by Victoria Heinecke

This little light of mine...

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“The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1 New International Version

We bought a new Christmas tree this year. Our son has been couch-crashing with us for a couple of months while he got his job situation stabilized. During that time, he came into a free dining room table that wouldn’t fit in his storage unit. It’s been in our living room, where our larger Christmas tree would have been placed. We covered the table with a cloth, and put the smaller tree on it. Music themed ornaments and sparkly poinsettias grace its branches.

A simple Nativity scene is under the tree. Mary cradles the baby in her arms, while Joseph and a shepherd look on.

We were pleasantly surprised at how bright this little tree is. It’s especially radiant when the rest of the lights in the house are off. It reminds us of God’s first words in Genesis:

“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.“
Genesis 1:3-4 New International Version

The chair invites one to sit near the light for a while, and reflect on the Light of the World – Jesus. He is the babe born to save us from our sins, and his name shall be called Wonderful!

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.“
John 1:5 New International Version

He is Emmanuel – “God With Us.” God is with us every day, every minute. He is with us in the good times, and he is with us when times are rough. In the loneliest of times, he is listening, and speaking. Hush, be still and know.

The Light couldn’t come at a better time, a time when the nights are the longest.

There is hope ahead. God’s promise of salvation is the same, and no world calamity or life events can change that.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado