It is Christmas Eve! The eve of our celebration of the light of men, Jesus Christ. Of course, we Christians should celebrate, praise, and worship the Son of God every day of our lives, but this is a day that we can set aside to focus our attention and our hearts on our Lord and Savior. The prophet, Isaiah, tells of a great light that has been seen by… that has dawned on… people who are dwelling in darkness.
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles- the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned."From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:12-17
Notice that the darkness is not great, but the light is. The Apostle John tells us the “darkness has not overcome it [the light of men] (John 1:5).” The people in the region are said to live in the shadow of death. The Creator of the universe enters into this dark, bleak winter of the world shattering the former kingdom and ushering in His kingdom, a kingdom of righteousness.
The Creator of the universe enters into this dark, bleak winter of the world shattering the former kingdom and ushering in His kingdom, a kingdom of righteousness. Click To TweetJesus is here entering into his earthly ministry. And He does this by preaching. His message? Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus is the King and He is declaring war on the old kingdom of darkness. This is a war that He will win… and it won’t even be a contest. To men of every tribe, nation and language Jesus commands that they owe their allegiance to Him, their Creator.
This is Christmas!
Christmas is about the King bringing His great light into the world to cast out the darkness. Christmas is an opportunity to turn from the darkness in our own lives towards the light of Christ. Christmas is about the King declaring His ownership of all that He has created, and rightly owns. This means you and it means me.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing!
Merry Christmas to you and yours from the Franzones!