INTRODUCTION: CHRISTMAS, LIGHT, AND HONEST QUESTIONS
Church, tonight we gather on Christmas Eve—a night filled with light and meaning. Wherever we go during this season, we see lights everywhere. Homes are decorated, streets are glowing, and Christmas trees are shining. We light candles and sing songs about a holy night that was brightly shining. Light feels inseparable from Christmas.
But Christmas invites us to ask a more profound question. It's not just about what shines around us, but also about what shines within us.
The Gospel of John begins Christmas not with shepherds or angels, but with light and darkness. John 1 presents Jesus as the Light of men, illuminating spiritual truth and guidance. The darkness in the passage symbolizes challenges and evil that cannot overcome the Light. Darkness represents sin, ignorance, and separation from God, highlighting spiritual challenges and moral struggles.
Spiritual Significance
The Light represents hope, guidance, and divine presence in human life according to Christian belief.
Therefore, the question is, who is THE LIGHT?
And in John 1:8, we read these striking words: “He himself was not the light, but he came to testify about it.”
This verse speaks about John the Baptist, but it is also written for us. It gently confronts a reality many of us face today: it is possible to live near the light, talk about the light, and even admire the light—without truly living in it.
Tonight, Christmas Eve is not about more decoration, more celebration, or more noise. It is about one honest question before God:
Am I living in the true Light—or only close enough to feel its glow?
JOHN THE BAPTIST: NEAR THE LIGHT, YET HUMBLE BEFORE IT
John the Baptist was a remarkable man. He was bold, prophetic, and fearless. Crowds gathered to hear him. Leaders feared him. Even Jesus said there was no one greater born among women than John.
And yet, Scripture is cautious to say one thing clearly: John was not the light.
Why would the Bible emphasize this?
1. Human hearts often confuse reflection with reality. We often mistake religious activity for transformation. We assume that being close to spiritual things automatically makes us spiritually alive. John understood something crucial:
2. His role was not to replace the light but to point toward it.
This is a word for us today. You can grow up in church, serve faithfully, know Christian language, celebrate Christmas every year—and keep your heart guarded from the light of Christ.
Standing near a fireplace does not warm you unless you step close enough for the heat to touch you. In the same way, proximity to holy things does not automatically change us. Only surrender to the Light does.
Christmas reminds us that salvation is not achieved by effort. It is received by encounter.
A BRIGHT WORLD THAT STILL LIVES IN DARKNESS.
We live in one of the brightest generations in history. Screens glow day and night. Knowledge is instant. Voices are amplified. Platforms promise visibility.
And yet beneath the brightness, many lives are heavy. Anxiety is common. Identity feels fragile. Loneliness is widespread. People look confident but feel empty. Despite their success, they remain restless.
This is what darkness looks like today—not always obvious sin, but quiet disconnection from truth.
Jesus said people love darkness, not because they are evil, but because it feels safer. Darkness allows us to hide. Light reveals. Light exposes. Light tells the truth about who we are and who we are not.
That is why some prefer a comfortable glow rather than true illumination. Christmas gently but firmly asks us: do we want comfort, or do we want truth?
THE FALSE LIGHTS WE TRUST—AND WHY THEY FAIL
John continues by saying, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (v9)
That word "true" matters, because there are many lights that look convincing. Success promises fulfillment. Money promises security. Approval promises worth. Even beneficial things—like ministry or service—can become substitute lights.
But false lights always demand maintenance. They require constant effort to stay shining.
Think about Christmas lights. They are beautiful, but they depend entirely on electricity. When the power goes out, the light disappears.
Jesus is not like that. His light does not depend on circumstances. He shines in joy and sorrow, in abundance and lack, and in certainty and doubt.
That is why He entered the world not in a palace, but in a manger. He entered the world not surrounded by power, but wrapped in vulnerability. His light does not impress—it transforms.
FOR THOSE WHO CAN NO LONGER SEE THE LIGHT
Some of you here tonight are genuinely showing strength. You are worn out. You are discouraged. You are carrying grief, disappointment, or silent questions about how to pray.
John 1:5 speaks directly to you: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Notice the promise. The verse does not say darkness disappears instantly. It says darkness does not win.
A single candle can change the atmosphere of a dark room. Darkness does not resist—it simply retreats.
Christmas Eve reminds us of this truth: Jesus did not wait for the world to become better. He entered it as it was. If you cannot see the light tonight, know this—the Light sees you.
JESUS: THE LIGHT THAT NEVER DIMS
At the center of Christmas is not a concept, not a tradition, not even a feeling—it is a Person.
Jesus does not merely bring light. He is the Light. John does not say that Jesus carries, reflects, or teaches about light. He says that in Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind (v4). This means the light of Christ is not external to Him. It is intrinsic to who He is.
Circumstances can affect every other light we know. Disappointment, suffering, or loss can dim or extinguish it. But Jesus is different. His light does not flicker with human weakness. It does not fade with time. It does not depend on human response.
Think about this: Jesus was born into poverty, yet His light did not dim. He was misunderstood, rejected, betrayed, and crucified—yet His light did not dim. Even in the tomb, wrapped in death and silence, His light was not extinguished. On the third day, the Light rose again.
This is why John can boldly declare that the darkness has not overcome the light (v5). Darkness tried to silence Him. Darkness tried to bury Him. Darkness tried to erase Him. But darkness failed.
For some of us, this is the truth we need most this Christmas. You may feel like your world has grown darker year after year. Hope feels weaker. Faith feels fragile. But the strength of the Light has never depended on the strength of your faith. It depends on who Jesus is.
The Light that came at Christmas has never dimmed—and never will.
CALLED TO REFLECT THE LIGHT THAT NEVER DIMS.
Now here is the beautiful Christmas invitation. While John the Baptist was clear that he was not the light, Jesus later turns to His followers and says something astonishing:
“You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)
This phrase does not mean we become the source of light. It means we become reflectors of His light.
We reflect the sun's light like the moon, which has no light of its own, when we stay aligned with Christ. The moment we turn away, the light grows faint—not because the sun has dimmed, but because we have shifted our position.
So how do we become people whose light does not dim?
First, we remain enrooted in the source. Light is not sustained by effort, but by proximity. Prayer, Scripture, worship, and obedience are not religious duties—they are ways of staying turned toward the Light.
Second, we live honestly in the light. Darkness thrives in secrecy, but light grows in truth. When we confess, repent, and walk humbly, the light of Christ flows freely through us.
Third, we allow the light to shine outward. Light was never meant to be hidden. In a world filled with fear, kindness shines. In a world filled with anger, gentleness shines. Hope shines in a world full of despair.
This is how ordinary people become living witnesses to extraordinary Light.
A CHRISTMAS EVE COMMISSION
As we prepare to close this Christmas Eve, remember this: the Light did not come merely to be admired. He chose to dwell among us.
Jesus shines in us so that He might shine through us.
When we forgive, His light shines. When we love without condition, His light shines. When we choose faith in the middle of uncertainty, His light shines.
We are not called to create light, compete with light, or prove our brightness. We are called to remain in the Light—and let Him illuminate the world through us.
This Christmas, may we not only celebrate the Light that came into the world, but may we carry His light into a dark and waiting world.
CONCLUSION: A CHRISTMAS EVE INVITATION
Tonight, Christmas Eve offers us two invitations.
For those who look like they live in the light but know they are hiding—come out of the shadows. Stop performing. Step into reality.
For those who feel surrounded by darkness and think hope is gone—lift your eyes. The Light has already come.
His name is Jesus. He never dims. He never leaves. He never fails.
Let Christmas begin again—not just around us, but within us
