Light of the World

As those of us in the northern hemisphere enter into the season marked by the longest nights and shortest days of the year, I can't help but reflect on the pervasiveness of light in our lives, despite the seasonal rhythms of darkness in the natural world.  

In spite of these short winter days, or perhaps because of the long hours of darkness, Christmas is the best season in which to celebrate light.  For, it is at Christmas that we celebrate that:

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in a land of deep darkness a light has dawned.  Isaiah 9:2

Ironically, it is during the depths of the northern winter that nature treats us to some of its most conspicuous and glorious displays of light.  

In the winter, we enjoy late morning sunrises and early evening sunsets.  Though our nights are long and cold, in clear weather they are filled with the brilliance of starshine and moonlight.  For those in the far north, this is the best season to experience the mesmerizing shimmer of the Northern Lights, visible only against a dark sky.  

When the winter sun shines, we admire how its cold light reflects off newly fallen snow or still waters in dazzling radiance, like thousands of glittering diamonds.  We appreciate low-angled sun beams streaming through evergreen boughs, and find the sparkle of sunlight on new frost or dewdrops suspended on bare winter branches breathtaking.  

Winter too is a time to enjoy firelight and candlelight at its best, as we lean in to its warmth and glow in the company of dear friends and family.  

It is during nature's season of deepest darkness that we learn to fully appreciate and celebrate the light!
Celebrate the beauty of light and the goodness and grace of the Light of the World this Christmas!


Where would we be without light?

Our very existence and the existence of our entire planet depends on the reliable, new-every-morning light from the sun.  With few exceptions, it is sunlight that fuels vegetative growth from pole to pole, which in turn powers entire ecosystems.  We are utterly dependent upon light.

Human beings are woefully ill-equipped to live in darkness.  Owls and nightjars come into their own when nighttime descends, and many mammals are designed to live much of their lives after dark; a whole host of critters are well-equipped to thrive in the darkest hours and blackest hidden crevices of our world, but we cannot.  In the darkness, our eyes fail us and we are helpless.  We are utterly dependent upon light.

Additionally, we are also ill-equipped to survive in the cold or eat many uncooked foods.  We depend on a combination of sunlight and fire to warm our bodies and our dwellings, as well as prepare our meals.  And that wood we burn for firelight and warmth?  That fuel is the end result of the sunlight of a hundred summers, distilled and transformed into the very heart of a tree.  Once again, we are utterly dependent upon light.

In the same way, we are also utterly dependent upon the Source of all light, our Creator God who spoke light into the darkness at the very beginning of all things.  The same God who separated light from darkness, and called the light good, humbled himself and came to earth on that first Christmas day two thousand years ago, to be Immanuel, God with us, dwelling among us to bring true Light into a dark world!  

And only in turning to Jesus do we experience life that is truly life, life lived in His Light!

For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 4:6

This Christmas, as you celebrate the goodness and beauty of light in its many forms, from starlight to firelight, I invite you to contemplate the Gift of Jesus Christ, God the Son who came to earth to defeat darkness and shine His Light into the world.  

He [Jesus] said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  John 8:12

May you turn to Him this season and let His Light, the light that is His grace and mercy, forgiveness and healing, shine into your darkness.  No darkness, no matter how long or deep or dire, is too dark for His Light.

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  John 1:5

And that is a beautiful reason to celebrate the Light this Christmas!  

Merry Christmas!! 

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About Me

Named after the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I am a naturalist and avid birder based in Central California. Above all, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, our amazingly good Creator God whose magnificent creation is an unending source of awe and inspiration for me. I hope to inspire others to appreciate, respect and protect this beautiful earth we share, and invite you to come along with me as I explore the nature of California and beyond!
- Siera Nystrom -



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