Tuesday, December 29, 2020
The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and
for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has
dawned. Matthew 4:16
A Great Light
Oddly enough, that first Christmas had something in common with
Christmas 2020. What did they have in common? A mood. A mood of desperation,
despair, resignation, and darkness.
At that time, God’s people were feeling very defeated. There was persecution and taxation. There was
disillusionment and probably a lot of doubt that the promised Messiah was never
going to come.
This year I dare say that a lot of people were feeling a little drab,
despaired, and disillusioned.
Maybe you couldn’t get together with family for Christmas. Maybe you
spent Christmas all alone. Maybe you are sick or have sick loved ones. Maybe
you didn’t have the money to spend on Christmas that you would have like to
have spent. Maybe you are staring at December 31st wondering what
2021 will hold, afraid to believe it will be better.
Whatever it is that has disillusioned
Christmas for you this year I have good news! There is a great light that has come,
and it has overcome the darkness, as it always will. We cannot deny that darkness
exists. It would be nice to think that bad things are not real, but the God
tells us they are real and that we don’t battle the things of this world we can
see. Our battle is with the powers and principalities, the forces of darkness. His light is the great light that can defeat
all powers of darkness forever.
Darkness is real. But because of the Light of the World, that was born on Christmas Day, we never have to fear this darkness. The light is stronger than the darkness and the light came for you! There is hope. Life is worth living.
What now? What do we do now with the light of the world - the great light that has come? How can we take this great light to a dark and
discouraged world?
- Shine on to others –
This is a reflected light. When the light shines on you, you reflect it to
others. This is the light of Christ. We reflect whatever we stand before.
Whatever we surround ourselves with or submerge ourselves in, we will
reflect. When we submerge our lives in Him we can reflect that light to
others.
- Reveals Truth –
Light displays whatever is present, reveals the truth. This is a careful
and gentle process, not to be judgmental. He reveals the truth through His love and compassion for us - to lead us in the right way.
- Glorifies God – When we have this great light inside us, our actions and attitudes will point to God and bring Him glory. We are to be a beacon to the world of darkness, never to steal the glory from God.
We want to live our lives in a way that draws others to it. When the light shines, people are drawn to it. Does your life make a difference? What kind of difference do you make? Jesus is clear that we are to make a difference.
The good news of Christmas is that in the midst of a
deep darkness there came a light, and the darkness was not able to overcome
that light. It was not just a temporary flicker. It was an eternal flame. There
are times, in the events of the world and in the events of our own personal
lives, that we feel that the light will be snuffed out. But the Christmas story
affirms that whatever happens, the light still shines, forever. This is the
story we need to get out to the world.
Yet, in thy dark street shineth the
everlasting light…The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight…O
Little Town of Bethlehem by Phillips Brooks
