Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
John 8:12
I have noticed an increasing number of Christmas lights during my evening walks. It appears as though each night a few more homes turn on their Christmas lights. There also seems to me to be more decorations and lights up this year than in the past. Possibly it’s the mild weather we’ve had the past couple of weeks or perhaps there is a more positive festive feeling in the air this year.
Whatever the reason for the number of Christmas lights, one thing is for sure; the neighborhood is a lot brighter. What was a walk in the dark during the past several weeks is now a bright and joyful stroll. And even though the weather has turned brisk the bright Christmas lights bring a warmth to the neighborhood.
As the boys and I were stringing our Christmas lights over the bushes I thought of the verse above. The Creator who said, “Let there be light” came into our world and said, “I am the light.” Our world can be a very dark place. But Jesus came so that we don’t have to walk in darkness anymore. What was a very dark walk through life is now filled with the light of Christ.
Jesus not only said He was the light of the world, He challenges us in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.” What a task! We represent the light of Christ to our dark world. To people who may never open a Bible or walk into a church this Christmas we may be the only reflection of Jesus they may ever see. When looking at the beautiful Christmas lights this year, remember, we are called to bring the light of Christ to our neighborhood and world.
