Christmas is around the corner, and I am sure, like all of you, when I sit back and look at the houses lit in the neighborhood and the decorations that have transformed my home, I find myself reflecting on another year. Christmas Past roams the halls of my mind, making me wonder if I lived like Marley or reformed Scrooge. I recall Dickens’ elaborate story of what it took for Scrooge to see the light. Then my thoughts turn to the only light that could have caused such a transformation. Jesus Christ.
We think of Jesus in the Manger, Jesus at the Temple, Jesus on the Cross, the Resurrected Jesus, Jesus as our Saviour, but lately, I have been reflecting on Jesus as Light — the kind of light that shows up inside when life feels heavy.
It’s strange how it happens. One minute I’m worrying about something, or remembering something I wish I didn’t, and the next minute there’s this small sense of, “Okay… maybe I can breathe again.” I never really see it arrive. It’s just there.
John says Jesus is the Light that shines in the darkness. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5 (ESV)
And honestly, that makes sense to me. Most of the darkness I deal with isn’t dramatic. It’s the stuff no one else notices — tiredness, old emotions, thoughts that follow you around longer than you’d like.
Jesus has a way of walking into those places without waiting for an invitation.
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (ESV)
Jesus, our Light enters, and hope comes alive in me again. Sometimes it’s slow, tiny shift inside. Sometimes it’s nothing more than one calmer breath. Other times, it feels like someone turned on a little lamp inside — not bright, not loud, just enough to help me keep moving.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” Isaiah 9:2 (ESV)
Isaiah talked about people walking in darkness who suddenly saw a great light. He never said they went looking for it. That detail comforts me. Light came to them, and that is how Jesus is with me.
Most days, the help comes as a worry loosens a bit; a fear isn’t as strong as it was yesterday. I rest for a minute without having to explain why I’m tired. His light descends like a lantern in a dark room, steady and unhurried, revealing just enough to help me take the next step but not so much that I rush past Him.
That’s what His light feels like to me — gentle, steady, not pushy. And usually, when that light settles in, hope follows right behind it.
The Light That Lives Is the Hope That Lives
When I think about the birth of Jesus, I don’t always see the manger first. Sometimes, I picture the dark sky over Bethlehem, the bright starlight splitting it, followed by the angels’ voices. The angels didn’t say, “Behold, try harder,” or “Behold, carry your own burdens.” No, they proclaimed good news of great joy.
They were announcing that Joy has walked into a weary world. Light has walked into a fearful one. Hope has walked into people who had forgotten how to expect it. And He has been stepping into our darkness ever since.
This is what Christ does. In doing so, He made the way clear, becoming the steadying hand in the middle of the days that feel too fragile. He absorbed the weakness that takes root in His strength, becoming peace where anxiety once held sway. He doesn’t demand my confidence, but lends me His. His light becomes my hope. His presence becomes my courage. His life becomes my rest.
And so it is my hope for you, as I share this simple Christmas prayer:
“Christ, Light of the world, light our hearts again. Let every anxious place sense Your nearness. Let every weary place within us feel Your rest. Help us with the things in life we can’t fix. Ease the things in life that feel too heavy to carry. Bring hope back to the places that have stayed quiet too long. And let us remember that where You live, light lives, and where light lives, hope lives too. Amen.”
May His light meet you gently this season and warm every corner of your spirit.
Merry Christmas.
