Light of the world - 11 December 2024
By Ben Fourie
Bible text(s)
John 1
It seems to me that there are not as many Christmas lights in the streets as when I was a child. I can still remember how wonderful it was to see the Christmas lights in Cape Town city centre for the first time. In those days, you could safely walk in Cape Town’s streets and enjoy the wonder of a display of colours. For a child from the North-Western Cape, this was almost more exciting than opening presents early on Christmas morning.
In many places in the Bible, we read about light. In his first deed of creation, God created light. In Psalm 36:9b the poet says, “… because of your light we see the light.” In Psalm 119:105, his Word is seen as a lamp for our feet and a light to show us the way. Isaiah called upon the people of Israel: “Now, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light which the Lord gives us!” (Isaiah 2:5). In Isaiah 60:19-20, he promises them that “… the Lord will be your eternal light”. In the New Testament, there are very few books where light is not mentioned.
Light was something important in Jesus’s life right from the start. We see that when the angels visited the shepherds, the “glory of the Lord shone over them”. The wise men were led to the manger by the light of a star. The Messiah was born without any fanfare, but much more important than that, he was born to be the light for the whole world.
God is light and because whatever he does is always bathed in light, he does not tolerate darkness. In the first letter of John we read: “God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him.” (1 John 1:5b) Therefore, to follow God demands a choice by me. I am either living in his light or I am living in darkness. There is no twilight zone. Christmas is a festive day filled with the light of God, a day that points towards the One who conquered the darkness of the grave. The choice in what zone I am going to live, is mine alone.
Prayer: Lord, I pray that you will make me a shining light wherever I may go. Forgive me if, by what I do, I bring darkness in the life of someone else. Amen
