12 ¶ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” ~ John 8:12 (NKJV)
By Bro. John L. Cash
As Susan and I were driving home on Thanksgiving evening, we passed a beautiful display of Christmas lights. It immediately made me think of my childhood and time spent with my late father. Back in the 1960s, people didn’t have as many things as they have now; truly, it seems there just weren’t as many things to be had back then.
Despite this (or maybe because of it), Christmas was always a wonderful time. My heart is always warmed when I recall my first Yuletides.
All those years ago, my father started a family tradition. From the time we were born, Christmas always meant he would drive us all over town to see the Christmas displays. Years later, my father took his grandchildren on long rides to see all the colored lights and nativity scenes. Now that Susan and I are grandparents, we’re planning on continuing this tradition in our family.
Isn’t it wonderful how the lights of Christmas are so closely bound up in the celebration of this wonderful season? For me, just a glimpse of them brings back a flood of feelings and memories. I guess part of it is sentimentality and nostalgia, but I’ll bet the reason is deeper than that. Christmas is a reminder of the good news of the Christian gospel. Clearly, the world we live in is in great darkness. But Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, is the Light of the world.
So, try to slow down a little bit this December. Carve out some time to take your babies out to look at the lights. But more importantly than that, be sure to tell them the story of Jesus. “In Him was life, and His life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)
Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 32 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. He recently retired after 28 years as a Mississippi public schoolteacher, and is now a stay-at-home-grandpa with his new grandson, Landon Cash. He and his lovely wife, Susan, recently moved to a brick house in town (where Baby Landon has had the sniffles.) Their kids include Spencer (age 26), his wife Madeline (age 26), and Seth (age 23), and his wife Leanne (age 22). You can send him a note at brotherjohn@ilovechurchcamp.com.
