In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
- Genesis 1:1–3, NIV
In the beginning was God. There was nothing except the darkness that hovered over the emptiness. The earth was formless—void of any life.
Then God spoke these four words, “Let there be light.”
Light burst into existence for the first time, cutting through the darkness. Those four words birthed a beginning and new life. Light was essential for God’s plan to create and redeem the world.
That’s why light became inseparably linked throughout the Scriptures to God's powerful presence and activity in the world.
Where light is, God is. Where light is, darkness cannot be. Where light is, beginnings are. God is the author of light, which means God is also the author of life.
This is why in John 1, when referring to the very essence of Jesus, John writes:
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4–5, NIV)
In Jesus, light was revealed in a way like never before. And just like in Genesis, the light of Jesus is at the very epicenter of God’s activity in the world and in our lives.
The Christmas story is the story of light showing itself in a way like never before. The Christmas story is the story of light breaking through the darkness. That light is life. That light is Jesus.
Heavenly Father, thank you that Jesus, the Light of the World, offers new grace, new hope, and new life… for all.
This devotional can be done in conjunction with BLINK, the Christmas storybook for children. Pick up your copy at Waumba Land or UpStreet this Sunday.
