Season's Greetings!

I have always liked Christmas. It’s my favorite time of year for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is Dad’s dynamic explanation of the significance of the Christ’s birth which made such a profound impression that it remains paramount among my earliest memories. Candlelight services are not uncommon this time of year, but I have found that for such events to have meaning and purpose is quite rare. The simple metaphor is so incredibly powerful—that it takes only one light to dispel the darkness—that I am surprised that it is not more widespread. Such is the joy, beauty, and hope of this season: when it seems that all is lost in darkness, a single light can overcome it with illumination that grows ever brighter as it is spread one to another. For those who question whether or not such an interpretation is scripturally sound I suggest reading the first chapter of John. This is not a time when reason must be set aside to accommodate a plethora of supernatural superstitions. To the contrary, this is the season when all the world is invited to celebrate the amazing Truth that Emmanuel—God with us—can reasonably, intelligently, and naturally illumine the hearts and minds of humankind as it is shared with one another as it has been shared with us!