Christmas – A Radiant Light
By Glenda Ward
McDowell County
The people of Israel were waiting for the Messiah, a leader who had been promised centuries before by prophets. They believed this leader would rescue them from their Roman oppressors and establish a new Kingdom. They believed the coming Messiah would be their King and would rule the world with justice. However, many people overlooked prophecies that also spoke of this King as a suffering servant. Few recognized Baby Jesus as the Messiah (the ‘anointed One’). How could this humble carpenter’s son from Nazareth be their King? But Jesus was, from the time of His birth, the King of all the earth! Moreover, it was not in God’s plan to send Jesus to be an earthly King but a heavenly King. Matthew begins his book in the Bible by showing Jesus Christ was a descendant of David. His Kingdom would be much greater than David’s because it would never end.
Loving-kindness is descriptive words and actions designed to enrich the life of another person/other people. The birth of Jesus Christ definitely qualifies as an act of love and kindness. God’s gift to lost and dying worldly people. These words were spoken to Joseph in a dream by the angel of the Lord “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:” … “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21). These are truly works of love and kindness from our Heavenly Father. This reveals an important truth about Jesus – He is both God and man. God took on the limitations of humanity so He could live and die for the salvation of all who would believe in Him. The birth of Jesus is a supernatural event beyond human logic or reasoning. Because of this, God sent angels to help certain people understand the significance of what was happening. (Reference Matthew 2:13, 19; Luke 1:11, 26; 2:9).
The name JESUS means “Savior”. Jesus came to earth that Christmas morning to save us because we can’t save ourselves from sin’s consequences. We can’t eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us. Only Jesus can do that. He came to be our Savior from the power and penalty of sin. Jesus came to us as an infant baby born in a wayward stable. He was God in the flesh and literally lived among us. Through the Holy Spirit God is present today in the life of every believer. We will never develop loving kindness as a way of life without the power of the Holy Spirit, however, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit within us for God to use us. Kind words and kind actions can be life-changing! This develops over time as we open our hearts to become more Christ-like. We must consciously learn to keep kind words and actions as our agenda every day. When we do, we will have the help of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in radiating Light.
In today’s time, it seems peace is nowhere to be found and the nights are anything but silent. We may ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do about all that is going on in our lives in this world?” Can one person or family make a difference? Meditating on this, I hear a quiet whisper from within say: “the only way to get rid of darkness is to radiate more light.” Then Matthew 5:14: “Ye are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14). Jesus Christ wants to shine through us as the Holy Spirit leads and directs. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can radiantly shine this Christmas Season and throughout the coming New Year. We shine when we are kind by simply treating those we interact with in a considerate way; we can brighten someone’s day and way of life. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another” (John 13:35). We also radiate more Light when we are real within ourself.
One of my favorite Thanksgiving/Christmas decorations is a mosaic candle holder. When a candle is placed inside, all the broken pieces multiply and spread a radiant Light making it a beautiful masterpiece. The seemingly imperfect places in our lives can do the same. We don’t need to have it all together. We just need to say, “Jesus, please use all of me for your glory.” When we are real within ourselves others are drawn to us and that allows us to brighten their lives with encouragement. Every thoughtful word or act is a spark that can spread farther than we might ever realize. But most importantly we shine because we keep Jesus Christ first. No matter what anyone may say, Jesus Christ is still the reason for the season – and the reason for the ‘LIGHT’ within us.
Our Savior knows there will always be darkness with heartbreaking news headlines. They existed on the starry Christmas night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and will continue until He comes again. He also knows that because of what He did on the cross and through His resurrection, the darkness has already been defeated. We need to only accept His Light and Shine radiantly for Him. Every time we see Christmas lights this Christmas Season, let us remember this invitation and celebrate: “Arise, shine, for thy LIGHT is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee” (Isaiah 60:1). Also read (Isaiah 60: Verse 2). Darkness upon this earth will NOT last forever. God’s Light and Glory will win in the end. Thus, we will win if we follow Him to the end.
We can all make this world a little brighter wherever we are today and every day. Delight in both the simplicity of the Christmas story of Jesus Christ and how His birth and life teachings can change your life forever.
Jesus Christ truly is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
Read the full account of the Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ:
- Matthew Chapter 1 thru Chapter 2, Verse 23
- Luke Chapter 1 thru Chapter 2, Verse 40
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Glenda Ward is a member of Grand View Baptist Church in McDowell County. She is the mother of five grown children. Glenda is a Christian writer/author of “Something to Think About” – weekly Christian Articles. She writes Church Programs & Bulletins, VBS Material, Christmas and Easter Programs; all material based on the KJV of the Bible. Also testing the field in tributes, individual memorial writings, etc. You can read more good Christian news from Glenda HERE.
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