Did you know that in early modern Germany, candles were the first form of lights used for decorating homes during the annual celebration of Christmas?
Now, fairy lights (Christmas lights) and Christmas decorations on Christmas trees have become quite customary decoration trends in most Christian homes at Christmas.
At Christmas, holiday lights are used to beautifully adorn homes, Christmas trees, commercial buildings, playgrounds, etc, and don’t they just come in different dazzling combinations, configurations and colors?
Everyone gets excited and awed by the ornate display of the twinkling Christmas lights. If you ask me why this is so, I believe it’s connected to the nature of light coupled with its attractive and colorful arrays on Christmas trees.
As perplexing a phenomenon as light has been to scientists, its key characteristics that have been unraveled are that; light stimulates the sight and makes things visible. Light illuminates; bringing radiance, brilliance, glow and a glaring dazzle. Light dissipates darkness and ushers in daylight (hope). These, and maybe a few more characteristics of light are irrefutable as we can attest to them from our daily living.
But nowhere in my little literature review and internet search did I see ‘light’ described as human! Yet a man came into the world so many years ago and described Himself as; “the light of the world“, who has “the light of life.”
“….I am the light of the world, he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12
John the Baptist attested to this light…
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4
Little wonder then the world didn’t like Him. He spoke with an irritating audacity and with an infuriating pomposity. How dare He claim to be light? Light is pure, light shows direction, light is knowledge, light illuminates and is incomprehensible by darkness. How dare anyone claim to be light?
Some months ago, my understanding of what Jesus Christ meant in Matthew 5: 19 broadened a bit and I too, just like Jesus Christ, realized that ‘I am light’. This became my mantra. I said it, I muttered it and I knew it!
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden”.
At about Christmas 2016, The Holy Spirit exploded it in my spirit that ‘I am light’. Halleluyah!
As light, I am a city set on a hill. I bring illumination to the world around me. I cannot be hidden. I cannot be put in a secret place or under a basket (Luke 11:33). I cannot be successfully intimidated, suppressed or oppressed. I bring hope to my environment and beyond. I am an embodiment of knowledge, wisdom, counsel, might, and understanding. I have the Spirit of God and it is a spirit of excellence. I have the light of life in me!
Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, as we celebrate this Christmas Season, we must remember and maintain our statuses as lights for as long as we live in this world. And because Christ is alive in us, our lightness will bring direction, meaning and hope to the world around us.
Jesus Christ was born to bring light to a dark world. Jesus Christ, before ascending to Heaven deposited his Light in you and I so that the world will continue to have light.
Hope you have a very memorable and light-filled Christmas this year and join in my quest; to make this Christmas memorable also for some Lazarus’ at my gate :). Hoping you locate your Lazarus this Season if you haven’t already. Christmas offers another opportunity to feed, soothe and/or heal your Lazarus.
My love always…
Grace Obomanu.
Except otherwise stated, all Bible quotations are from the New King James Version.
