The Meaning of Christmas
I don’t know if you feel the same way, but for me, there is something special about Christmas lights. There is something about a house all lit up in coloured lights that makes me want to stop and have a look. Light shining in the darkness is compellingly attractive and that idea can help us understand the birth of Jesus. John 1:5 said, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” He was talking about Jesus and the way that the birth of Jesus compels us to stop and take a look.
And if we stop and look, what happens? The light then reveals something that we wouldn’t otherwise see. Try to imagine the difference between the light of a single candle and the light of a 20,000 lumen LED spotlight. Most of us, I’m sure, have some kind of understanding of who God is. We have enough light in our lives to get a sense of him. It might come from what we’ve heard other people say about Jesus, or something we read in a book, or learned in a scripture class at school, or heard in a sermon in Church, or we’ve just worked it out from looking at the world around us. But it’s like the light of a single candle, not nearly bright enough for us to get the full crisp, clear, detail of God. We see something of the truth, but so much more remains hidden in shadows. The coming of Jesus was like God flicking the switch that kicked in the LED spotlight. The bible says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son…” (John 1:14).
All of a sudden, we can see God. That’s what the word “glory” means. It means the real, physical presence of God. For the very first time since the creation of the world we can see who God is and what he’s like, the one who created us and everything in this universe around us. And why do we need that? Not just to satisfy our curiosity. But because the bible also equates light with life. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). It’s only in the light of Jesus that we can have life in all its rich abundance.
Christmas is, quite simply, God’s invitation for us to stop and take a look at his Son, Jesus. And when we stop and look deeply, we discover that Jesus alone enables us to see and hear God clearly. He alone brings light and life into the world and our lives.
Neil Percival
And if we stop and look, what happens? The light then reveals something that we wouldn’t otherwise see. Try to imagine the difference between the light of a single candle and the light of a 20,000 lumen LED spotlight. Most of us, I’m sure, have some kind of understanding of who God is. We have enough light in our lives to get a sense of him. It might come from what we’ve heard other people say about Jesus, or something we read in a book, or learned in a scripture class at school, or heard in a sermon in Church, or we’ve just worked it out from looking at the world around us. But it’s like the light of a single candle, not nearly bright enough for us to get the full crisp, clear, detail of God. We see something of the truth, but so much more remains hidden in shadows. The coming of Jesus was like God flicking the switch that kicked in the LED spotlight. The bible says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son…” (John 1:14).
All of a sudden, we can see God. That’s what the word “glory” means. It means the real, physical presence of God. For the very first time since the creation of the world we can see who God is and what he’s like, the one who created us and everything in this universe around us. And why do we need that? Not just to satisfy our curiosity. But because the bible also equates light with life. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). It’s only in the light of Jesus that we can have life in all its rich abundance.
Christmas is, quite simply, God’s invitation for us to stop and take a look at his Son, Jesus. And when we stop and look deeply, we discover that Jesus alone enables us to see and hear God clearly. He alone brings light and life into the world and our lives.
Neil Percival