Christmas Light

Anyone who has known me for any length of time is either aware of my adoration of the Christmas season or, at the very least, has me pegged as one of those people who would.
I could list a number of reasons why I love Christmas. I don’t have to, of course. I don’t think you need to justify joy when it’s based on the reality that God came to earth to save people from their sin, to give them abundant life. If I am considered foolish for swooning over the intoxicating music of the season, the scent of pine and wood burning fires and caramels cooking, and family traditions, sign me up. Can we at least agree that “irrational” happiness is better than irrational ire? (I think of a coworker who, in a moment of frustration while figuring out gifts for a family member this week, actually said [quite loudly, and with expletives] that he hated Christmas.)
This year, I’ve realized one specific about the Christmas season reflective of the overall meaning of the holiday that I particularly adore: light. At the darkest time of the year, we throw lights on everything – houses, trees, streetlights, wreaths – to pierce the night. We light up our fireplaces and put candles in our windows.
I think of the lights back home in San Diego; there’s the Parade of Lights, where boat owners deck their vessel’s “halls” and sail around the bay. There are lights on the houses, which are fun to see whether it’s the product of a Christmas decoration enthusiast or lights thrown on a house at the last minute.
Plenty of lights illuminate DC this time of year. The lit-up snowflakes on light posts around the Hill. Giant lit-up wreaths on Union Station, and inside… it’s simply breathtaking. Little round lights encircling the outdoor skating rink in the Sculpture Garden. The Capitol and White House Christmas trees.
But it’s the details of light that really captivate me. The reflection of a candle in a window. The way a glass ornament reflects and refracts the nearest string of lights. The flicker of a candle dancing on the wall. Light has an amazing tendency toward amplification.
It reminds me of the Light of the World, how different it is from the darkness. How piercing Light is in a dark place. Light reveals the reality of what’s around us, it shows us the way. Light does not originate in me, but I have the privilege, the honor – and what’s more, the God-given ability that’s nothing short of awing to reflect that Light.
Light is what makes Christmas beautiful. It is a gift of God, and an immutable reminder of His faithfulness to pursue His people.