The True Light

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas now near, John names the One whose coming we await: the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. John calls Him the true Light, the real, original, genuine light, of which all other lights are but flickers and reflections. The world has many lesser lights it follows: philosophies, ideals, the lights of human wisdom and achievement. But these are all derivative, and many of them deceptive. Christ is the true Light, the source from which all true illumination comes, the one Light that does not flicker or fail or mislead.

This is a fitting word as Advent draws toward its close. In a season ironically full of artificial lights, the strings of bulbs, the glowing shop windows, the festive glitter, it is easy to lose sight of the one true Light the season is about. All those lights, at their best, are meant to point to Him; at their worst, they distract from Him. But Christ alone is the true Light, and He gives light to every person, there is no one His light cannot reach, no darkness He cannot pierce. As Christmas nears, the question is whether we will settle for the lesser lights or turn to the true One.

Amid all the lights of the season, turn to the true Light today. Let lesser lights point you to Him, and walk by His light rather than the flickering substitutes.