"Take The Light"
A young man within our church family felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to touch lives on Christmas Day with the light and love of Jesus. As a result, we met a beautiful community that invests weekly in the stories and feeding of a homeless community in Marietta.
There were many precious conversations and God-winks along the way; however, one conversation kept me up last night. A gentleman who picked out a dress shirt from the clothes donations we brought broke open the commercialism of Christmas and put the humility of the manger in full view! I asked him if he wanted me to take the shirt off the hanger and fold it so he could place it in his backpack. He said he would take the shirt as it was. He explained that when he got back to camp, he could use the hanger on a limb of a tree to dry his clothes. I asked where camp was, and he replied, “In that direction, deep in the woods.” He continued, “We have to go deep in the woods because people don’t want to see all this.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, and a lump bubbled up in my throat. This entire Advent season, we have been preaching out of John, Chapter 1, about the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. We have focused on the “True Light” that gives light to all mankind.
When I closed my eyes last night, I could visualize the community we served walking back into the dark shadows of the woods. What does that do to a spirit? How is it with a soul that must be “unseen” to survive? As I processed my thoughts, I could see Jesus interacting with the woman at the well, the woman with the issue of blood, the lepers, the blind, the crippled, and lame. The light that broke into the darkness of human spirits and brought healing and restoration. The light that illuminated a spirit with hope and joy. The light that brought the presence of peace and joy in any and all circumstances. A flood of images straight from the Gospels played like a movie reel in my thoughts.
As December comes to a close, the lights of Christmas will be unstrung and put in containers until next year. The carols of Christmas will stop playing, and the season of gift giving will be in the rearview mirror as a New Year is on the horizon. The commercial Christmas will have exhausted itself and faded into the noise of the world for another eleven months. But the true work of Christmas dwells in the heart, mind, soul, and strength of every believer who professes Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The true work of Christmas continues to illuminate the light that invites people out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. The true work of Christmas should be the constant business of every body of believers and the church that proclaims His name. The true work of Christmas stays alive through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
So put away the decorations, pack up the lights, store the garland and wreaths. But that light, that “true light” of Christ, it’s time to get to work. It’s time to take that light into the dark shadows of this world and shine it! Get Gospel gorgeous in His grace and with His grit and shine the true light and work of Christmas every day there is breath!
May the work of Christmas continue today into 2026!
Merry CHRISTmas!
There were many precious conversations and God-winks along the way; however, one conversation kept me up last night. A gentleman who picked out a dress shirt from the clothes donations we brought broke open the commercialism of Christmas and put the humility of the manger in full view! I asked him if he wanted me to take the shirt off the hanger and fold it so he could place it in his backpack. He said he would take the shirt as it was. He explained that when he got back to camp, he could use the hanger on a limb of a tree to dry his clothes. I asked where camp was, and he replied, “In that direction, deep in the woods.” He continued, “We have to go deep in the woods because people don’t want to see all this.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, and a lump bubbled up in my throat. This entire Advent season, we have been preaching out of John, Chapter 1, about the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. We have focused on the “True Light” that gives light to all mankind.
When I closed my eyes last night, I could visualize the community we served walking back into the dark shadows of the woods. What does that do to a spirit? How is it with a soul that must be “unseen” to survive? As I processed my thoughts, I could see Jesus interacting with the woman at the well, the woman with the issue of blood, the lepers, the blind, the crippled, and lame. The light that broke into the darkness of human spirits and brought healing and restoration. The light that illuminated a spirit with hope and joy. The light that brought the presence of peace and joy in any and all circumstances. A flood of images straight from the Gospels played like a movie reel in my thoughts.
As December comes to a close, the lights of Christmas will be unstrung and put in containers until next year. The carols of Christmas will stop playing, and the season of gift giving will be in the rearview mirror as a New Year is on the horizon. The commercial Christmas will have exhausted itself and faded into the noise of the world for another eleven months. But the true work of Christmas dwells in the heart, mind, soul, and strength of every believer who professes Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The true work of Christmas continues to illuminate the light that invites people out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. The true work of Christmas should be the constant business of every body of believers and the church that proclaims His name. The true work of Christmas stays alive through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.
So put away the decorations, pack up the lights, store the garland and wreaths. But that light, that “true light” of Christ, it’s time to get to work. It’s time to take that light into the dark shadows of this world and shine it! Get Gospel gorgeous in His grace and with His grit and shine the true light and work of Christmas every day there is breath!
May the work of Christmas continue today into 2026!
Merry CHRISTmas!
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