December

Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12

On a recent jaunt through our neighborhood friendly Wal-Mart, I happened to take notice of all the varieties of Christmas lights on display that one has to choose from, in order to bring brilliance to one’s home. While exploring just the first aisle, I counted no less than twelve different types of lights, which according to your personal choice, assures you of a unique twist on outdoor home decorating. If my memory serves me right, there were colored rope lights, crystallized rope lights, cracked ice rope lights, crystal teardrop lights, LED lights, chasing lights, mini-multi lights, twinkling ribbon lights, swag-style lights, soft glow lights, bubble lights, icicle lights, and just the plain “old-school” colored lights. Wow—that’s a lot of illumination power! I always look forward to the day we tackle decorating our home for the Christmas holiday, which is usually the day after Thanksgiving. String after string of lights are stretched out upon the garage floor, plugged in, and scrutinized for any “dead” bulbs that have lost their power, while being tucked away since last season. It’s easy to get carried away by adding “just a few more lights.” One year we actually thought the glow of our home would confuse the pilots on their approach to Orange County airport!

As we decorate and adorn our homes for the Christmas season, let us remember that Jesus came as the “light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Him will no longer remain in the darkness.” Aren’t you glad that the light of the Savior will not shatter, nor will it grow dim and eventually extinguish? Yes, the light of the Lord can be represented through the glow of a simple candle flame, held in the hand of one who has accepted His simple gift of salvation, and invited Him to reside inside his/her heart. Make JESUS the reason for your Christmas season!

Have the Merriest Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Carl & Bonnie Friedrich