The Hidden Power of Light
The first string of Christmas lights was hand crafted by Edward Hibbard Johnson in 1882. Johnson's flickering bulbs owed their existence both to the inventive mind of his close friend and business associate Thomas Edison and to his own marketing prowess. You see, Johnson was a brilliant salesman who recognized ahead of time the powerful impact that light has on human beings. Just as he expected, crowds formed on the sidewalk outside his parlor window as passers-by stopped to gaze at the twinkling red, white and blue bulbs that illuminated his tree. The next year those same crowds lined up to purchase their own set of electrified Christmas tree lights. Today, an estimated 150 million strings of lights are sold annually. That's 15 BILLION individual bulbs!
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If you don’t believe that, you must not watch the news! Even if we tune out without those daily six o’clock reports of crime, corruption and conflict we cannot escape the darkness of insults, unfaithfulness, turmoil and loss that impact us all and cause some of our deepest pains. And those are just the sources of darkness that are OUTSIDE of us. If we look inward, we’re forced to admit that there too we find a frightening amount of darkness in the form of selfishness, pride, bigotry, lust, anger and discontent.
Along with other holiday traditions, the sparkle of holiday lights encourages us to forget about such things, but this escape is only temporary. In January – or February depending on just how enthusiastic about the Holidays you might be! – those circuits will be disconnected, those lights will be taken down, and we will be forced once again to accept reality.
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The psychological effects of Christmas lights are well documented. A senior professor at New York’s Adelphi University explains that viewing Christmas lights creates a neurological shift that transports us from the mundane day-to-day lives we live. It stirs fond memories from the past and anticipates new ones in the future.
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In other words, Christmas lights provide a temporary feeling of escape from what we recognize to be true all the time: we live in a dark world.
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A Different Kind of Light
Thankfully, there is an alternative light that does not only provide a temporary escape but a permanent solution for facing the spiritual, emotional and relational darkness of our world. That light is Jesus who says in John 8:12:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
As the "light of the world," Jesus reveals the truth about ourselves and about God, and about the meaning of this life and the life to come. We would absolutely love to sit down with you and, through a simple four-lesson Bible-study, introduce you to Him. Click below to request your free copy of this study and see for yourself what the Bible has to say about the one who calls himself the “Light of the World.” ​​
To request your free four-lesson Bible Study