Light in the darkness

Tiny hands waving about uncontrollably. A shrill cry piercing the damp air of a borrowed cave. A mother’s peaceful smile. A mysterious smile on the face of her husband, who helped deliver a miracle. And the Word became flesh: God confined to an infant.

John the Baptist made his days count. He lived life “plain and simple”–camel hair clothes and a leather belt; roasted locusts (surely, he didn’t eat them raw) and wild honey to eat. But what impresses me most is that John the Baptist was a man who knew his purpose. He was on earth to prepare the world for Jesus, and he never wavered. He lived with a spiritual focus. Isn’t that the kind of life you want to live?

The Christmas story seems so peaceful and silent night-ish. A baby is born and laid in a manger. But this was no ordinary birth and no ordinary baby. The old prophet Simeon noted that this child would cause the rise and fall of many.

They were minding their sheep and minding their business when the angel suddenly appeared. In an instant, the darkness of night turned to brilliant light. The angel, coming from the presence of God, brought with him God’s glory, and the place lit up! There was light in the darkness! No wonder the shepherds were terrified! Let’s read their story.

On the Christmas cards, it’s all picture-perfect. With a star illuminating the manger, three wise men, with their camels parked outside, bow down before the baby Jesus. And, of course, at the bottom of the card are the Hallmark words—Wise men still seek him today. But…let’s see what Scripture says about these visitors.

Your fiancé is pregnant, and you are not the father. One can only imagine the painful emotions one feels upon hearing that news. But this pregnancy was different. It took an angel and a vision to explain the unexplainable!

Mary was the first person to receive Jesus on his terms. Many people want Jesus to come and meet their needs, fix their problems, and heal their hurts. Their expectations are centered around what Jesus can do for them. Mary was different. Check out her response to the angel Gabriel, who told her she would have a child.

Light and darkness are not opposing forces. Dark is simply the absence of light. When light enters, darkness is dispelled. There was a time when we lived in spiritual darkness. That’s all we knew. It was natural and normal. Then we met the Light of the world. He dispelled the spiritual darkness that saturated our hearts. Jesus “called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Paul says we are “children of the light, children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). Jesus says it this way.

Andre Agassi was a great tennis player. During his career, he won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments, an Olympic Gold medal, and $31 million in prize money, not to mention the millions of endorsement dollars he earned. And yet Agassi hated tennis. In an excerpt from his biography, Agassi said, “I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark secret passion, and always have.”