The Light

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://encounterchurch.org/messages] 

It’s me and my husband’s first Christmas with a baby—and let’s just say, things are a lot more complicated than they were last year. Seriously—last weekend our Honda was loaded with a Pack ‘n Play, Jumperoo, diaper bag, portable infant seat, spare clothes, blankets… you get the picture. We are blessed to have most of our family living in West Michigan, but that means that we are expected to see all of them on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. When all is said and done, we will have attended four separate celebrations in 48 hours. With an almost-6-month-old baby. Talk about logistical chaos.

But we do consider ourselves blessed this Christmas season, as neither of us have experienced great fear or darkness in our lives. I can only imagine that along with all of the joy that this season brings, there is also pain that is unearthed at Christmas for those who have lost loved ones in recent years. For many others, the holidays in Michigan signify colder weather and homeless shelters that cannot accommodate their needs. Still others are dealing with the pain of broken relationships, and Christmas is a reminder of the lingering wounds that just won’t heal.

Many are not convinced that this is the most wonderful time of the year due to their circumstances, but Gospel writer John disagrees. It is the most wonderful time of the year, not because of family celebrations or twinkle lights or gifts, but because God broke into our world of darkness and sent His Light. John 1:4-5 says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

These are some of the first words in John’s Gospel. In order to more fully understand their meaning, Pastor Dirk told us a little bit more about who John was and what he had experienced in his lifetime. John was the last living disciple of Jesus, mostly because Jesus had asked him to watch over his mother Mary after he died. As Mary’s caretaker, John had a front-row seat for all of the stories about Jesus; he probably spent the majority of his later life recounting Jesus’s days with Mary. John likely had a very thorough understanding of Jesus’s life, and because of this was able to perfect his “elevator pitch” about Jesus and Christianity.

In addition to his comprehensive knowledge of Jesus, John lived through the persecution of Christians—many of whom were his friends and family. He experienced persecution himself, at one time being boiled alive in hot oil, and eventually exiled to the Island of Patmos. John lived in a time of darkness and fear, but he knew that Jesus came to earth as the Light to shine in the darkness, and that nothing could overcome that light.

John continues in verses 9-12, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Christ came to earth for everyone—not just for the Jews, but for the Gentiles and for the Romans, too. Those who received Christ and fully believed in Him, not just believed that He was the Son of God, were welcomed into His family. And the same goes for us today; If you believe in His name and the power of His light over darkness, then you are welcomed into God’s family as His child. That is the true gift of Christmas—that God sent His Son, the Light of the World, into a broken earth and invites us into that light to become His beloved children.

So this Christmas season, when you find yourself busy amidst logistical chaos, or burdened with broken relationships and loss, remember that the darkness will never overcome the Light. Christ came to earth to save us from ourselves, from our sin and shame—and that even though our circumstances might seem bleak, we have hope in an eternal God who shines His Light into the darkness. And that darkness will not overcome the light. Not then, not now, not ever. 

[Megan Stephenson is a proud new mom to her five-month-old son August and spends her days trying to figure out how to take care of her tiny human. She also works for a private education group in Grand Rapids as an Assistant Registrar. Megan loves spending time with her husband, Ben, trying out new breweries, restaurants, and local attractions. She also self-identifies as a crazy cat lady, despite owning no cats of her own, thanks to her loving and allergic husband.]