the light of the world.

Today it is officially the season of Advent! Just for fun, here's an icebreaker to get things started. Feel free to respond in your comments.

Besides the golden rings, which gift from "The Twelve Days of Christmas" would you be most interested in receiving, and why?

For me, I would have to say eleven pipers piping. They could follow me around and play Christmas carols.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

–John 1:1-14

In thinking about how to best start this celebration of Advent, I thought it would be best to go back to the original story. Matthew and Luke both have accounts of the birth of Jesus, but for today I want to look at John’s introduction to the life of Jesus. John calls Jesus, or the “Word,” the “light of men.” Jesus came into the world that he had created in a way that was so radical that it was as different as light is to darkness. In the utter darkness, Jesus became a light that would change the entire course of history. At the moment that he became fully man while still fully God, a light burst into flame and started to spread to each person that believes in Jesus.

At my house growing up, every year my parents created a beautiful Advent ring with 24 candles. Each night, the whole family gathered together to light one more candle each day until we finally lit all 24 on Christmas Eve and then added a Christ candle in the center on Christmas Day. The image of the slowing growing ring of candles reminds me of this passage in John. Jesus was the first candle, penetrating the heavy darkness with the most brilliant light. But soon, that light spread into the hearts of men. Just as the Advent ring becomes brighter with each day in the month, so the light of Jesus grows brighter with each new heart that it enters.

If you can, turn off all your lights and light one single candle. Consider how amazing it is that this one tiny flame is still able to break through even the thickest darkness. Nothing can withstand the light; neither can anything withstand the light that Jesus brought into the world. As you enter into this season of Advent, let your light that comes from Jesus shine out into the darkness.