The Season of Light
Merry Christmas!
The season of light is now immanent and with it being so, it is a good time to revisit the way Light rules over darkness. The ESV translation of your Bible says there was a time when “the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). God by way of his divine Son, displayed his “glory” that was “shone around” (Luke 2:9) the “shepherds in the field,” who were “keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8). The simple statements here contain copious symbolism.
Simply, Christmas teaches us how the Light rules over darkness. The reference by the Apostle John (John 1:9) makes note to the creation narrative in Genesis.
Genesis 1:1–2 (courtesy of The Message)
1First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see.
2Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
The Spirit of God is here in the beginning [with God] and the darkness was present without being created by God. While it is challenging to think the darkness somehow pre–existed an eternal God, the explicit point of interest in vs. 1-2 is God did not create darkness. Further, we will see God has power over darkness.
Genesis 1:3-5 (courtesy of The Message)
3God spoke: “Light!” And light appeared.
4God saw that light was good and separated light from dark.
5God named the light Day, he named the dark Night. It was evening, it was morning— Day One.
Prior to his creative work in v. 3 there is only darkness, but by his presence and creative work light “appeared.” Because the goodness of the light created then existed in contrast to the darkness that was all around it, God made a separate space for the light—a space that was not comingled with darkness (v. 4). God displayed his power over darkness by separating the light from the dark and naming the light Day (v. 5).
God’s power is greater than the darkness in your life (Principle 2). Let this season of Light remind us of this fact—that his power will help me recover. See you on December 18 for our Lessons and Carols Large Group meeting where we will celebrate the Light!