The Light of Christmas, part 4

We have already established, in previous blogs, that the Light of Christmas is Jesus, and  Jesus is the light of the world.  Now -- in the beginning, God said "let there be light," and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).  John the gospel writer recorded: In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men ... And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it (John 1:4-5 AMP). John also recorded in 1 John 1:5 -- This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.

Yet, there seems to be so much darkness -- darkness in people, places, things, circumstances, situations.  We have the Word which is the truth; and we have so much of life which is presented as the facts of the matter.  On which do you focus? Is it on the truth or on the facts of the matter?

Headlines -- blaring at you, up in your face -- from a recent Birmingham News edition:  Gate City Explosion ... Accused Chelsea school gunman remains in jail ... Apartment fire suspect in custody ... Victim identified in fatal fire at barber shop ... Homeless man dies from hypothermia ... 2 charged in holdup of CVS pharmacy ... Man dies after crashing into utility pole ... Girl Scout slain in cellphone theft missed by loved ones ... . 

Has darkness taken over?  So what really is the truth?  God is light.  Jesus is the light of the world.  You are the light of the world.  Therefore, you must declare more loudly, speak more boldly, state more clearly, walk more uprightly, let your light shine more brightly.  Why? Because Jesus commanded you to "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

The Light of Christmas, part 3

Jesus says "You are the light of the world ... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (see Matthew 5:14, 16).  During this Christmas season, be encouraged to think before you speak and act, so that both your words and deeds are light filled.  Consider -- When you are greeted with Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings, graciously respond with Merry Christmas. Kindly let it be known that Jesus is the reason for the season, that is it His birthday that you celebrate.  Never choose xmas over Christmas.  Do not let Santa Claus rule and reign over this season.  Do not be overwhelmed and overcome by gift giving, especially when you cannot afford the gifts.  Teach your children the reason for this season, the true meaning of Christmas.  Pray for an increased spirit of creativity.  How can your giving and that of your household most glorify God?  What can you and your family do for others, give to others, share with others, especially those who are less fortunate and have special needs?  How can you better live the rule that is golden?  That is, do unto others as you would have them do to you. 

Stay mindful to the words of an old hymn, This Little Light of Mine, which are quite simply ... this little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.  Everywhere I go, I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. All in my house, I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.  Out in the dark, I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. 

As Jesus says "You are the light of the world ... let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (see Matthew 5:14, 16).

The Light of Christmas, part 2

The Light of Christmas is Christ, Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, the Light of the World. It is amazing to see how God's plan unfolded for His Son to come into the world. Where and when did God's plan get started? Consider a part of Scripture that you may tend to overlook. For many students of the Word, it is the genealogies, often viewed as the listing of difficult to pronounce names, and names of unknown persons. Consider the genealogy of Jesus as recorded by Matthew (see Matthew 1:1-17). Matthew, writing to the Jews to convince them that Jesus was the King of the Jews and the promised Messiah, included the names of five women, four of them Old Testament women.  This is not the customary order of things, and quite unlike the genealogy according to Luke (see Luke 3:21-38).

 

Among these five women, we can understand the inclusion of Mary, the mother of Jesus, given the miraculous circumstances surrounding His birth. However, to include Tamar, the widow of one of Judah's sons who, while acting as a prostitute, got pregnant by her father-in-law who threatened to have her burned to death upon first learning of her pregnancy ... Rahab, the Gentile prostitute, who hid the spies ... Ruth, the Gentile from Moab ... and to note that David was the father of Solomon whose mother had been Bathsheba, Uriah's wife all made for interesting, unlikely, and unusual inclusions.

 

Why? For what purpose? To what end? Could Matthew have included these women to emphasize that God's choices in dealing with people are all of His grace? Could they have been examples of sinners Jesus came to save? Or could they have been representative Gentiles to whom the Christian mission would be extended? All of this is a reminder that God's thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways. I would encourage you to pay special attention to your thoughts and ways. Allow the Light of Christmas to shine brightly on them.

The Light of Christmas

A recent trip over the Thanksgiving holiday to Gatlinburg was a beautiful display of what we call Christmas lights. It seemed that every display was designed to be grander, more elaborate, more beautiful than any of the other displays.  I looked with eager anticipation to see what the next display would be, what colors would be used.  The color blue was used more than I've ever noticed before.  Beautiful lights, bright lights, colorful lights, the lights of Christmas -- I began to think, are they really the lights of Christmas?  Is this what Christmas is all about? Is this the spirit of Christmas?  Is this the message to the world?  What is this message to unbelievers, to the unsaved, the lost, the weak, the weary, the poor, the lonely, the sick, the children?

As I continued to ponder these questions, it seemed that a good study would be on "the lights of Christmas."  Study began.  Important lesson quickly learned.  The biblical study would not be on "the lights of Christmas" but on "the Light of Christmas." Please look closely and see the difference between "the lights of Christmas" and "the Light of Christmas."

What and where is the most logical starting place for the study? Christmas, the who, what, why, when, where, how of Christmas were the questions to be firstly answered.  Its all so obvious that the name Christ makes up most of the word Christmas. When did the holiday get started? Possibly as early as the third century with dates and specific practices defined over the next two centuries. Throughout the Roman Empire, many festivals were celebrated.  In Rome, the Feast of the Unconquerable Sun celebrated the beginning of the return of the sun. When Christianity became the religion of the Empire, the church either had to suppress the festivals or transform them. The winter solstice seemed an appropriate time to celebrate Christ’s birth. Thus, the festival of the sun became a festival of the Son, the Light of the world (see Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary).

Christmas is the celebration of Christ's birthday, a festival of the Son who is the Light of the World, and the Light of Christmas.