Be A Light

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

THE CELEBRATIONS HAVE ENDED.

The presents have all been opened. The tree and decorations will soon be put away.

I (Kendra) am always a little sad to see them go. Maybe it’s because, living in the Midwest, I know that winter will soon envelop us fully, and sometimes it drags on a little too long. But it’s also because I love the feeling of Advent. The twinkling lights. The warmth. The story of Jesus coming. The reminder of the hope we now have in him.

Jesus’ birth is definitely worth celebrating, but it’s not the end of the story. If we stopped there, we’d miss so much. We’d miss how he loved and cared for people, and how he called out those who thought they were being righteous but were really putting their rule-following ways above loving others. We’d miss his calling us to be his disciples and what it means to follow him. If we’d never observed his example in human form, we’d never wholly grasp that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love people, and that every other thing we do as followers of Jesus comes under that umbrella.

We’d miss his sacrifice, driven by his passionate love for us and for the world. We’d miss his desire to set everything right, to offer again a way for heaven to come to earth, and for us to experience it.

So now that Advent has ended, how do we take that same feeling, that same celebration, awe, and worship into the coming months?

We continue with the story. As we keep reading, we learn more about his purpose and his plan for us to be involved in it.

If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.

He came to us who were living in darkness. He was the light we were waiting on. Until he came, we knew God, but only as a dim reflection of his true self. When Jesus arrived, he showed us perfectly who God the Father is and always has been. There is no longer a shrouding of his true character, love, mercy, and forgiveness. His justice. His welcome. Everything good and right and true about God is fully displayed in Jesus.

Now that Jesus has come and lived as our perfect picture of who God is, he calls us to be a light in the darkness too. And he tells us exactly how to do just that in John 13:34: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” We are now to go throughout our days loving others. It seems simple enough, but it can be challenging. Thankfully, we have help.

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.

Once Jesus left the earth, he knew we’d still need help, so he sent an advocate, the Holy Spirit, to guide us each day. The Spirit doesn’t abandon us but comes to us, reminding us of the light of Jesus that now shines through each of us.

When my husband Kyle and I had been married for only a few years, we attended a seminar that challenged us to love our neighbors. Our literal neighbors. The trainer had us draw a grid with our house in the middle and to list the names of the people who lived closest to us, as well as any details we knew about their lives—anything from where they worked to something hard they’d gone through in life.

Looking around the table as people filled their grids, I glanced at Kyle, feeling a little sheepish. We knew a few of our neighbors’ names and one or two of their occupations but nothing personal about any of them. And we’d lived in our house for enough time that we really didn’t have an excuse.

We went home, determined to get to know the people living closest to us. It wasn’t easy, but we started with small conversations across the lawn, which led to yard parties, game nights, and birthday parties in garages.

What we found when we started inviting people into our lives was that they asked us right back. We’ve discovered deep friendships that have lasted years and even after we moved outside that neighborhood.

We recently celebrated our former neighbor Al’s eighty-ninth birthday at KFC (his favorite restaurant). As we drove through our old neighborhood after lunch, he commented on how much he loved it when our kids would come over and visit. They’d bike around his driveway when the weather was nice, while he sat outside and watched.

If we had not reached out to him, we might never have known that Al is a widower without children of his own. Our relationship has grown over the years into a beautiful friendship that continues to this day. I couldn’t have known where a simple smile and hello would lead. Today, it is our kids’ pictures that hang on his wall, their drawings and cards that are stuck on his fridge. I’m grateful for the nudging of the Holy Spirit to reach out when we did; I’d hate to think of what we’d be missing out on today without Al.

We are all called to love those around us. For you, it may be in your school, your workplace, a volunteer opportunity, or your neighborhood. No matter who you are, if you are a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you to people you can love well, people who may be lonely or in need of friends or even family.

We have no greater call beyond the Advent season than to love people well. That may look different for each of us, but the action of love is universally the same.

And when we love, we shine like lights, letting others feel and know the love of Jesus that we’ve experienced. That’s the real reason we celebrate Christmas anyway.

His love—shown to us, so that we may show others.

Lord, thank you for being the Light of the World. We’re grateful that you came. May we experience and know just how much you love us. And then help us to have the courage to look around and love people well. We ask the Holy Spirit to nudge us this year when we can offer a bit of encouragement, compassion, and love to others. We’re honored that you would use us as your hands and feet in this world. We love you. Thank you for loving us. Amen.