Why Lights are Important at Christmas

  If we understand it, light is very important and very meaningful to Christmas. In Genesis 1:1-4, we read one of the most astonishing things ever written – a description of the creation of the universe: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good… In this opening paragraph of the Bible, we have a ringside seat for the six days of creation. From this passage, we learned several things:

• The heavens and the earth were initially dark.
• God spoke light into existence.
• The light was good.

  But what was the light? The sun and the stars were not created until the fourth day, so it wasn’t sunlight. The likely explanation is that the light was “shekinah”, light that represents the presence of God. Light represents the presence of God. We see many instances in Scripture of light manifesting the presence and glory of God:

• In Luke chapter 2, the shepherds were in the fields keeping watch over their sheep at night and an angel of the Lord appeared to them, "and the glory of the Lord shone around them."
• When the Israelites left Egypt in Exodus 13:21, God led them with a "pillar of fire."
• Revelation 21:23 says, of the New Jerusalem, “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb."

  The light, in these instances, reveals the presence of God. This is all symbolic. Look at all the verses in Scripture that depict light as good and darkness as bad, light as understanding and darkness as ignorance, light as symbolic of God, darkness as symbolic of evil.

• “God is light; in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
• “In Him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the Light of men” (John 1:4).
• Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12).
• Those who reject Jesus will be “doomed to outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12).
• “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

  This symbolism makes light a very important theme at Christmas. As I wrote in a previous blog post:

The lights of Christmas, which adorn homes, businesses, and many public places at Christmas, make the world sparkle and as one “takes in” the bedazzling displays, it becomes momentarily believable that we could see peace on earth and good will toward men. They add a hope, a joy, a festivity that is not seen at any other time of the year.

But the lights are not merely decorative; they’re symbolic. They are symbolic of the fact that Jesus brings light into the world. This light overcomes the ignorance and evil of “darkness.”

Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.”

That light that has now shined… and it has revealed to us the One who is the "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Conclusion It can enrich us this Christmas if, as we see the many Christmas lights around us, we view them not only as decorative but also as symbolic of God and of Jesus, the light of the world, and as representing truth, goodness, and hope. Many who decorate with light at Christmas may not understand the imagery, but you do, and you can enjoy and appreciate the light for what it symbolizes in Scripture. Let the "lights of Christmas" prompt us to rejoice that the "great light" has come and shined on us!

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