The True Light of Christmas

This post is part of our series, The Symbols of Christmas, and focuses on Jesus, the True Light of Christmas.

Jesus Is the True Light

One tiny flame can do so much to dispel the darkness.

When I was a kid, my family lived for a short while without the modern luxury of electricity. Each night, as the darkness closed in around us we’d light lamps to see by. What a huge difference it made! That little glow chased away the shadows and made me feel safe and secure.

I love these beautiful words about the True Light from the Book of John, 

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:9-14)

And of Jesus, John says in just a few verses prior,

“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.” (John 1:4-5)

Yes, Jesus is the True Light! He is one person of our triune God and so there is absolutely no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5), nor can the darkness overcome Him (John 1:5).

While the lighting of the Temple was still fresh on the crowds’ minds (an act that symbolized God’s shekinah glory indwelling the Temple and performed during the Feast of Tabernacles), Jesus called Himself the “Light of the World” and said that those who follow Him “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (See John 8:12) (On God’s shekinah glory, see this article.)

Yes, through these words, Jesus claimed Godship! He was announcing that He contained God’s full glory. God’s shekinah glory was present in the Temple again.

Christmas Candles

Thinking of how Jesus came to shine into our dark world makes it obvious why candles are Symbols of Christmas. Quite simply, they are light shining in the darkness.

Candles point our hearts to the greater Light who came to illume our paths. Yes, He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)

Without His illumination, we would walk in darkness and stumble on the paths of life. Without His light of life, we’d be spiritually dead in a valley of dry bones.

Shining and Sharing the Light

Have you ever heard the old children’s hymn, Jesus Bids Us Shine? The lyrics to the first stanza read:

Jesus bids us shine, 

With a clear, pure light, 

Like a little candle burning in the night; 

In this world of darkness,

we must shine,

You in your small corner, 

And I in mine.

These lyrics bring to mind our church’s candlelight Christmas service. What starts as one single flame on a tapered candle spreads one by one as the light is shared until the whole congregation is bathed in beautiful candle light.

Jesus does “bid us shine!” He tells us in the Great Commission to go and share Him, making disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19) The Word also talks about how we should “shine like stars.” (See Philippians 2:15 and this series.)

A candlelight service is a beautiful depiction of how it would look if we could physically see the Gospel illuminating hearts as individuals give their lives to Him! Wouldn’t that be incredible?

As Christmas draws near, I pray that each time we see a candle, we’ll remember the True Light who loves us so dearly and commands that we share Him with the bleak world around us.

May each of us go out and shine brightly with the light of Christ!

In Him,
Ali