Enjoy the Lights

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“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” – John 1:14

Christmas lights have always captured my childhood wonderment.  I drive home in the evenings and see the beauty of the lights on the rooftops and front lawns of homes and it brings a sense of warmth and joy.  There’s something about the colorful expression of individuals that invokes Christmas’ from my childhood.  I used to lie on the floor in my parent’s living room, staring at the lights on the Christmas tree, intentionally blurring my vision by looking cross-eyed and watching as the lights would seem to multiply.  Blinking colors of red, blue, green, amber and white with Bing Crosby Christmas album playing on the record player in the background and I would be lost in the magic of Christmas for the night.

Lights are nothing without the electricity that flows through them.  When the Christmas lights are unplugged at night they go back to the state of being dark because the essential element that heats the filament is missing.  The light bulb is simply a container of argon and nitrogen gas with a tungsten filament.  When the light switch is turned on, electricity flows through the filament and creates heat which is expressed through the illumination of the gases causing light to then fill the bulb.  This light then allows for the human eye to see in the darkness.

We read in John 1:1, the Word was God;  so in John 1:14 above, we discover that God became human through Jesus Christ, born to live amongst us and enable us to see the Father .  He filled the human form with His very essence so that His righteousness would shine to all that looked upon this man.  Jesus was 100% human, in that his physical form and needs were that of a man.  He required food, water and rest.  He communicated through the spoken word and showed emotions of love, anger, joy, compassion, fear and pain.   Yet, at the same time, God the Father dwelt in him during his 33 years on this earth in the physical form of man. 

We know that the slightest crack or broken filament in a light bulb will cause it to no longer illuminate the presence of electricity.  The slightest imperfection in Jesus life as a man would have brought an end to his ability to glorify God’s perfection.  We see him in the garden on the night he was betrayed, crying out to His Father to take this cup.  The enormity of the world’s sins bearing down upon his shoulders and the fragile human form felt the pressure.  Because God had become man within this form though, Jesus Christ was able to fulfill his purpose through his death and resurrection. 

The perfection of God is immutable.  Just as electricity fills light bulb, God’s perfection filled Jesus Christ and in doing so created the Light of the World, so that all mankind could see God’s presence.  As you observe the Christmas lights this season, take in the warmth, the glow and the beauty; but realize that they will go out in a month.  Look for the Light of the World in Jesus Christ and never be without light again.

Heavenly Father,
You have demonstrated to the world your love for mankind through the birth of the Christ child.  Each year we celebrate His birth in an attempt to draw closer to Him and thereby draw closer to You.  The gift You have provided to each of us on that original Christ-mas was the gift of salvation and eternity with You in heaven.  By giving of Your Son to take on the sins of the world, You have provided the sacrifice for our redemption, something we cannot do on our own.  Thank You for Your plan of salvation, Your grace, Your mercy and Your love; might we find a way to live within the fullness of all that You have given.   – Amen.
             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2010
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