Keeping Christ in CHRISTmas Day #18 Christmas Light

Keeping Christ in CHRISTmas - Day #18 – Christmas Light (Luke 1:67-79)

Christmas Light (Luke 1:67-79)

Luke 1:67-79, “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The birth of Jesus is spoken of as “the dayspring from on high". This is pure poetry. There is nothing more beautiful in the entire Bible. The word "dayspring" means "the sunrise or the breaking of the dawn; the East, which is the direction of the sun's rising." Jesus Christ is the breaking of the dawn, the sunrise for mankind. He is the Rising One that brought light into the world. The world has never been the same since the birth of the Dayspring in Bethlehem two-thousand years ago. The babe that was wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, came to give us His life and His gift of eternal life, which left Him wrapped in grave clothes lying in a borrowed tomb for three days.

Reflection.
Men were able to observe and learn about God in a new way. They could see Him in the flesh as He walked among them, and reflect upon His life, message, power, and promises. The coming of Jesus into our world is a radiant light because Heavens first Light came down to visit with us. Christmas is not about people lighting candles, nor framing their windows and doors with light, nor passing torches from hand to hand and from generation to generation. Christmas is not something done by people but something done for people. It is not our achieving but God's doing. Christmas is not essentially about our making gifts. Our generosity, however, at this season, warms our own hearts as well as the heart of our world. It is about God's love and generosity and that He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to it. Light is such an appropriate symbol for Christmas. Christmas, like light, makes possible a greater vision and gives warmth, life, and hope. If Christmas is like the first light from heaven, where did it shine? It shone in the midst of " them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (Luke 1:79). The sun of heaven, who is the Son of God, has shone into the darkness where we sit and into the shadows where we walk. It is surprising how much darkness a little light can drive away. Only a flicker of light in the night is stronger than we can know. All the darkness of the universe cannot put it out.

Reconciliation.
Sin broke the relationship between God and man. Because Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he passed on to all mankind a sin nature. Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” When a person trusts in the Lord and Christ saves that person, He not only forgives and saves that person from the penalty of sin, which is death in Hell, the person’s relationship with God is also restored. Jesus became our mediator, bridging the gap between God and man, bringing about reconciliation with God by shedding His blood and dying on the cross. Our broken fellowship with God was restored (II Corinthians 5:18-21; Ephesians 2:13-16; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17). Not only are we reconciled with God because of Christ, we as Gentiles have been reconciled with Jews who have put their faith in Christ. The work of Jesus Christ has brought about unity and made us one body in Christ. In addition to giving light to us in our darkness, "the dayspring from on high" has another purpose: " To give light to, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). Christmas is associated with our hope for peace, but it is more than that. It is more the source of our peace than anything else. Christ calls us to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). Reconciliation and peacemaking is our primary business. We seem to be overwhelmed by the problems of peace in our time. This should not discourage us. We should be about our task where we are. We can keep open communication, reach across barriers, give respect to every person, and show the love and acceptance of Christ. The little done by the many adds up, and when peace seems hopeless, we should remember that the dayspring from on high has broken into the darkness of our night to guide our feet in the way of peace. Nothing can ever put out that light, and it will shine until we come upon the perfect day.

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