In2theRiver

Good morning from Westminster, MD!

With the Christmas season now fully upon us, I recently had the chance to reflect on that way John, one of Jesus’ disciples, writes about the moment Jesus entered the world in human form in his recording of the Gospel. While John’s rendition is different than what we typically think of as the Christmas Story, it provides a beautiful image of the significance of that moment.

In John’s account he writes, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (John 1:9, NIV) John describes Jesus as the “true light”, a light powerful enough to give light to impact everyone in the world. That is some kind of light!

Is this the picture you have of the small baby sitting in the manager? Yes, he was completely dependent on his parents, but at the same time he contained, and still contains, the power to provide light to everyone in the world, even those trapped in its darkest corners. This should not come as a surprise to us since earlier in John’s writing he says, “Through him all things were made.” (John 1:3, NIV)If he has the power to create the world, he certainly has the power to bring light to everything he created.

What kind of “light” is this? It could be described in a lot of ways, but for me it represents hope for what could be and will be, in my life, the lives of those around me, and the world. It is hope that change is always possible and that nothing or no one is too broken to be made whole. It is hope that one day all things will be as they ought to be and that our efforts to create restoration are not in vain. It is a light that says, “I am not finished with you yet.”

This why I have such hope for those trapped in seemingly hopeless situations, including those stuck in a cycle of poverty. There is a light that is stronger and greater than any circumstance and He came to share his light to us in that manger 2,000 years ago.

I hope you will experience the hope of this light this Christmas. It’s some kind of light!

James Belt