Pastoral Devotion for December

Read John 1:1-14

Since the beginning, light has been a sign of life and hope. As God spoke, light burst forth and shattered the darkness. Throughout John’s account of the gospel of Christ, a theme of darkness and light winds its way through each chapter.

Imagine the first Christmas morning, the first hint of sunlight breaking through the dawn of a new day. Its warm rays illumine the form of the new family; the father and mother huddled close, gazing upon their child born during the night. Those first beams of light shine upon the child who is wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Yet even brilliant rays of sunlight cannot compare to the splendor of his radiance. For this child is light for the world.

In these days of uncertainty, in the midst of doubt and fear, darkness often falls upon the human family. Yet, through the babe born unto Mary and Joseph, light shines. In Christ there is hope; in him there is peace, through him only is light, and the light is life for all people.

In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light.” Today, this same light shines in the hearts of God’s people, a light that no darkness can overcome. Ours is to testify to the light of Christ. Through him only, is there hope for life without end.

Prayer: We thank you, O God, for the light that shatters the darkness, the light of your Christ. Amen.