Today is December 23. At long last, days are getting longer again here in the north of the world. In two days we will celebrate Christmas, our annual celebration of the incarnation of the Son of God, the birth of Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord. Now, as many people know, the Bible makes no reference to the calendar when discussing the birth of Jesus. December 25 is in many ways a made-up birthdate.
(There are a couple prominent theories as to why Christians settled on December 25: One is that Christmas takes over former pagan winter solstice celebrations. Another is that a December 25 birthday would place Jesus' conception around March 25, the time of his death and resurrection, connecting God's work of creation and redemption in Jesus. Despite what you may have heard, neither theory is acutally totally certain.)
That being said, celebrating Jesus' birth toward the end of December is very fitting for those of us who live in northern lands. John 1 describes Jesus as "the true light" that "was coming into the world." In both John 8 and John 9, Jesus says that He is "the light of the world," and in John 12 Jesus says, "I have come into the world as a light." The slowly lengthening days remind us of how Jesus brings light to our world. The light of Christmas pierces the darkness of our despair, for God Himself has come to save us from sin and death, to rescue us from evil and oppression, to deliver us from suffering and brokenness. Jesus drives away our darkness with His perfect light. He helps us understand the truth about God and ourselves more and more. He overcomes our sinfulness and transforms us into His likeness. We celebrate Christmas because light has come into the world through Jesus. We await His coming again, when there will be no more night, when Jesus Himself will give us light rather than the sun or the moon (Revelation 21). This winter and every winter, we can celebrate, because Jesus our Savior shines light into our hearts, leading us to Him. Jesus, the light of the world, gives us hope.
Grace and peace,
BMH
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