One of my favorite things to do around Christmas time is to go around the streets and see Christmas lights. There is something about tiny colorful lights twinkling in the darkness of the night.
John, the disciple of Jesus, begins His account with the words “In the beginning”. He then goes on to describe Jesus, starting from the beginning of time to the time He came into the world. To fully understand His description, read John 1:1-14. It is one of the most amazing descriptions of the Messiah. While the whole passage is significant and each line in his account is very useful to understand the characteristic of the Messiah, one of my favorite lines is in verses 4 and 5.
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4,5
John testifies about Jesus and says that the life in Jesus was the light of men
(through all ages) and this Light shines in the darkness and that darkness has not overcome it. John wrote this years after Jesus was crucified on the cross. When Jesus was crucified, John was a first hand eye witness to his last breath. But John had also gotten the front row seat to Jesus’ Resurrection. He had encountered the resurrected Christ face to face and spent hours talking to him. So John fully understood what He was writing. He recognized that Jesus was no ordinary man. He was no ordinary teacher. He was no ordinary good guy. The Light in Jesus was no ordinary light. Death and darkness could not over power or extinguish this light. The life in Jesus continues to be the light for mankind. It hasn’t been overcome.
May we recognize the True Light this Christmas, the kind of Light that darkness cannot overcome. And as we receive this Light to illuminate our lives, we ourselves become the “children of Light”.