One of the first indications of the Christmas season is the appearance of lights.
John 1:1-9: John brings the true Light of Christmas into focus as he reveals 2 preliminary facts that we must know to understand the importance of the next 3 gifts of Christmas we will uncover today:
- The world is a dark place.
- We will never find our way or see reality unless Jesus is our Light.
Isaiah 9;1-7. The message of Christmas is not that “we will be able to put together a world of unity and peace.” Actually, it is the exact opposite. Isaiah 8:19-22. Isaiah reveals here that the people knew they were in darkness, but they thought they could overcome it themselves. That is the message of Christmas the world today offers when they speak of peace on earth. The true Christmas message is that “on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2).
When Isaiah speaks of God’s light “dawning” on a dark land, he is using the sun as a symbol for understanding. It is in this we find the next 3 gifts of Christmas:
Gift #4: LIFE. The sun gives us life and so the Son of God gives life. John speaks of Jesus, the Word (Logos in Greek) as being instrumental in creation and the sustaining of all life. He even refers to Jesus as the life that is the light of all mankind. Just as the sun is the source of life on earth, Jesus is the source of true life. Paul told the people in Athens that only in God do we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Gift #5: TRUTH. Light reveals the truth of things, how they really are. 1 John 1:5-6. John in his letter (1 John) notes that God is both light and the source of truth.
Gift #6: BEAUTY. Light reveals the beauty around us. Light is dazzling and gives joy. In places where there is only a few hours of daylight at certain times of year, many suffer from depression. It is light that brings hope, joy and reveals beauty. We need light for joy. Isaiah 53.
How can this divine “Light” dawn on us? Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us that the light has come “for to us a child is born.” Jesus is the divine Light of the world, because He brings a new life to replace our spiritual deadness, because He shows us the truth that heals our spiritual blindness, and because He is the beauty that breaks our addictions.
TRUTH: Jesus is the Light for us when all other lights go out.
How can this Light become ours? Isaiah says “to us a son is given.” Jesus is a gift that can only be received as a gift of grace. Christmas is about receiving presents but consider how challenging it is to receive certain kinds of gifts. Christmas means that we are so lost, so unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than the death of the Son of God Himself could save us. To accept the true Christmas gift, you have to swallow your pride and admit you’re a sinner in need of a Savior. You need the gift of God’s grace for salvation.