During this time of the year, many cities have their holiday festival of lights for you to drive through to view seasonal light displays. My wife, Deanne, and I enjoy taking our grandchildren to a Christmas Light Show at one of our local churches in Bel Air each year. It has become a tradition that the kids look forward to each year.
When it comes to my house, it is a holiday destination for you to drive past, as I love to put up strings and strings of Christmas lights. My kids refer to me as Clark Griswold, the character from National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation.” I prefer the colored lights and especially the lights with motion. The colors all symbolize something in my mind. To me, red represents Jesus’ blood, green represents renewal and eternal life through Jesus, white links to the purity of Jesus and the promise of life everlasting, gold for the gift of gold from the three wise men, purple for royalty and majesty, and blue for Jesus’ mother, Mary, and the rich, blue robes she wears in many paintings.
Front and center of all the shrubs, trees, fences, and the house is a manger scene, so we can be reminded that Jesus is THE REASON for the season. Also, in one of the windows is a lighted cross, which serves as a reminder of why He came and what He did for us.
My desire is to draw people to drive by and remind them of how much God loves us, and my hope is that an unbeliever might seek to ask questions about what these lights and the manger scene mean. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” The important thing is what God did and that He gets the glory and not me.
Jesus was also referred to as the Light of the World. In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Likewise, we are ambassadors of Christ and are also to be the light of the world.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16).
How we live, act, and love each day is what people see. Is your daily life something that shines? Does it get someone to notice and give glory to your Father in heaven even though our world has so much darkness?
Let your light shine not only during this Christmas season but all through the year! Let others see Jesus in you, being honest, kind, generous, helpful, gracious, peaceful, and most of all, loving.
May God bless all of you, now and forever. Merry Christmas!
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