I have always loved Christmas lights. I loved them as a child, and even since I grew up, its always make me smile, when Christmas lights start appearing on houses every December.
But I gained a whole new perspective on Christmas lights when my grandsons came along. Somehow, when seeing the world reflected in the face and eyes of a child, it all seems new and wonderful again. We need to be reminded of that, especially at Christmas.
My first grandson is named Andrew, but we call him Ender, after a character in one of his dad’s favorite novels. When he was less than a year old, experiencing his first Christmas, I loved holding him up to the Christmas Tree to show him the lights. (I didn’t enjoy it as much the next year trying to keep him from eating the lights during his second Christmas.) But as he got older, we both discovered the joy of looking at Christmas lights from “Gwampa’s dok-wed Fod Wanger twuk!” (Translation: “Grandpa’s dark -red Ford Ranger truck”)
I would take him home from church in my truck after AWANA on Sunday nights. We both looked forward to this time. I’d buckle him in the jump- seat in the back, and we’d drive home together, usually with a detour through the car wash. (He loved the car wash. I should have bought stock in the car wash, back then.) But you can only wash your truck so many times, and when it got too cold, I had to figure out how to drive past the car wash without Andrew seeing. That’s when I saw the Christmas lights in the park.
I said,” Andrew, look! They put up Christmas lights in the park! Let’s go see ‘em!” Well, he thought that was a grand idea. So, we spent the next few minutes driving slowly around
Park- three times! We looked at every display, and every one of what he called the “triangle shapes” (I told him, “ I think those are supposed to look like Christmas trees.”) We gazed at every string of lights around every window, every slide and swing- set and every fence. Who knew an old gray chain-link fence could inspire such wonder with the simple addition of a string of lights? I didn’t think we were ever going to get home that first night.
After that, when it got dark, often we would not only drive through the park, but slowly roam the neighborhood of Linton, looking for more Christmas lights. And more and more lights would appear on people’s houses the closer we got to Christmas. I’d spy some and say, “Andrew, look, someone put lights all over that house!” And we learned where the biggest, brightest displays were, and we’d make our rounds every week. Some houses even got the “Grandson Seal of Approval!”
And we noticed something on our evening rides in search of Christmas lights: the darker it got, the brighter the lights shone.
Our world looks pretty dark right now. But the truth is, it’s been pretty dark before.
In bleak, grim time at the crossroads of the ancient world, a solitary figure walked out of the desert and began to preach in a region called Galilee. Like the shining of a powerful light, Jesus Christ burst onto the scene, announcing, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) This was a fulfillment of a centuries-old prophecy which said: “… the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light had dawned.” (Matthew 4:16, quoting Isaiah 9:1-2) Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Light of the world.” (John 8:12; John 9:5) And the darker the world gets, the more we need His light. And the darker the world gets, the brighter Jesus shines.
Every Christmas light can be a reminder of the One who is the Light of the world. And believe me, it’s really best when you look at ‘em with a small child! I have two grandsons now, and neither one of them are little anymore. As for me, well, I had to get older, but I refuse to grow up. I still love to look at Christmas lights.
So, if you’ve got Christmas lights on your house, some night you may see a dark- red Ford Ranger truck rolling slowly by. It’s probably me and a grandson or two, looking at your lights. Thanks for putting them up. We sure like looking at them. (You say, “Why don’t you put Christmas lights on your house?” Are you crazy? We’d rather look at yours)
Merry Christmas, Folks!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor David