In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:3

Quite often, heads turn, and eyes brighten at the next notion of the next new thing to enhance or enrich our lives. Marketing and media are flooded with enticing ads for some life-changing health product, beauty aid, vitamin, exercise plan, immediate financial success strategy, or some glimmer of hope to make life full and complete. So often the appeal is too great to resist, and the lure for pleasure is undeniable. Yet, a mysterious darkness continually plagues the soul of men and can never be satisfied by human efforts or worldly pleasures. The adventure of every soul is to evade the darkness and have greater life. The scripture passage reveals to us that the solution for man’s adventure is Jesus and “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Jesus was born under the cover of night and darkness, yet He was “the light of the world” that men should “not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). Jesus’ birth disrupted the darkness with the marvelous light of heaven, and “became flesh” (Jn 1:14) to call men “out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). His marvelous light is so eloquently sang in the words of the very familiar Christmas carol “Silent Night.” The song writer proclaims, “Silent night, holy night, Son of God, oh, love’s pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. Dear friend, behold the face of the Babe that lay in the manger and see “love’s pure light…of redeeming grace.” This is why Jesus came into the world. And this is why we can therefore celebrate Christmas. “Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.” He came that they that walked in darkness “might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Father, thank You for Your love and eternal life through the marvelous light of Your Son. I am eternally grateful and wonderfully thankful for Your redeeming grace. In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.