When it comes to Christmas, I'm sure every single facet has been explored over and over, dissected, examined, and studied ... but the Word is alive, and it can speak to one in different ways at different times. For me this year, the focus was light.

The winter solstice has just passed: December 21-the darkest day of the year. That means that even now, the days are growing lighter. The process is slow, perhaps undetectable on a day-to-day basis, but the process is happening. The light is returning to bring new life and illumination to our physical darkness, just like the Light came to us to bring new life and illumination to our spiritual darkness.

In his prophesy, Isaiah saw into the future and wrote: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone" (9:2)..

The disciple John also wrote about light: (1:1-5, 9-14) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Light in the darkness was certainly a theme at the birth of the Savior. Darkness shrouded the world in so many forms:

Into that environment, the Savior of the world was born, far from home, in Bethlehem.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid."

What about that word shone? I don't speak Greek, but my lexicon tells me it comes from the word lampo, illuminate, bring light! The angel of the Lord lit up that dark hillside and illumined the hearts and spirits of the shepherds!

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us" (Luke 2:8-15).

Then in Matthew's gospel, there is, of course, that amazing star!

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

I have heard the theory that during the time of the story, the star Regulus (the brightest star in the constellation Leo (the lion, and Christ is the "Lion of Judah") converged with Jupiter (In Hebrew, Jupiter is known as Sedeq, which means righteousness, also often considered the "king" of the planets) and Venus (often seen as a symbol of love, fertility, and birth) to create the miraculous light in the sky. Who knows, but God arranged it somehow.

"When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'

"Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.' After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:1-11).

From that moment on, the Light began to flicker, and shine, and burn, and to bring new life and illumination to the world-to all who would receive Him.

With that in mind, please humor me as I repeat a story I have told before, about a different Christmas with a different kind of lights:

I was in junior high, I believe, when this took place. It was Christmas Eve, the snow was falling, and at the house, my mother, brother, Grandma, and I turned on a Christmas movie. Grandma dozed in her chair, then finally went to bed. The hands of the clock passed eleven. Snow outside was getting pretty deep.

Then my mother made one of the most unexpected and spontaneous offers I can ever remember: "Anybody want to go for a walk?"

"Well, yeah!"

We quickly donned coats, hats, gloves, and boots, and ventured out into the frozen night. As we walked down our street, Christmas lights glowed radiant from porches and were echoed by colorful reflections in the snow. We got to the end of our street, but kept walking.

Turning to look back, our own footprints were the only marks we could see in the pristine snow. We saw no cars, no other person, not even a dog or cat.

Without talking, we walked the streets of downtown. The Christmas displays in the stores devoid of customers and nearly emptied of inventory, gleamed like topaz against the cold nighttime. The decorations on the light poles and the traffic lights twinkled and winked, enchanting the holy night that was all about light and love and the coming of the baby who was the light that shined in men's darkness. It was like walking through a miracle.

We walked all the way back to our church. Then the chimes from the clock tower broke the perfect silence, and as though it were a signal, we headed back in the direction of home.

Back in our own kitchen, Mom started the hot chocolate, even as my gloves were still coming off my hands. We were all uncommonly quiet, but it was the quiet of peaceful hearts in a loving home. Ever since, I have referred to that night as "the best Christmas gift of all time." Well, maybe it was the second greatest!

I think we can all agree that Jesus Christ stepping out of eternity to be born into this world to redeem us to the Father is the best Christmas gift of all time. Not all Christmas gifts are under a tree, but Christmas is not really about a box under a tree anyway. It's all about love, isn't it?

We began this meditation with the light, let's conclude with the light, and a poem by M S Lowndes: