By Melissa Weis – https://didnotfall.wordpress.com/2023/12/15/the-light-of-christmas/

I have a super cute tiny Christmas tree right in front of where I sit in the mornings to have my “Jesus & coffee” time. It has these little miniature ornaments that each are a part of the nativity scene. It’s adorable.  I love it!  But there’s something about the slightly bigger tree just above it on my husband’s dresser that always catches my eye and attention.  That tree was just an afterthought that my oldest son put there after I had sort of given up on putting out any more Christmas decorations this year!  

I’ve been sick with some sort of death like pneumonia/asthma/sinus thing for the past couple of weeks! It has been both awful and kind of good. Awful in that for many days I have had zero energy to do anything except try to breathe without coughing from the bottom of my toes! And you know what happens when the mom of the house is taken down…especially at Christmas!?  Who’s going to do “all the things?” No offense to the dads.  I really do have an amazing husband who does A LOT to help around the house and for our kids (it’s kind of what you are signing up for when you marry a dr who works long hours!).  But even with awesome dads we all know it’s the moms & the women who know how to bring that Christmas magic to the season!

Well, I don’t know about you all, but I was TIRED even going into this Christmas, before I actually got sick.  It seems to be a thing this year—everyone is EXHAUSTED & overwhelmed all the time, never feeling like there is enough time to get everything done in general, let alone adding on the many, many “to do lists” that swim around in our brains at Christmas time! Does anyone else feel this or see this right now in your friends??  On Nov 16, (I went back and checked the date), I actually made up my own meme that seemed to strike a chord with at least my FB friends.  It said, “Welcome to the season of ‘all mom brains are overflowing’ until ~Jan 8!” (which is when at least my kids head back to school!)  ANYWAY, all that to say, “I’ve been even more exhausted than usual and tried to just do the bare minimum of taking out Christmas decorations.”

But I did also say there have been some super fun things about being sick. I’ve been able to see what happens when I literally CAN’T step in to help (or boss people around and tell them, “That’s not where that goes!”) We had a sweet, sweet time of decorating the tree the other night that I never would have imagined could have happened. Our 3^rd son, the most stubborn one, was super tired from the million birthday parties he’s been going to lately and refused to come down. Even when my oldest—a junior in high school—said, “C’mon! This is family time! I only have 2 more Christmases before I move out!?!”  AHHHH! To be honest, I probably would have stomped upstairs and forced #3 to come down and we would have all been crabby and miserable arguing constantly while we decorated the tree! Fun, right? But I literally didn’t have the energy to get up.  So, it was just my oldest, and my middle—my sweet, easy one—even though he is on the autism spectrum.  Those two had a GREAT time—mostly cracking jokes and taking jabs at each other while they went back and forth unwrapping and then hanging ornaments on the tree. I could just see my middle feeling “puffed up,” being able to be right in the center of the activity having fun for once, instead of always being overshadowed by the 2 strong redheads that surround him! Even now, a couple weeks later, the sweetness of that night is still in my mind and heart as the best moment so far this season. 

Why in the world did I share that long windy intro?  Well back to the tree on top of my husband’s dresser—the one that was an afterthought.  It has literally nothing on it except white lights. And yet there is something about those lights, something about LIGHT in general that just screams Christmas time! 

I’ve been going through this new advent devotional this year (I think recommended by a Christian woman writer or podcaster that I follow), called “NEAR: He Came Here to Draw Us Near.”  It uses the gospel of Matthew, one chapter a day, to help lead up to Christmas time with a much fuller understanding of who Jesus is and why we celebrate His birth. 

The whole second week has been focused on this idea of LIGHT.  Jesus as LIGHT.  “He came to bring LIGHT” is the theme of the week.  LIGHT in the storms of life, guiding LIGHT, LIGHT over darkness, LIGHT that unburdens, LIGHT that reflects, LIGHT that reveals, & LIGHT in the dead of night or on our darkest day . We won’t go through all of them in detail—Michelle said I don’t get to have the whole two hours tonight!  But I did want to highlight a few. 

The first one really struck me. “LIGHT in the Storms of Life.”  Being sick has not been the only struggle in our home these past few weeks.  The Lord has allowed some big storms for us to navigate through.  He is not letting us go through them alone, of course, but He has definitely had us on our knees begging for His calm, His peace, His wisdom, and His guidance through these storms.  Matthew 8:23-27 tells the story of the apostles in the boat in the storm with Jesus.  “And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.  And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.  And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” 

Jesus’ question hit me as I read it this time.  “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Why AM I afraid? What is it about this storm that makes me doubt? 

