What do you do when you walk into a dark room? You reach for the light switch, right? For many of us, it’s probably hard to imagine living without that little thing called “the lightbulb” – that little glass bulb that instantly dispels the darkness and brings light. Can you imagine experiencing that for the first time? What a memorable and life-changing experience that would be! In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s Fair. And one of the most memorable events of that World’s Fair, was on May 1st when nearly 100,000 incandescent lights instantly flooded the nighttime sky and illuminated once dark roads and rooms. For many people, this was their fist experience with this novelty called the lightbulb. That little thing – the lightbulb – has quite drastically changed the world in which we live and how we see the world in which we live.
One little baby – born 2000 years ago, in an overcrowded town in the Middle Eastern city of Bethlehem – one little baby changes everything. Now maybe you think that I’m exaggerating a bit. But I don’t think you can possibly exaggerate just how dramatically Jesus changes things. How can one child, born so many years ago make such an impact us today? Maybe we should back up a bit. In fact, let’s go back to the beginning.
“Let there be light.” God spoke, and time began. The infinite darkness was instantly shattered by light. God spoke and the universe and everything in it came into existence including the first two people who God had carefully, personally crafted with his own hands. These two people were to be the crown of his creation. They were meant to live forever in the perfect world that he had created for them. They were to reflect the glory of their Creator as they daily lived to honor and serve him.
But that perfect world and that perfect relationship with God was soon shattered by the darkness of sin. Adam and Eve selfishly thought that they knew better than God. They disobeyed God, and just as suddenly as light had shattered darkness, now the darkness of sin shattered God’s perfect creation. A relationship without fear, a world without pain, a life without death – was instantly gone! The darkness of sin hangs over all of human history and every human heart. We see it in the senseless acts of violence and the disregard for human life. We hear it in the hateful words and condescending comments. We see it in ourselves – selfishness that doubts God’s goodness when it comes to sexuality, humility and forgiveness. We are quick to grab more than we need, and slow to be generous with those in need. The darkness is deep, and it is deadly. It is a darkness that leave us lost, searching for some way to escape, to fix things, to get rid of guilt, find peace, and fix this broken world. So we find people that are trying to solve the problem. But let’s face – anything that sinful people come up with is probably not a real good solution. That’s kind of like the dying man to ask the blind man to drive him to the hospital. Not a real good idea. We need someone outside of this darkness, someone outside of this to step in.
“Let there be light.” Same God, but different occasion. This time I’m not talking about the creation of physical light. Here I’m talking about the light of rescue that God promised to provide. Like the bright glow of the spotlight that comes from the coastguard ship announcing rescue to those drifting in the open sea, God was providing a saving light for a world lost in the darkness of sin and without any hope of rescue on its own. This was what God first promised to those first sinners, Adam and Eve, a promise that burned brightly throughout the centuries, until at the perfect time and place, 2000 years ago, in Bethlehem God announced, “Let there be light!” and the promised Light of salvation, Jesus, entered the darkness of this world.
It is no wonder that the angels could not contain themselves on the night of Jesus’ birth, but shouted, “Glory to God in the highest heaven!” (Luke 2:14) because there, in that manger, in that one little child – God’s glory was being revealed. Now you might wonder, how can all of God’s glory be found in a newborn. But that’s the amazing part. This newborn is none other than the one who created light at the beginning of time. This baby is none other than God himself. I know it’s hard to fathom, but if God declares it to be true, who are we to say, “God, I think you might be mistaken.” The Bible declares, “For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). And thank God that this baby is God, because that means that this baby is able to do what none of us could do. He is able to rescue us from the darkness of this sinful world. And that’s exactly what this baby did!
About 30 years after Jesus was born, Jesus made it clear what his purpose was for coming into this world when he said, “The Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). From the moment of his conception till the day of his death, Jesus was searching and saving those lost in the darkness. Each day, Jesus went to battle the darkness for us. He was tempted by the devil and this sinful world, but never stumbled and fell into sin. Jesus perfectly lived to the glory of his heavenly Father for us who have so failed to do so in our words, thoughts and actions. Jesus’ love for the lost drove him to the cross where he took the punishment of hell, eternal separation from God, for the sins of all the world. And then on Easter morning, Jesus rose from the dead to declare that a drastic change had occurred. For those who trust in him, Jesus gives his perfect life and the payment of sins which he made at the cross. Death is now God’s way of plucking people out of the darkness of this world to live with him in the glory of heaven. All of this because of that one little baby, born 2000 years ago in Bethlehem.
You see, that is the glory of our God. This baby is what makes our God glorious. Sure, you can see God’s glory in what he has created – that massiveness of the universe, and the complexities of the human body. But all of those things pale in comparison to what Christ Jesus has gained FOR us and what God the Holy Spirit has given TO us through faith. That’s the life-changing light that you hear described in these words, “God… made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2Corinthians 4:6). Darkness naturally brings with it fear and frustration because of the uncertainty is causes. That’s why nightlights are so popular. We like to be able to see what is there. By nature we live in a spiritual darkness, uncertain of what our status is before God, hoping that everything will work out, but never really knowing for sure. But when the Holy Spirit shows us Jesus through faith, the light clicks on. This is not some dinky nightlight. This is a light-up-the-room, let-me-show-you-everything, light. Suddenly there is confidence and certainty because you know where you stand and where you are going. Jesus is standing there with you. He has given you his perfect life. He has paid for every one of your sins. You are right with God and now worthy of the glory of heaven’s home.
That Light of Christ changes the way that you look at your life – your purpose and the problems that you face. The Light Christ helps you to see people, relationships and all you have in a different light. You see them as gifts entrusted to you, opportunities to glorify God through your use of them. You see problems of life for what they are – the results of living in a sinfully broken world – sometimes brought upon ourselves and other times thrust upon us by others. We do not deny those problems. They are real and sometimes very painful – but we also know that they are not forever. Instead, God promises to give us the strength to endure them, to use them for our blessing, and to one day permanently rescue us from them. Yes, one little baby changes everything.
Have you ever tried buying Christmas lights in July? They’re kind of hard to find. If you walk up to the customer service counter and ask where the Christmas lights are, you might get some strange looks and the answer, “Sir, that’s a seasonal item. We don’t carry those all year. You’re going to have to wait until September when we put out our Christmas items.” I think that might be one of the temptations when it comes to Jesus, the Light of salvation – we make him a seasonal item in our lives. “When I have more time… when the kids are older…when I retire…when I have problems…when my life settles down…” Jesus is not meant to be a seasonal Light in our life. Jesus wants to be a permanent fixture in your life, in your family, in your marriage, in your relationships. And that can only take place through regular exposure to that glorious Light of Christ Jesus which beams brightly and powerfully through his Word. We need that Light of Christ to navigate us through this world, to redirect us to the cross when we have fallen off course, to refresh us with his forgiveness, and strengthen us with his love.
One little baby – a Light that changes everything for those living in this dark world. A Light that by God’s grace has changed us. May that Light of Christmas continue to shine in your hearts at every season of life as you reflect the glorious love of Christ Jesus. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises on you!” (Isaiah 60:1).
