String of Lights

For most of us Christmas brings back a flood of memories. Some of them are good and some of them are not so good, but most of the time we remember the warm things that have helped us define the season over the years. In our family, the first event of Christmas was finding and decorating our Christmas tree with a string of lights. I say “finding” because as a child we always had a real tree that had to be carefully selected for its height, shape, and fullness. We then had to carry it home to be tediously set in a stand while the house slowly filled with the aroma of pine! Before we could decorate the tree we had to strategically place each string of lights that would illuminate everything in a variety of color, sparkling and dancing on every shiny surface. There were foil star-shaped reflectors that fit behind every bulb as they screwed into their individual sockets, magnifying the brightness and color of each light as they shone in the darkness.

Initially, there was a wash of disappointment as each string of lights was plugged in only to remain dark because there were bulbs that wouldn’t burn. We would methodically test each bulb, replacing burnt out ones with new ones until the whole string of lights came alive to add to the glorious illumination of the tree.

Christmas is truly a season of lights! It is amazing how brightly a single candle can shine in a room that is dark. It draws your attention to its flickering flame, captivating your thoughts. While Jesus likened each believer to a “candle set on a lamp stand” that could give light to the whole house, He also taught His disciples to work together to enhance that “light” so that His truth could permeate the intense darkness of sin that had engulfed the lives of men for so long. The church is like that string of lights that can shine so beautifully when each of us is burning brightly for our Lord, reflecting His beauty and holiness.

Having our lives connected to the Holy Spirit keeps us alight, and together we bring an intensity of testimony to this world that cannot help but be noticed by those who live in darkness. Let us make this year a real season of lights!

How exciting to be His people,

Pastor David Vanderpool