A quick note for Strengthen Insiders about the 3 linked devotionals this week that follow on from this Mini Deep Dive: As Christmas Day falls on a Monday, you’ll receive them on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week along with the Living Well podcast on Wednesday.
If you’d like to read the devotional instead or read along as you listen, here’s the transcript:
Hello! It's Christmas Eve! If you're listening to this on the day of publication, I wish you a really peaceful and enjoyable Christmas time. Are you feeling the Christmas vibes yet or not?
I don't know, but today in our mini deep dive, we are going to be celebrating Jesus, the light of the world!
So, we're just going to step away from the traditional nativity scriptures and we're going to dive into John 1 and the first verse of John 1:
In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him and apart from him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In him was life and the life was the light of mankind and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not grasp it.
And the NIV translation, that was the NASB, the NIV says:
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
And if you know your scripture you will remember two things. First of all, that Jesus himself refers to himself in John 8 verse 12 he says: I am the light of the world whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.
And he speaks about the Kingdom of Light and also one of the names of Jesus is that he is actually the Word the Living Word. I know sometimes as Christians, everybody assumes that the word is talking about the Bible or sometimes in the Bible when it says the word of God, it is talking about scripture. But if you remember that a lot of the New Testament hadn't been written at the time when Jesus was alive and when some of these sermons and things that are recorded in the New Testament have actually been recorded. And so it's really clear for lots of reasons, actually that when the writers of the Bible are referring to the Word of God, that they are very often referring to Jesus himself.
In the beginning was the word, in the beginning was Jesus, the Word of God, and the Word was with God. He was with God and he was in the beginning with him. That this light in him was life and the life was the light of mankind.
And at Christmas time we talk about that phrase thank you God for coming down as a baby and we sing the songs about the light of the world but today we're just going to dig a little bit deeper and really think on that some more.
That this wasn't just a flickering little candle, just a flickering little baby but this is God himself the light, the light that existed before the world began, the light that sparked mankind, the light who is there and the darkness must flee. The light that invades our life, invades our heart, fills our spirit, fills our being, fills our understanding.
The light who stands at the door of our heart and knocks and says let me into those secret places, those dark places, those broken places. Invite me in to restore. Let my mercy redeem. I am calling you. I'm calling you -the different parts of you back from those prodigal places from those hidden places and I'm saying, come into my Kingdom of Light.
And what I love about the Kingdom of Light that we learn about in the New Testament and then the armour of light that Paul shares about and you know, Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Light. What I love about that is that this isn't just a spiritual thing, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, through our relationship with Jesus, we carry the Kingdom of Light within us.
And we walk with Jesus within his Kingdom of Light, even within this barren and broken and dark world that we are bearers, not only of Jesus's image, but of his light.
And so invitation today, our motivation today, our celebration today is Lord more of your light in my life.
Lord let your light flow through me in ever and ever greater measure. Lord God we celebrate your light and that your light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. It does not overcome it. It will not overcome it.
So let's pray because this light is there all the time for us that we particularly celebrate at Christmas. And so on this Christmas Eve, whether you're lighting candles, whether you're sitting in a room that you've darkened and enjoying the lights on a Christmas tree, or you’re driving around and seeing people decking their homes with lights. Let's remember that we are celebrating the greatest light of all, the most powerful light, the life-giving light, the healing light, the restoring light, the redeeming light of Jesus.
So here we go:
Oh Jesus, thank you that you did come down to earth to create that way for us to walk with you, to be lifted up by the Father and held close as his children. Children of God, children of your light.
We thank you, even as we remember your birth, we thank you for your death and your resurrection because that was why you came. To show us how to live, to speak your light into our lives, and to release that as you broke the power of shame and sin and pain in our lives.
Lord God, we lean into you this Christmas Eve, and we say thank you with hearts aflame with gratitude, with hearts burning brightly longing for more of your light in our lives and through our lives.
Lord Jesus, you are welcome in our lives. You are welcome. You are wonderful. You are glorious.
And so we celebrate all that you are and we say come Lord Jesus, in greater and greater measure. We are yours and we gift you our hearts today just as you gave your life for us.
Amen.
So, have a brilliant time celebrating! Remember that you belong to God. And remember too, that if any different emotions pop up, you know, difficult times during the Christmas time as you’re spending time with other people, just lean into Jesus. Okay, because he knows you, he loves you, he's there for you and he sees all that you're feeling and he will help you to know what you need to let go of, as we've been talking about in our living well podcast, and just showing you. Let him release his love and his light in greater and greater measure into every part of you this Christmas.
And if you're listening to this recording at a time and it's not Christmas, the same goes you can celebrate Jesus's birth today! And yeah have a great day.
I will catch you later in the week for our devotionals. So keep an eye on your inbox. There will be content this week for all subscribers. Starting later in the week we will be doing some gratitude reflections and activities. So look out for those!
All right. Happy Christmas!
Advent 4 Mini Deep Dive: The Light Has Come!