The Light of Christmas

by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."

Matthew 2:1-2

It was the dark winter of 1864. At Petersburg, Virginia, the Confederate army of Robert E. Lee faced the Union divisions of General Ulysses S. Grant. The war had been going for three and a half years, and the soldiers' enthusiasm had long since given way to the tedious fighting of trench warfare. Late one evening one of Lee's generals, Major General George Pickett, received word that his wife had given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Up and down the line the Southerners began building huge bonfires in celebration of the event.

These fires did not go unnoticed in the Northern camps and soon a nervous Grant sent out a reconnaissance patrol to see what was going on. The scouts returned with the message that Pickett had a son and these were celebratory fires. It so happened that Grant and Pickett had been contemporaries at West Point and knew one another well. So to honor the occasion, Grant, too, ordered that bonfires should be built.

What a peculiar night it was. For miles on both sides of the lines fires burned. No shots fired. No yelling back and forth. No war fought. Only light, celebrating the birth of a child. But it didn't last forever. Soon the fires burned down and once again the darkness took over-the darkness of the night and the darkness of war.

The good news of Christmas is that in the midst of great darkness there came a Light, and the darkness was not able to overcome the Light. It was not just a temporary flicker. It was an eternal flame. There may be times when we can't see how Christ will work things out in our lives, but the Christmas story affirms that whatever happens, the Light still shines. Even when Herod tried to extinguish the Light, God made sure that the Light was preserved.

John 8:12 says, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." The wise men were not seeking to worship the star or the angels, they were seeking the true Light of Christmas-Jesus Christ! He is the Light of this world.

Christ came to earth not to be a great role model or to be a great teacher of the Word (although He was); He came to provide a way to Heaven by dying on Calvary. We should be thankful for this great sacrifice that Christ made for us! Never get over the fact that Christ came to die for you! Even if you were the only person on earth, He would have died for you! He loves you that much.

Everyone deserves a chance to hear of God's gift and accept it! Christ came and established the way to Heaven and became our light in a dark world, but we must take that light and show it to others. We must let others know of the way to Heaven. Who around you has not seen Christ's light of salvation? Who do you know that is looking for the Light in this darkened world? Let the light of Christ shine through your life so that others may see Christ through you today!