Garry continued his message on ‘Christmas Light’ at the Christmas Day service. Having explored the idea that God is light (1 Jn 1:5-9) and that Jesus is the Light of the World (Jn 8:12, Jn 1:1-5), he reminded us of our responsibility to share that light (Matt 5:14-16). Once we have received the light of God, that light needs to be front and centre of our lives. Those who belong to clubs are keen to talk about their hobbies; we have far greater news than a hobby to share! Christ wants us to be passionate about what He has done for us.
Jn 3:19 reminds us that light challenges darkness, and we can face a range of reactions to the light of Christ in us. Some people have preconceptions about Christianity (and God) which make them hostile to the light; our job is to live the life so well that those preconceptions are shattered. An example of this is Günther Bechly who organised the celebration of the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth at the Natural History Museum in Stuttgart with a display of a balancing scale where Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’ more than outweighed all the books on creationism. He decided to read those books for himself and ended up speaking with many of the authors and coming to abandon his belief in evolution which led to the museum terminating his employment. There was a cost to his change of heart and conversion, but he counted that as nothing compared to the liberating light of the gospel.
Jesus is a stone that makes men stumble and a rock that makes them fall (1 Pet 2:6-8). The Greek word ‘scandalon’ was a ‘trap stick’, a snare, and Christ can be offensive to us, pointing out where we are wrong and telling us that God is offended at our sin and we need to repent and accept His forgiveness. Nonetheless, as we walk in the light, His light exposes the darkness and leads others to the light as well. Our responsibility and privilege is to share the light of Christmas throughout the year.