The Light of Christmas

Every year when I drive up to Ryssby Church for the Candlelight Christmas service, I get goosebumps and I am in awe of the beauty. A church that stands still for most of the year and is unnoticed for weeks has candles lighting up all of the windows. It has no electricity yet the flames brighten the inside and the outside.

Another favorite tradition of mine is setting up the tree. We go pick it out, bring it home, and put it in the stand. The real magic occurs however, when the strands of lights are draped from the branches. A regular tree becomes surprisingly picturesque because of the light.

A birth that seemed ordinary: a girl having a child on a night that didn’t seem any different was actually extraordinary because of the light God shed on Baby Jesus, our Savior. Try to picture a Nativity Scene without light – Well without it, we wouldn’t be able to see it.

All ordinary events are made extraordinary with God’s light – physically and spiritually. Think about the times you have seen God’s presence. Now think about the times you have felt it. His light shines everywhere we look, especially when we begin to seek it. A room can only be filled with light if we know where the switch is. The switch for the light is simply our Father in Heaven. By pursuing Him, we not only find the light but can be the light ourselves.

Why do you think Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year? Because we are surrounded by light or because we know that it comes from Him? When we remember the real reason for the season, the light will sparkle even more.

When Jesus was born in a manger over 2,000 years ago, people could see again. Because of the light He brought the world, the hopeless were hopeful and the doubtful grew in faith. He is the ultimate source of light so when we see the illuminations on homes or the bright sun shining on snow, be reminded of the glory that He is shining on you every minute of every day.

Without light, Ryssby is just a building. Without light, Christmas trees are just forests. Without light, Nativity scenes are unseen. And without light, I am just a girl. But with Him and His light, I am everything and can do anything. (Philippians 4:13) We aren’t called to shine our own light, but reflect His. Jesus is the light of Christmas, the joy of our hearts, and the hope of the world. Continuously search for ordinary things that He has made extraordinary especially in the season of Christmas.

"Jesus is the light." Isaiah 9:2