Some of my earliest memories of Christmas with my family involve Christmas lights. But not necessarily the hanging of them. I remember getting into the car and just driving around Rockford. My parents seemed to know all the places to go to see the most lights. It was a magical time for me. It was so beautiful to see the ordinary houses, wonderfully transformed by the twinkling lights that adorned the roof lines and windows. There was even a certain weekend every year within the Edgewater neighborhood when they would put out luminaries. Not only did the houses have wonderful colors on the outside of them, but now the sidewalks and driveways were lined with lights.
Now, since we have been talking about traditions over the past few weeks, I needed to research the history of Christmas Lights; where they came from and how they became such an important part of our Christmas celebrations. But as I researched this history, I didn’t hear about a definite connection to our Christian heritage. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a message in there. So, here it comes, that question that we’ve been asking all worship series long. What does the history of the lights mean for us today? How can these lights help us to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord?
Two things. There are two things I would like you to take away from this message today. One, they are a representative of the light that shines into the darkness, proclaiming God’s light for this world.
I recently had the opportunity to walk around this community at night while it was snowing. I’m not sure what exactly it is, but the snow seems to make things quiet. Well this night was a peaceful night, quiet and calm. It was almost unnerving because of the stillness. But one thing that I noticed was that during the other times of the year, when the ground is not covered in snow, it is dark, real dark. Not many cars, porch lights, or even streetlights to drive the darkness away. So walking around in the fresh fallen snow with houses lit up with Christmas decorations and lights, gave such a warm feeling to me. It gave me a new perspective on my surroundings, one that darkness used to rule over, now the darkness was dispersed through the light offered through the snow and Christmas lights. This reminds me of a scripture passage. Isaiah. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
I was walking in darkness but yet saw all the lights from the houses around me. The lights were witnessing to me about this season, reminding me of the story we just heard, telling me that we were ever so close to Christmas.
So, let us really let the meaning of this season set in on us. Jesus Christ is born into this world of darkness as light to all living in the shadow of death, walking along paths full of shadows and darkness. Jesus has come to bring light to our world, to guide us, and to illuminate God’s plan for this world. Jesus has come to bring hope to this broken world.
The second point, and maybe the most important one is this. When we decorate our houses with Christmas lights, the lights have an effect on the house. For some strange reason, the little bit of color and light transforms the house. Now, your house may be beautiful, it may be ordinary. Your house may be newer, or it may be getting old and falling apart. But something happens when the lights are put up. I remember a house from my old neighborhood. It was old, decrepit, in desperate need of paint, siding, or maybe even a bulldozer. But once a year, it was changed. The owner would display lights for the season, and the change was nothing short of miraculous.
When we invite Jesus into our lives, his light shines in and through us. The more we trust in him, the more we follow him, and the more we follow the path he has for us, the more his light shines through us. The more his light shines through us, the less people see us and the more they see Jesus. It’s like the houses with lights on. At night we see the lights and the beauty they bring and we see less and less of the house.
That’s what I want. Less of me and more of Christ. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. If we choose to follow him, we will no longer walk in darkness, but in his light. So maybe we should leave our lights up all year long, maybe. Or maybe we need to live our lives, making sure Jesus’ light is constantly shining, regardless of what season it is.