Light is a fundamental necessity. Plants and other organisms need light to create their own food, which forms the base of most food chains. Human beings need light energy to regulate human circadian rhythms, mood, and health. It is often said that there are five basic needs for living things: sunlight, water, air, habitat and food and when one considers how dependent some of these areas are on light, one gets a picture of how important it is to our very existence.
But just as much as we need the light from the sun, the Bible speaks of our need for another type of light and this is brought into sharp focus as people flock in their numbers to carol and Christmas services. For what purpose one might ask, to get into the Christmas spirit, to enjoy mince pies and mulled wine, to sing well-known carols but also to enjoy the ambience that is created by the lighting of candles as we are doing so today.
At our recent Carol Service, the church lights were switched off and the candle chandeliers lit, thereby building upon the message behind the candles we light in this Advent Season. For those who are unfamiliar with this church tradition, an advent wreath with five candles takes centre stage in Sunday Worship. Each week a candle is lit, the first four candles representing the Christian concepts of hope, peace, joy and love, the latter of which is further emphasised in the wreath being circular, representing God’s infinite love.
You can see where all this is heading. The fifth candle is lit on Christmas Day representing the light of God coming into the world through the birth of Jesus Christ. And so, we come to the heart of the Christmas story; an invitation to receive the light of Christ in one’s life which is God’s love.
Now, for many years, I held the view that I could remain somewhat passive about this invitation. I mean what’s the need for this light and what possible difference could it make to my life where I seem to be coping just fine? And with that mindset, Christmas had to be on my terms: Christmas presents, social gatherings, cheesy romantic movies where the guy and girl always get it together, and not to forget the indulgence of roast turkey with all the trimmings topped off with an array of puddings; to all this a resounding yes!
But all this talk of God, absolutely not! But then, how interesting it is that when life throws a curve ball at you; when that business you once owned that was worth millions no longer does, and your two-year-old son, yes that son that you are besotted with, is left fighting for his life in an ICU Ward, then you turn to God! That was my story.
Oh, when you come a cropper and have nowhere else to go, then all that bravado and arrogance you once held so tightly onto runs off you like water off a fish. That air of invincibility is no more as you realise your vulnerabilities, and that your greatest need is to be loved.
Oh, how much we need to know that we are loved in those moments of fear and deepest anguish; to know that we are not alone, and therefore, not without hope.
This is the offer of Christmas, to know the depth of God’s love for you, to know that this child celebrated at Christmas will one day take the journey to the cross. For what purpose one might ask? Well, here the fifth candle in the Advent Wreath provides the answer. Among other things, it represents the purity of Christ which brings to mind a verse of Scripture that says it all:
God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
And so, the sinless Christ came for a purpose, that is to nail upon the cross our sin, our wrongdoing, our flaws, our selfish self-centred attitudes. Our debt paid for that we might be reconciled to a Holy God through faith in Jesus.
And if indeed it is the case that Christ has provided access to God in this way, then how much more is He needed in our world today, a world not too dissimilar to the one described by Isaiah:
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
When I consider the status of our world: conflicts between nations, protectionist politics, injustice in almost every sector of society, the poor getting poorer and the rich richer; it doesn’t take much to realise that darkness characterises our world. Our world is not as it should be, and if indeed by now the world has failed to provide the answers to its own problems, then surely our only hope is a solution coming from outside:
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
And this is where it gets personal. This light is for you. As Isaiah goes on to say:
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
To us. To you. To me, a child is born. A gift from God to us, which is none other than God Himself.
But like all gifts, they must be received. This God who can breathe light into our lives, this God who longs to embrace us in His arms and tell us that we are loved, if only we might receive Him in our hearts.
You see, it all hinges on faith. Faith that the ‘baby wrappd in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger’ was none other than Christ the Lord, the Savior King. And let’s be honest, faith is not easy. After all, the Christmas story calls us to take huge strides in belief.
An angel appearing to Mary, a virgin conceiving through the Holy Spirit, and even more angels turning up, this time singing ‘Glory to God in the highest…’.
I get it, faith is not easy and yet many have seen their lives turned around when they have uttered those famous words, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’
Even with the doubts that often consume us, we are invited to come; faith as small as a mustard seed is all that we need.
By God’s grace my son survived his hospitalisation in 2008. The doctor had presented us with a grim outlook but our kid defied the odds and with it came a pertinent question. This Christmas story that I had kept at a distance required a response. Passivity just wouldn’t do. Glad I chose to believe for in that moment it all changed, the love of God flowing into me, light pouring into the darkness of my soul. And then I realised the cost. It came as a whisper, ‘Your son I saved, but my Son went to the cross that you might have life in Him.’
As the Bible says:
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[a] it.’
And so, as you enjoy the festivities of this Christmas period be it Christmas get-togethers, sharing presents, or indulging in Christmas treats, I would encourage you to take a moment to look at the lights that surround you.
The ones which adorn our streets and Christmas trees. The candles that are lit in churches and our homes. And as you do so, to remind yourself that if indeed Christ is ‘the light of all mankind’, then He is waiting just outside the door of your heart. You see, all it takes is a simple gesture on our part. Just two words will suffice, ‘Come in’ and I promise you He will. As Jesus Himself said.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.