In my childhood we sang hymns on Sunday morning from a hymnbook called Hymns of Light and Love. I never thought particularly hard about this title or this book – which was distinctive by its blue cover but these words light and love aptly describe one of the ways we understand Jesus.
Describing Jesus as light resonates with us as humans because of our desire and need for light to live. We see this in everything in the world around us including plants and animals and sea creatures. Just as we need light we also need love to flourish although this concept is being constantly tested by our society driven by secularism and individualism. The love we receive from Jesus is the ultimate love that we need and yet so often this is the love that is rejected by humanity.
This year in our advent series we are using the prologue of John’s gospel to tell the story of the incarnation. These verses echo down through the history of Christianity in symbolism and mystery as John who knew himself as beloved writes about his friend and saviour Jesus, as the light of the world.
This Christmas, may you know and experience as John did how beloved you are by Jesus, the light of the world.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5