2021 Christmas Worship Guide

Jesus: The Light of God
By Rev. Laurie Hill
St. John's Church of Christ

Send a link to a friend  Share

[December 09, 2021]   Just for fun, in our imaginations, let’s shrink the earth to 1/50th of an inch in diameter. Can you even see it in your mind’s eye? It would be a tiny speck, perhaps like the period at the end of this sentence. If we do that, the sun would be nineteen and a half feet away from that speck. And the closest star to that sun would be a little bit more than a thousand miles beyond that.

The universe we live in is one expansive place. The earth as we know it, has always been that tiny. Yet, even so far away, we see those stars, and of course need the sun and moon to survive. Time and space are fascinating and mind blowing. Yet, one day, just like any other day, thousands of babies are born. And one of those many trips around the sun, one of those babies was Jesus.

The Magi studied those stars and knew something different was happening. Yet, they also sensed in their mind’s eyes, in their hearts, that a new way of understanding life was born. That new way of life, born in a baby, would be a gift to our world. They searched for that gift to the world and found one of those thousands of babies, just one.

In a humble place, a baby was born to a questionable, socially unacceptable couple yet this baby would change the world and our entire understanding of life. Not just for their time but for all time.

Harold E Kohn wrote, “While it is impossible to comprehend the universe or to fathom fully the mysteries of life on this strange planet or to know all about God and his dealings with us, in the small stable of Bethlehem lies the answer to life’s most perplexing riddles. The Christ child gives bewildered the surest clue to the meaning of existence.”

Because of the Christ child, we, humans, can understand that we are here for a purpose. That tiny baby grew to become a star for us to follow our whole lives long.

We now know just as our sun is shining bright to give the earth light and warmth, it points beyond itself to the expansive universe, so that baby Jesus points beyond Himself for us to know the expansive love of God.

[to top of second column]

We now know when we experience and create hope, love, peace and joy, God is present.

We now understand slightly more the vastness of the God who created us, redeems us, and comforts us but also gives us each and every one a purpose.

God’s gift in this tiny planet, in this tiny baby Jesus, and this tiny time in space and time means each one of us are like the many stars that shine brightly. “Star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.”

 

Read all the articles in our new
2021 Christmas Worship Guide

Title
CLICK ON TITLES TO GO TO PAGES
Page
When Doubt Encounters Christmas 4
Jesus:  The Light of God 7
A child is born:  the shepherds go 10
A heavenly gift 13
Longing to be filled 16
Christmas:  God's invitation to you 18
Holiday Worship Schedule 21

< Recent features

Back to top