On the first Christmas there were shepherds abiding in the field—at least that's how the King James Bible puts it. Some modern translations render it like this: "there were shepherds living the fields." (Luke 2:8) Anyway, there are a bunch of men hanging out, perhaps sipping wine out of goatskins telling stories of heroic sheep rescues from lions and bears and such. Or maybe they're telling of close encounters with vipers. But then the darkness is suddenly broken. An angel appears, and the glory of the Lord shines around them. It's an awesome light, enough to scare a bunch of men, toughened by years of protecting sheep from the hazards of the wild. This angel tells these men that a Savior has been born and is lying in a trough filled with hay in nearby Bethlehem. "Go check it out for yourselves," the angel suggests.
Glorious Light.
Meanwhile, in a country far to the east, a group of nerds is hanging out together. Rather than trying to impress each other with their acts of bravery, perhaps they are sipping wine out of goatskins while playing brain games to see who is the smartest. When, suddenly, up in they sky they see a star shining perhaps a bit more brightly than usual. This is not your ordinary star. Or perhaps it is just an ordinary star with extraordinary meaning. Somehow they knew that the appearance of this star meant that a new king of the Jews had been born.
Starry Light.
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About a month after the Savior-King is born, Joseph and Mary bring Jesus into Jerusalem to present him at the temple. While they are there, they run into an old man named Simeon. God told Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Messiah—the Christ. And then Simeon sees baby Jesus and God tells him that this infant is the One. Simeon breaks out in praise:
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.
Luke 2:29-32
The Savior-King is also Messiah/Christ
Light of revelation to the Gentiles.
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About 30 years go by, and we don't hear much more about the light. But then John the Baptist makes his appearance, followed by Jesus. After Jesus is baptized by John and passes his wilderness exam, He begins his ministry with an announcement. He quotes the prophet Isaiah, written some 750 years earlier.
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.
Matthew 4:15, 16
A Light that dispels the darkness.
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Later on, Jesus tells us more about who He is. He says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)
A life-giving Light.
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By believing in Jesus, the light of the world, people become children of light. Jesus said, "While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” (John 12:36 NRSV)
Eventually Jesus ascended to heaven, but He didn't want people to be without light. He called on his followers to take on His role of being light to the world. He said to his disciples, “You are the light of the world," (Matthew 5:14 ESV)
The apostle Paul reiterated this, "that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:15 ESV) And again he says, "For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness." (1 Thessalonians 5:5 ESV)
And the way we are to light up the world is by loving people. The apostle John writes, "Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling." (1 John 2:10 ESV)
Light, then, seems to be an appropriate symbol for Christmas, and love the demonstration of that light. I'm not saying we throw out the Christmas tree or cease putting up longer and longer strings of lights (though it might be environmentally friendly to do so). But if we decorate our houses and fail to love one another, we miss putting up the true symbol of Christmas. For the mark of Christmas is not so much what shines out of our windows, but rather what radiates from our hearts.
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