“We also have the completely reliable prophetic word. You do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19)
The darkness of winter has set in. Have you felt it affecting you? In the north, you can expect fewer than 9 hours of light each day this month; Southern states aren’t that much better. Eventually, the darkness can drag you down. You can feel lethargic, lonely, and disheartened. But even in this darkest month of the year, there is a sliver of hope. On December 23rd, the days start getting longer; it’s only a few more seconds of daylight than the day before, but it is indeed more. The next day a few more seconds are added and, very slowly, the days begin to lengthen. It’s such a small change that you might not even notice it, but even small things can make all the difference.
On the 25th of December we celebrate another event that brought much needed light into our world. It was such a small change that not many people noticed it then either. It seemed so simple, so ordinary at the time, but we know that this thing that seemed so small has made all the difference. A baby has been born to you. He is Christ, the Lord!
The joy over this birth is so much more than our normal joy when a baby is born. This baby had been expected for a very long time. Prophets had given hope to generations before His birth by telling everyone who this baby would be and what He would accomplish: that He would carry the darkness of their sin on Himself and atone for it; that He would be their Savior and Messiah.
God lead the Wise Men to this Savior by a light in the sky and He leads us to that same Savior through His Word. Our light doesn’t stop above Bethlehem; it leads us to Nazareth, to Cana, to Capernaum, and ultimately, to Golgotha. It leads us to the foot of the cross where our Savior died innocently. It leads us to the open tomb where our Savior rose from the dead. It leads us to point our eyes above, to spend our life standing in the light, waiting with hopeful, confident hearts and longing for the time when we see the day dawning and the Morning Star rising – when we see that same Savior returning in the brightness of His glory.
This Christmas, we give thanks to God who has called us out the darkness and into His wonderful light, the light of faith, the light of hope, the light of peace! Such a small difference, the birth of a single child, has made all the difference in the world.