This Little Light of Mine

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,

And thick darkness the peoples;

But the Lord will arise upon you,

And his glory will be seen upon you.

God who spoke light and space and flesh and blood into being has shone light upon us in Jesus Christ. He has re-created our hearts and souls in the glorious knowledge of Jesus.

The shepherds saw that light and went away praising and proclaiming His glory. The wise men saw that light and traveled vast distances with extravagant gifts. The jealous Herod heard of that light and ordered genocide.

The light of God shining upon us from the manger and in Jesus Christ is a terrible and wonderful thing to behold.

And yet, it is so easy to fear showing that light too brightly. What timid lives we so often live.

We don’t want to offend. We don’t want to create conflict. We don’t want to become uncomfortable. We keep our voices silent and our actions timid and our generosity calculated.

We allow gift giving and cookie baking and house decorating to consume our hearts and minds. We let family feuds lead to icy Christmas meals. We bemoan the consumerism and commercialism and spectacle that has been made of this most holy occasion but do nothing ourselves to change the tide.

At Christmas, when the light of God poured into the world and into that stable there was no hiding. Angels, waiting for untold ages screamed it forth in a blaze of reflected glory.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

This Christmas may we reflect and refract the light of Jesus in a multitude of splendid ways. Let our generosity and hospitality be uncommon. Let our joy be effusive. Let our forgiveness and patience and gentleness be evident in bright and beautiful ways. Let our lights shine as lamps on lampstands.