Be the Light and Others Will Find Their Way

11/30/2022

Written By: Frieda Dowler

“I am the Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in me won’t have to stay any longer in the dark.” - The Message John 12: 46.

There isn’t another season or time of year that brings hope, anticipation, excitement, and joy like Christmas. The birth of a child may be the only other thing that trumps Christmas with more emotion. And Christmas is when the birth of a child is recognized and celebrated by a majority of those who identity with the Christian faith.

Although Christmas traditions and celebrations vary widely, it is the time of the year when, in unison, we recognize the reason for our faith, Jesus. We celebrate with family, church family, co-workers, neighbors, and even strangers as we wish them a Merry Christmas in passing.

I have tried to wrap my head around Jesus’ earth journey. To imagine Mary’s thoughts about her miraculous conception and Joseph’s thoughts as a father to raise the first-born son of God. What would it be like to be pregnant as a virgin and then to raise a perfect child? As a baby, Jesus needed to know how to do things. His parents taught him life skills, like potty-training, walking, talking, eating by himself, interacting with others in play, doing chores, and learning a trade. It’s odd to think Jesus learned from humans. But it was in learning our ways that Jesus came to understand our weaknesses.

It would be similar to learning how other cultures live. When we find ourselves among those who are not like us, what is our response? What guides our behavior toward them? Are we guided by the way we think, or do we open ourselves to understanding them? What if we find ourselves with someone who does not celebrate Christmas? How do we explain why we celebrate?

We might say, “As a Christian, I celebrate Christmas because it is the day our Savior was born.” This might be like saying to someone from a place that has no roads or cars, “I own a car and drive every day because the places I go are too far to walk.” They may have difficulty understanding this. All they know is walking. But if you went and lived in that village, you might be better able to explain it to them. You would learn their culture and might use stories or examples to explain, like Jesus did. It would amaze them at what you knew about a different way of life. They might think you have supernatural knowledge.

God imparts supernatural knowledge about things from his world. First, we are born of flesh and then we are born again into a spiritual world through belief in Jesus. He came from His spiritual world into our natural world. Now we are able to understand His spiritual world because of the stories and examples He gave us. When we come across people who don’t know what it is like to join in this spiritual life, we are able to relate to them because we lived the way they did at one time. Sharing the story of Jesus’s birth is as simple as sharing our born again story.

Another way to share the birth of Jesus is through generosity. At one time, I considered myself a Grinch at Christmas. It disappointed me that Christmas had become so secular. It can bring out the worst in people: greed. I did not want to participate in Christmas because I focused on the worst. Then I realized the only way to confront greed was through generosity. Now I embrace it and share in any way I can. Round up your purchase? Yes! Drop a donation into the red buckets? Yes! Canned goods? Yes! It is truly more blessed to give than to receive.

One thing that drew me to Victory was the “Above + Beyond” campaign. I love how our church celebrates big with generosity. By pooling our resources, together we can help with needs in our community and across the world, spreading the message of Jesus.

We can pass hope and peace to many at this special time of year. We can give them a reason to celebrate at Christmas by sharing our born again story and through our generosity.

As this Christmas season gets underway, celebrate by telling your story and by being generous. Remember, we are the light in this dark world. In every way we can, we should share the things that will make a difference in someone else’s life.

“What happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard — things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way of life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.” - The Message Gal. 5: 22–23.