At Christmas, we celebrate the fact that God sent his son into the world. It is an event that changed everything. Jesus came to bring us hope and peace and purpose. As one songwriter said, Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year.”

In John 1:1-4, we read that, “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 men.” The darker things get in our world, the more critical it is that we have the Light.

In the fourth book of the New Testament, we find the gospel of John. John’s gospel does not include any description of the birth of Jesus. There is no genealogy. He simply provides his own unique perspective on the life of Jesus. It seems like John tried to keep things simple. He is the one who tried to sum God up in a single word: “God is Love.”

John wrote with one specific objective in mind. He wanted us to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. In John 20:31, he writes, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name.” John’s goal was that you and I might have life, in the name of Jesus.

Despite all that John had seen with his own eyes, despite all that he had experienced in his own lifetime, at the end of it all, John was confident and he believed that Jesus Christ is the source of life. Darkness cannot overwhelm or overcome the light. Light always continues to shine. No amount of darkness can ever extinguish or overcome the light.

So at Christmas, when we are confronted with the fact that there are problems all around and darkness is pressing in, we are reminded that Jesus is the light and life that overcomes the darkness.

John reminds us that there is always hope. There is always a reason to believe. There is a God in heaven who hears our prayers. There is a reason to keep the faith and keep believing and keep pressing on in our journey with Him. That’s what truly makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year.

You may read Steve Greene’s blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or you can email him at [email protected].