Advent Love and Christmas Lights

I’ve previously mentioned my daughter’s fascination with the Christmas lights in our neighborhood. She asks every night if we can go take a chilly walk around the block to see some of her favorites. She loves the different colored lights, the ones that flash and twinkle, and the gigantic inflatable Christmas characters that have taken up residence in lawns.

On one of the first nights we were enjoying the walk, we had this conversation:

Me: Selah, do you know why we put lights on the outside of our houses during Christmastime?

Selah: I don’t know. Do you see the snowman!!

Me: Such a big snowman! Well, we put lights on the outside of our houses because they remind us of Jesus! When Jesus was born, he became the light of the world! So the lights on our houses that are so pretty at night remind us that Jesus is the light of the world.

Selah: What does “Jesus is the light of the world” mean?

Me: Well, just like it gets pretty dark outside when it’s nighttime, the world can get pretty dark. It has a lot of things that cause sadness or make us scared or make us angry and it just feels super dark. But when Jesus was born, he brought love, hope, peace and joy to the world and those wonderful things shine bright and beautiful, just like these lights shine bright and beautiful around us! Does that make sense?

Selah: Yes, mama, that makes sense.

Me: So what do the Christmas lights tell us about Jesus?

Selah: Well, I think he’s from Minnesota like Sadness and Bingbong.

You would have to be a Disney expert to understand she was now talking about the movie Inside Out where two characters, Sadness and Bingbong, used to live in Minnesota. My use of the word “sadness” took her mind to the movie and here we are.

The moment of gospel truth I thought we were having was quickly derailed by my daughter’s short attention span. Such is life with a toddler.

But despite this initial, comical misunderstanding, we have continued to have these chats every night that we’ve looked at the lights. And while I hope and pray that these small, imperfect conversations root gospel truths deep in her heart, they have also been a huge encouragement to mine.

The love we celebrate during the Advent season is a stark contrast to what we see in the world. The world truly is a dark place. So dark that when the perfect love found in Jesus Christ came into the world, it was a beautiful, noticeable, brilliant light.

Jesus tells us that he is “the light of the world. Whoever follows [him] will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). All of creation had been groaning in anticipation for this moment. The angels rejoiced as God’s rescue plan was revealed. But how did the world respond?

“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.” John 1:4-5

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” John 3:19

The darkness did not grasp it. The world loved the darkness that enslaved them and rejected the light. We read in Isaiah that he was “despised and abandoned by men” (Isaiah 53:3). The world hated him (John 15:18). His sacrifice on the cross, the perfect display of love the world will ever see, was met with mocking, ridicule and disdain (Matthew 27:32-44).

And yet, this brilliant light cannot be quenched. The light of the world “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:6). Those who believe in this light are rescued from darkness (John12:46). And for believers who have this marvelous light residing in their hearts, we are called to reflect this light and proclaim the excellencies of the God who saved us because of his great love (1 Peter 2:9).

Jesus, the light of the world, has passed on this purpose to his people:

“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

Believer, we are called to be a light in this dark world. We are called to imitate the love our Savior gave to us. We are called to bear the fruit of the Spirit in a world full of rotting trees. We are meant to shine bright into the darkness.

So as you drive through your neighborhood and see the lights bring beauty to the the darkness, remember your Savior. Remember the perfect love he brought as he was wrapped up in swaddling clothes in the manger. Remember his love displayed on the cross. And remember the calling you have received to bring his light to this dark and dying world.