Monday, December 17, 2007

Light of the World

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood. (John 1:3-5)

Last week at this time, we were running around looking for generators, chain saws, groceries, and gasoline because our area had been hit by an ice storm. We were without electricity for four days; there are some STILL without power a week later. Yards are littered with broken limbs of trees that could not hold the weight of the ice. Two weeks before Christmas, our lives were disrupted by cold and darkness as people scrambled to find someway to heat and light their homes.

Darkness is an interesting thing, especially in town. All of a sudden, we were able to see STARS in the night sky. The moon seemed to be more in focus and clearer. The air felt more "crisp" and there was an eerie quiet in the surrounding neighborhoods. There was a sort of "peace" within the darkness, and yet, we struggled to avoid it. We wanted LIGHT! We found lots of ways to "create" it. Flashlights, candles, oil lamps, gas logs, wood fireplaces, lamps plugged into generators...but there never seemed to be enough light to overcome the darkness.

Our world is a lot like that--we don't like the darkness of life, so we look for all kinds of ways to bring light, i.e. joy, peace, happiness, into our lives...but none of that really satisfies. In a lost and dying world, there is only ONE True Light that can illuminate our lives...Jesus Christ, the One whose birth we celebrate this December 25th. Sadly, many will miss "the Light." They will look for light/happiness everywhere but where it can be found.

Jesus came to earth as a baby, to become the Lamb that would be slain for the sins of men. He came to be "The Light."

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by "MrsMama". View her Flickr site here.

5 comments:

Baxter said...

Praise God that Jesus is the "Light of the World". We don't like darkness. Remember, it was one of the 10 plagues, Ex 10:21 ¶ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt." How horrible is darkness. I went to Squire Boon Caverns and while down at the lowest part of the cavern they turned off the light. It was horrible! You couldn't see a hint of light. John 8:12 ¶ Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

MrsMama said...

I enjoyed reading your insights.

Keith said...

Baxter: Amen and amen!
MrsMama: "Insights" may be a strong word. Thanks again for the pic.

Rick Frueh said...

Before I became a believer I investigated almost all possibilities where I might find light. There is no light except in Christ.

Praise to the God Child!
(merry christmas)

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