The disciples in the boat knew his POWER.  They had literally JUST seen Him perform many miracles—healing & saving.  They knew this man, this POWER, was in the boat with them.  And yet, when the waves got big, the storms were rough & they were overwhelmed, they panicked.  They doubted.  When they did remember to ask Jesus for help, I can imagine they were even a little sassy/exacerbated as they yelled at him (they’re sinners like us, right?).  And I just imagine Jesus very quietly (holding back the big sigh that you & I would give to show our annoyance…since He never sinned!), standing up, rebuking the winds and the sea, and then just silently, wordlessly, crawling back into his corner to sleep! We aren’t told exactly what happens next, so I could be right!? 

What I love about this devotional book is that the author pulls out an old testament verse that correlates with the Matthew story for each day.  When you read Matthew, you know he is very precise in his detailing.  He mostly quotes word for word what Jesus says, and you read many times, “and this was to fulfill the Old Testament prophesy…” For this story, she pulls Psalm 89:3-4 “Who is like you, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY? You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.  You rule over the surging sea; when the waves mount up, you still them.” 

Jesus has authority over the seas.  He created them, He parted them (the Red Sea in Exodus), and He stills them.  In the same way, He can still our souls as we go through the storms of life. But the theme was supposed to be LIGHT, right? Hold on, we’re getting there. Think about how beautiful and bright and clear it often is after a big storm.  The author says this, “There’s something about the light that appears after the darkness of a storm.  As my teen boys would say, ‘It hits different.’” (My youngest says that all the time! “I’m just built different, Mom!” HA!) She goes on to say, “There’s a calmness and peace and stillness that radiates with that light…”  For anyone who wears glasses or contacts, it reminds me of that too—either putting in a fresh pair of contacts or getting a new rx for your glasses.  You’ve been living with the dull, even sometimes blurry fog of your old rx—functioning, but not well. And then you put on the new ones and suddenly everything is sharp and so clear.  It’s literally exciting! (Or maybe that’s just me…) 

Back to the devo again, that sharp clear, bright after the storm, “I’s a reminder that Jesus, the Son of God, shines as bright as the sun when the storms cease, the dark clouds lift, and the winds of the storms shift to bring about a stillness that wasn’t present moments earlier as the storm was raging.” 

SUCH a BEAUTIFUL TRUTH!  That stark contrast—The LIGHT of God’s wisdom and peace truly breaks forth and overcomes the darkness.  And yet, we don’t see the beauty or the clarity of that sweet pure light unless we have made it through the darkness of the storm, or the illness, or the depression, or the family conflicts/hard feelings/old patterns that often come up as we prepare to gather together at Christmas time…

But He is there.  He is with us.  He is in the boat.  We just need to call on Him…more about that in a minute…

There is one more of these light themes that I wanted to talk about more in detail. 

But first, a 10,000 foot view of the other days/themes in this “LIGHT week.” 

There is also “Guiding LIGHT,” which describes a story in Matthew 9:36 when it says, “When He {Jesus} saw the crowds, He had compassion for them…” they were “like sheep without a shepherd.  He leads us.  His LIGHT shepherds us, guides us…

Then Matthew 10, “LIGHT over Darkness,” which describes Matthew 10:27-28, and Isaiah 42:16 which is a verse I LOVE, “And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them.  I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground.  These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” Isn’t that awesome? He truly goes before us, makes a way, and battles with us over “this present darkness,” the spiritual battles in our everyday lives. 

Then Matthew 11, “LIGHT that Unburdens.“ This one, I will admit, she really plays on the words to make this fit.  Matthew 11:28-29 is the “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” verse.  He not only lights the way by the brightness of His presence, but He lightens our burdens by the mightiness of His strength and power. 

Matthew 12, “LIGHT that Reflects.”  We are image bearers.  Matthew 12:33-37 “…for the tree is known by its fruit…” and Genesis 1:27“in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.” We are made in His image.  I do like this quote/truth the author shares in this section.  “What is manmade or manufactured will malfunction.  Artificial light will always dim and eventually burn out.  You can change bulbs or batteries in an effort to keep things bright, but eventually anything in and of this world will lose its light, cease to shine, and grow dark.”   BUT GOD, right?? The Son of God “is our source of light and life.  He defeated spiritual darkness by defeating death, and He was and is and forever will be the Light of the World.” We as image bearers get to reflect this light.  “When we are fully following Christ, empty of ourselves and full of Him, we can light up the darkest places simply by reflecting His light.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.)

