His Light at Christmas (Part 1: Being Lights For His Glory)

I would like to share my “famous” Christmas light sermon with you all in three short installments. The first one is free. The next two installments will be provided when you comment. OK, you probably know I will post them anyway...

I will be using the metaphor of "Christmas Lights" to call us to a more joyous, welcoming, and authentic witness this season. In the process, I will also indulge some of my own Christmas lighting biases—strictly for educational purposes! 

I pray that this Christmas season is one in which we experience the remarkable freshness of Jesus' joy and peace as perhaps we never have before, for His greater glory and name's sake as we shine forth the light of the gospel. 

During this season, as I think of "the light of the gospel" and as I see the many houses and trees that are decorated with beautiful lights, I am reminded that when Jesus came, he was really the first "Christmas light" to the world. 

And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“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 4:13-16)

Of course, Christ's coming as the light of the world and now our calling, as his followers, to become lights (witnesses) in the world is probably not a new topic to you. 

Yet, I would like to share three characteristics of Christ's exemplary light, hopefully in a fresh way, using the metaphor of Christmas lights.  It is written, in Hebrews 1:3, that God now speaks to us through His Son Jesus, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Let's examine this passage for what it teaches us about Jesus, the Light of the world, our example, and power as we now are called to participate in being light to the world.

I have wonderful childhood memories of each Christmas season when my Dad would put up our old C9 Christmas lights, both outside the house and on the tree.  When he was done, we would go outside in stocking caps and mittens to drink hot chocolate, look at the lights, and "ooh" and "aah". It was a good feeling. But Christ's light is more than a good feeling, though it brings great joy. It is a matter of life and death. 

If we are going to bring the healing, warming touch of God's love to others effectively, we do well to focus on the following three things not just at Christmas but all year round... his Light, Likeness, and Line.

Being Lights For His Glory!

In response to Christ's light, we are now lights for his glory. How can we do this? There are two things I would suggest for starters: we should be visible; and, we should be unblinking. Let’s consider these two lessons drawn from the Christmas lights I grew up with.

We Should Be Visible Lights

As Jesus was the radiant light of God's glory, so, too, we should shine as lights of Jesus' glory. When should we be a light for God's glory? All the time!  Jesus said to his followers,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

This verse makes me stop and consider what kind of works might cause those outside the church to glorify God in heaven. I would think that it would be something selfless and sacrificially loving.  Letting our light shine doesn’t mean we are putting on a show, or doing good things so that people can see us. I think that generally defeats the point. The Christian’s works of love are not done for personal glory but for the glory of God. They are often done in profound anonymity yet cannot be hidden forever.

So I wonder, what kinds of things can we do that allow people to see past us to the glorious love of the Father? One thing that is always trotted out as an objection to God is the hypocrisy of those who claim to be Christians, so I would think that authentic, consistent, humbly Christ-like living would be key. Another key to our being visible lights for Christ is joy. Are we chronic complainers, faultfinders, and whiners or do we overflow with the joy of our salvation even during difficult, even painful circumstances?

Because we are called to be consistent, continuous witnesses, we should not only be visible, but steadfast. The Jude warns us about “wandering stars” that do not give an accurate witness. Which brings me to my second point…

We Should Be Unblinking Lights

I know that blinking LED lights are trendy these days, but to me, they don’t seem very authentic, restful, or welcoming. I call them “Vegas lights” because they seem to somehow advertise themselves. The first blinking Christmas lights I can remember were the ones on Snoopy’s over-decorated dog house in the classic Merry Christmas Charlie Brown television special.

Even then Charlie Brown thought that even his dog had sold out to the commercialism of the season. My incarnational metaphor reminds me that since Jesus was not a blinking “Vegas-light”, neither should our witness be an "on-again, off-again" kind of light. Our light must be a reflection of his light.  It comes neither from our self-will nor our hard work. It is sourced in the love of God poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). It is also written in James 1:17, that, "Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with who there is no variation or shadow of turning."

People living in the dark are drawn to the light. But it's not enough just to light. There is actually a proper way in which to be a light. Thus, simply shining is not enough. We must shine in the way that Jesus would shine.  We are not free to denigrate or coerce others as we see fit. Jesus values people rather than objectifying them. He identifies with them rather than despising them. We are his ambassadors. We represent him. Our light should be unblinking in the sense of consistency, but also in the sense of courage. We don’t close our eyes and turn away from difficult issues and problem people. The thought that we are to face what comes with the eyes of Christ always seems to drive me to my knees in dependence. I can’t give what I don’t have. I don’t have a visible, unblinking light in me without the Christmas gift of God’s love in Christ through the Spirit.

I am reminded of the enlightened words of Isaac Watts’ great Christmas hymn, written about 350 years ago, that we can still sing and live with vigor!

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.

Next Post: His Lights at Christmas: In Response to His Likeness