By: Alli Matthews
Merry Christmas! I want to keep this week’s blog post simple. I want to make it all about the Savior who came down from his throne to live among us and make a way for us to have our sins forgiven and for God to dwell with us.
Therefore, we’re going to read through John 1:1-14, and then I will share a short reflection. This passage is all about who Jesus is and what he has done. (When John says “the Word,” he is referring to Jesus.) We are not going to go into depth studying the passage here, but I encourage you to refer to Enduring Word (linked below) to grow in your understanding of its context. Without further ado, let’s read:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. 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 all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:1-14
Something I’ve been pondering this Christmas season is light. Christmas lights are one of my favorite parts of the decor this time of year. I love sitting near a lit tree with a burning candle on the table beside me while reading a book, watching a movie, or studying. Not only is it cozy and relaxing, the gentle light is beautiful.
It’s sunny and 54 degrees this Christmas day in Saginaw, Michigan. Even though I love the snow, this weather is delightful in the normally dreary December. It is incredible how strongly the bright sunshine overcomes the darkness.
That is how Jesus is. He is the true light. He overcomes the darkness of evil and sin. But unlike the lights on a Christmas tree, Jesus doesn’t need darkness to exist around him in order for him to shine more brightly. In other words, his goodness existed in the beginning without the presence of evil.
Our God is a good Creator. He did not create evil, but he allows humans to have the choice to do evil. He allows humans to have the choice to love him instead of continuing in evil. He allows us to truly love him. He created us for relationship with himself.
Thank you Jesus for being the true light and hope of Christmas. Thank you for coming into our world of darkness and giving us your light to reflect it to others.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16, “‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’”
Jesus gave us his light by becoming sin for us and dying in our place on the cross. When we put our faith in him as our Lord and Savior, we receive his light and righteousness in place of death and sin. He makes us new and lives in us through the Holy Spirit when we give our lives to him.
I’ll leave you with two passages of hope today. If you struggle to believe you’ve been made new and have the true light of Christ in you, then these are for you. I pray that you would come to know this truth in your heart and mind as a follower of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
“ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Branch On The Vine 
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