The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2
Why do we cover our homes, our trees, our streets in lights at Christmas? We do it because December is dark, and something in the human heart cannot bear the darkness without protest. Their pretty twinkles are reminders of the hope that we have even in the darkest of times.
As the cold wind blows and the nights start earlier, our instinct is to lock down, stay inside longer and to hide away from the rest of the world.
In the story of Christmas it was a bright light that guided the magi to Christ, the brightest of all lights.
This is what God did at Christmas. He didn’t send a message from heaven or write his truth in the stars. He came as Light into our darkness, as Immanuel—God with us—making himself visible, tangible, knowable. Jesus is God saying, “I see you in your darkness. And I’m not staying distant. I’m coming close enough to be seen and touched and known.”
Every Christmas light is an echo of that first great Light. We’re seen by God. We’re known by him. And in Christ, we become lights ourselves, reflecting his glory in the darkness around us.
