Scripture as a Light of Christmas

Christmas truly is a season of light. Throughout this series, we’ll be using the theme of light to prepare for and then debrief on the season of Advent.

The first light which I would like to explore with you is the light of Scripture, the light of the Word of God. All throughout the Bible two ideas - light and Word - are paired up. Two important words: “logos” – a Greek word “memra” – a Hebrew word The words logos and memra both mean “word” and are nicknames for someone. We’ll unpack who that someone is in a moment.

For the Jewish people, the word “memra” took on three personifications - kind of like secret identities. It could refer to: the angel of the Lord the prophets the divine will expressed in Law – the Scriptures.

Psalm 119:105 … “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path”. To the ancient Israelites, God’s word – or more precisely God’s Law – was described as a light. Who can tell me what God’s first recorded words are? Genesis 1:3 – “Let there be light”. God’s word brings light. Enlightenment means gaining understanding, enabling clarity of perception or seeing something more clearly. God’s word brings knowledge and understanding, showing us things we do not know.

“Light” and “words” are extremely important in understanding. “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple”. (Psalm 119:130) Just as light shows us things that the darkness hides, God’s word shows us things that are hidden from us because of sin. One thing that the verse claims God’s word reveals to us is the path for our feet. Scripture suggests that there are two basic paths that we can walk in life – one that leads to life and God and the other that leads to the grave or death.

Sin – the wrong choices we make – is often described as darkness in Scripture. The Bible suggests that sin clouds our ability to see our path clearly, so we need a light to push away this darkness. We need a light for our path. God’s word acts like a light helping us to see the path that we are on.

For an awfully long time, God’s people had thought that following God’s word would allow them to inherit eternal life. The Scriptures show God’s people the path that leads to life. Scripture points us to the right path; it is a light that helps us see and understand the path clearly, but it is not the path; it cannot grant eternal life.

“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40). Scripture can help us understand things, it can help us see things that are hidden, and it can even show us the path that we ought to be following, but it isn’t the actual path. It only points us to the path. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus is the way, the path that leads to life.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:1-5, 9, 14 John talks about the “Word” as though it is a person – in fact, the last part of our verse tells us that the word actually became a person!

Scripture leads us to the foot of the manger, but that’s where it leaves us. It is here that we encounter something absolutely incredible. In His mother’s arms, we find light and Word embodied; we see the light of all humankind in the face of a baby and we encounter the Word made flesh. The light of Scripture pointed us here, but it can lead us no further. Someone else is going to have to lead us on from here .. more on that in a couple of weeks!