Dear Family at Christ Community,

     This week we will hear Zechariah’s prophecy as he celebrates the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1:57-80. Zechariah refers to Christ’s first Advent as “the sunrise [that] shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (1:78-79). As we prepare to hear Zechariah’s prophecy, it is fruitful to ponder what the Apostle John says about Jesus the Light who came down and John the Baptist who bore witness about this Light (John 1:5-13):

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. ⁹The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹²But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

     One of the primary ways we enjoy our status as God’s children is in coming to the Lord’s Table. It is here that we get to dine with our God, having been brought out of the darkness of sin and death by Christ the Light. It is no accident that we decorate for Christmas with thousands of little lights. We are celebrating the Advent of the true Light who came down into the darkness to overcome it and rescue us from its shadows. When you see Christmas lights this week, meditate on the fact that the salvation you have through the giving of Christ’s own body and blood cannot be overcome by the darkness of sin and death. Finally, ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow in joy and peace as you walk in the light of Christ!

Yours in Christ,
Matt O’Sullivan