness because their deeds are evil. Many still seek to stay as far away from the Light as possible because they love their evil ways, and they don’t want to be exposed. Some are in the Light but stay on the outer edge of the illuminated area so that they don’t have to clean up what the Light exposes. We are to have nothing to do with darkness.
Ephesians 5:11 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
A Christian should want to be as close to the Light as possible. It can be painful at times because the closer you get to the Light the more things are visible, but if you want to be right with God you need to see yourself the way he does. There is no opportunity for sins to be hidden in the brightest Light.
Jesus told us that as long as he is in this world He is the light, but we are to be the light after he has gone back to the Father.
John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jesus left us here to represent him, to be his light. We are to be like a lighthouse that shows the way to safety. We are to draw men to him by the way we let our light shine. God is also to be glorified by the way we let our light shine.
Matthew 5:14 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
So, how has this Light affected you? Are you challenged to let yours shine brighter? Are you satisfied to stay in the shadows or do you want to be in the brightest area of illumination? This Christmas take an evaluation of your life. Are you shining brightly, is your light dimming, or is it almost out? What would others say about your walk with the Light? This is a time to reflect on all that the Light has done for us, by coming and rescuing us from a world of darkness. The Light of Christmas, Jesus, wants you to reflect Him. Where and how can you let His light shine today?