Finally, my favorite part this season, “LIGHT that Reveals.” This is based on Matthew, chapter 13, which is FULL of parables—the parable of the sower and the various places where the seeds land—on the path, on the rocks, in the thorns, and in the good soil; there is the parable of the weeds—the sower plants good seeds in his fields, and while he is sleeping, the evil one plants weeds amidst the wheat; the parable of the mustard seed and the leaven; and the parable of the hidden treasure in the field—the pearl of great value. It is also in this chapter when the disciples have the guts to ask Jesus, what in the world is up with all these parables? Why do you talk like this?? Matthew 13:13-15 Jesus says, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says, ‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.’  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”  And then MY favorite part, vs 16-17, “But BLESSED are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.  For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” It is SUCH a GIFT to be able to see.  To have His LIGHT REVEAL to us His Word, Himself.  As He, Jesus, reveals Himself to us, He is revealing who God is.  Immanuel, God with us.  Jesus came down, in the flesh.  God knew we would never understand without us being able to see Him as we are.  He came down fully human like us—to show us who God is.  To LIVE with us, PERFECTLY without sin, as we couldn’t do.  To die for us, because we could never be good enough, and then to be raised again, now seated at the right hand of God, praying for us.  But even more, after He left, He gave us the gift of His Spirit.  Through His Spirit, the LIGHT of revelation/illumination, our eyes get to be open to all that He says to us in His Word—way back when, when the Bible was written, but also every day NOW, every time we open His living, breathing Word.  His LIGHT reveals to our hearts what He wants us to see; how He wants to guide us; to fight for us over the darkness; to carry us with His power through the storms of our lives, SO THAT we are able to see the many, many miracles and works He does in our lives.  And through us, as image bears, as we share what He has done in our lives, as we take the time to pause and remember, choosing what we will focus our eyes on during this busy Christmas season…As we celebrate what is truly important, as we see all the lights this season and remember all the ways He is the Light of the World, WE are reflecting HIS glory.  And hopefully many will see and hear and put their trust in Jesus! 

I will close with one of the author’s prayers from the NEAR devotional, and then we will talk about what we’ll be doing next! 

“Father, thank you for your gift of Light through your Son, Jesus Christ.  He truly pierces the darkness and lights the way on my darkest day, and in my darkest night.  I pray you’d continue to calm my heart and quiet my spirit as you remind me not to fear.  You have given me victory over sin and death.  I long to know you more every day and grow brighter for you in this dark world.  Thank you for drawing near to me, so that I can draw near to you every day through the time I spend in your Word and in prayer, seeking your face, longing to better understand your ways so I can better live out your will. Help me understand your Word on a deeper level.  Use me as a beacon of hope in the dead of night for those who are lost and alone and in need of a Savior.  Lead them to the Father of Light, who gave us the Light of the World.  In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.”

I do have a challenge for you…

CHALLENGE: In these next 10-11 days before Christmas, take some moments to just BE STILL, to pause, to breathe, to stare at the LIGHTS of CHRISTMAS, to remember & be thankful for all that they mean.  As you pause and sit, ask Him—LORD, show me what you want me to see? Show me where I need to believe more and fear less (the Q Jesus asks in the boat, “O, you of little faith? Why do you doubt?”).  And then don’t forget to LISTEN.  He will show you.  He is the Light of the World!

QUESTIONS for GROUPS: 

1)     FAVORITE DECORATION? If you only had time or energy to put out ONE thing, what would it be and why? 

2)     FAVORITE TRADITION? With your family growing up, or your family now? Or a tradition you have done together with friends? 

3)     QUIET TIME—Do you have a “Jesus & coffee time?” If so, what does that look like? Is it the same or different during the Christmas season? 

4)     Optional for discussion, but “mandatory to do!” (Maybe on your drive home tonight.) 

Set ONE specific GOAL for yourself in this quiet time area for some time in the next 10 days. And we’ve all heard how the more specific you make it the more likely you are to follow through… ie. On Tuesday morning this week, I am going to wake up while it is still dark and sit downstairs by my Christmas tree or my nativity scene.  I’m going to drink mint tea and sit in the comfy chair with the red blanket, and I’m going to read day 19 of my “NEAR” Christmas devotional.  Before I start reading, I am going to ask Him to show me one truth He wants me to see.  And then before I get up from my time, I am going to ask God who He wants me to connect with that day and how—phone call, text, email, etc. And then I am also going to thank Him for my sweet time with Him.

Ok, maybe it doesn’t have to be that detailed, but you get the idea! 

Merry Christmas! 

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone… For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”