True Light

The true light that gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

John 1:9

A popular tradition at Christmas time is for families to attend a Christmas Eve candlelight service together. If you have not attended one of these, envision sitting in a dimly lit room full of people. Each individual has their own candle, and once the first is aflame—usually led by the pastor—people begin spreading the flame from one candle wick to the next until all candles are lit. Whether there are just a handful or hundreds in the room, it does not take long before the once-dark area is beautifully aglow.

The light in the darkness is representation of Christ coming to earth and being “the true light” in a sinful world. Additionally, imagine if lighting every candle was the sole responsibility of one person, such as the pastor. What if no one else shared their light or lit their neighbor’s candle? In a small room, it would take a very long time even if the pastor hurried to get to every candle. In a large room or stadium, the pastor would not get to every person before his candle ran out of wax and the flame inevitably went out.

You see, the spreading of candlelight is also representative of sharing what Jesus’ sacrifice and what He has done in our lives. Jesus instructed for all of us to make disciples (Matthew 28), not just those called to preach or leadership. Make Jesus’ ministry and teachings an active part of holiday conversation, and spread the light to those around you!

Taylor Newton