The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. – John 1:9
In the past years, I have taken a few days off just before Thanksgiving. I spend some of that time decorating the outside of the house and putting up our Christmas lights. I love to hang the lights on the house, wrap them around our trees and set out the lighted candy canes. Somehow, in the middle of winter with brown grass and leafless trees, our house seems more alive than any other time of the year. This year, we started decorating for the Advent season a bit earlier than normal.
In the Gospel of John, he often refers to Jesus as “the True Light.” John recognized that the arrival of Jesus in Bethlehem ushered in the Light of heaven. No longer would the world be separated from God’s presence. In Jesus, the world would now see what true love looks like. Light was coming to pierce the darkness of sin, selfishness, and hopelessness. In Christ, we experience a closeness to God, because God is no longer only connected to us through acts in the temple located in Jerusalem. Now God has come to all, in all the places of the world. No longer was God restricted by geography, national origins, or religious locations. In Christ, the world was now illuminated by the True Light.
We light our Christmas trees, our wreaths, our houses, yards, and even our candles in the Sanctuary on Christmas Eve, not simply because it is pretty, but because it reminds us of the hope of God arriving in Christ. Through the birth of Jesus, light begins to shine in the dark and hope finds a place in our lives.
This year, more than so many years in the past, I believe our world needs to experience the True Light that comes in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Hope is greater than any obstacle we have experienced in 2020. Light breaks through the darkness of our despair and brings hope. This Advent season, I encourage you to take time to plug in as many lights as possible. Find a place in your house for Advent candles. We have been given the gift of the Light of heaven. Let us light our candles, plug in our trees, and tell our neighbors and the world about the great gift of love and Light we have in the birth of Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
