Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/1056515
D ecember 22 is one of my favorite days of the year. It's not the birthday of a loved one or close family friend. In fact, I'm not aware of anything particularly noteworthy in our personal history that happened on December 22. And, just to be clear, my affection for December 22 has absolutely nothing to do with any of the pagan religious practices associated with the Winter Solstice on December 21. No, December 22 is one of my favorite days of the year for a much simpler reason. It's the day when the days begin to get a little bit longer and the nights a little shorter! You know how it works. Beginning on June 22 those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere lose a little bit of daylight each day until we suffer through the shortest day of the year on December 21. Then, on December 22 that trend reverses and we begin to get more daylight each day. This year in Denver we'll get exactly one second more daylight on December 22 than we will have had on December 21! That's a good reason to give December 22 a little more respect than it normally gets. Light is one of God's greatest gifts. It is no accident that the first words of God recorded in Scripture are, "Let there be light." The very first thing God created to overcome the lifeless chaos described in Genesis 1:2 was light—glorious, life-giving, order-making light. Everything that follows in God's great creative acts is possible because God first created light. Without light there can be no life. Without light we cannot see what's real. Without light we cannot find our way. This makes me think of Jesus' claim, "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). As we enter this month of anticipation for the joyous celebration of Jesus' birth, let's pay attention to how much we enjoy the lights of Christmas. And as we enjoy them, let's recall that the One who called Himself "the light of the world" (John 8:12), is the one we celebrate on Christmas morning. Walking in the Light, Mark Young