Winter Solstice. Yesterday, December 21st, was the first official day of winter. It’s been cold and snowing for several weeks now (at least in Northern New York where I am silly enough to live). Darkness envelopes us by 4:30 pm and doesn’t let the sun come up before 7:30 am. Our days tend to be gray and gloomy.
I don’t know about you, but the whole getting dark right after lunch drains some of my ambition and makes me not want to leave my house. Fuzzy slippers and a cozy blanket are more appealing than stepping out into that cold, darkness.
One thing I do like about the earlier dusk, though, is that I have more time to enjoy the stars. I love to look at the stars. I can spend hours looking into the heavens, searching for different planets, stars, and meteors. And, yes, I’m one of those science geeks who loves to take out a telescope to get a really good look at every detail of the moon and magnify the different points in the sky for a better view. All of those specks of light are too much for me to ignore.
The closest star after our sun is Centauri, and it’s 5.88 trillion miles from earth, yet it gives off enough light to be seen in the sky. The sun, our closest star, gives off approximately equal to 22 septillions of 100 watt light bulbs.
At night, while our sun is lighting up the other side of the earth, those millions of stars that exist trillions of miles from us, shine together so brightly that they light up the ground below the sky. It’s so amazing to me the way God created the universe and the way it all points to Him and His magnificence.
Light… I think we are all drawn to light. We search for a light switch the minute we enter a dark room. When we step into any dark place, our eyes immediately search for the nearest light. When we are outside on the darkest night, a little light in the distance will seize our attention.
Isaiah 60:1-2 reads “Arise Shine for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” This passage is a metaphor for the Messiah.
John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to them, “I am the Light of the World. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
And John 1:1-5 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies. He is the light that was foretold.
Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 5:14-15 “You are the light of the world. A town build on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”
John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world…” Matthew 5 “You are the light of the world…” Jesus is the light of the world. Yet, He says we are the light of the world. Sounds like a contradiction. But, it isn’t.
Remember the verses in Isaiah 60:1-2 I quoted earlier? Reread them: “Arise Shine for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”
We are the bearers of His light. When we accept Christ as savior, His light comes upon us. Matthew 5 goes on to say in verse 16, in the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
We’ve been commissioned by Christ to let His light shine so brightly through us that the world will see it and be drawn to Him.
Jesus laid aside His majesty, cast off His regal garments and wrapped himself in the helpless flesh of humanity, so that we could be wrapped in His grace and mercy. He endured the cross, took our unrighteousness so that we could be righteous through Him. It was a decision He made before the earth was formed.
Before those stars were hung in the sky, Jesus volunteered to be the sacrifice for our sin. He knew we would fall. He knew Adam would sin and that sin would curse every generation to come. Yet, He desired us so deeply, so wanted us to have a role in this story, that Jesus gave himself up as the spotless lamb. None of what has happened since the beginning of time comes a surprise to God. It isn’t like God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit suddenly decided one day that mankind was hopeless and Christ’s sacrifice was an emergency. It wasn’t an out of a crisis decision. It was all part of God’s original plan. Revelation 13:8 tells us that He was slain from the foundation of the earth.
Before God had formed man from the dust, before He spoke the sun and moon into existence, Jesus gave His life, volunteered to come as light in the darkness so that we could have life in relationship with the Father. He came for each one of us so that we could work in partnership with Him to bring His Kingdom to this dark world
John Eckhardt says that “we as followers of Christ are the burning ones that can change the course of history.”
This Christmas, as we light up our Christmas trees, put candles in our windows, drive through Lights on the Lake, don’t forget who the true light of the world is. Remember Jesus, our savior and Lord, who came as He promised and will come again to rule and reign. Remember to shine His light so that others will be drawn to it and receive that incredible gift that only Christ can give – the gift of eternal life.
