The Word Brings Light

Text: John 1:6–13

Have you ever tried to find something in complete darkness? You know the feeling—arms outstretched, moving slowly, unsure of what you might bump into next. Darkness doesn’t just hide things; it disorients us. It creates anxiety. It leaves us unsure of where we are and where we’re going.

John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus didn’t come merely to offer helpful information or moral advice. He came as the true Light, the One who illuminates every person (John 1:9). Before John reveals the Light Himself, however, he introduces us to a man sent to prepare the way.

Christmas reminds us that God did not leave us stumbling in the dark. At Christmas, the Light entered our world—not as a spotlight from heaven, but as a child in a manger. The incarnation is God stepping into human darkness, taking on flesh, and dwelling among us. Christmas is not just about warmth, nostalgia, or tradition; it is the celebration of divine Light breaking into a dark world, offering hope, clarity, and life where there was once only shadow.

A Witness to the Light

“There was a man sent from God whose name was John” (John 1:6).

John the Baptist was not the Light. He never claimed to be. His entire purpose was to point beyond himself—to testify about the Light so that others might believe. John was certainly unique: strange clothes, an unusual diet, preaching repentance in the wilderness. But his oddness wasn’t the point. His obedience was.

John understood his role. He didn’t chase influence or authority. He didn’t build a platform centered on himself. He faithfully proclaimed the truth, calling people to repentance and pointing them toward the coming Savior. Though he held no political power, he spoke with undeniable authority because he spoke God’s truth. And even when that faithfulness cost him his life—when he confronted Herod’s sin—John did not waver.

There’s an important lesson here for us. Like John, we are not the source of God’s light—we are witnesses to it. Jesus is the true Light. We simply reflect Him. Our calling is not to present our own ideas, opinions, or clever solutions as the answer. Our calling is to point people to Jesus.

It’s worth asking ourselves: When people look at my life, do they see me—or do they see Jesus?

The Light Has Come for Everyone

John makes a bold and beautiful claim: Jesus is “the true light that gives light to everyone” (v. 9).

No exceptions.

Not too broken.

Not too young.

Not too far gone.

Not from the wrong background.

Jesus didn’t come only for the religious or the morally impressive. He came into the world for every person. The Light shines universally, offering illumination and hope to all who will receive Him. Wherever you are right now—whatever your story—the Light has come for you.

The Tragedy of Rejection

Yet John also names a heartbreaking reality. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him” (v. 10). Even more tragic, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (v. 11).

This rejection follows a familiar pattern. Humanity has often resisted God’s ways. Israel rejected the law at Sinai. The prophets were ignored and persecuted. Now, the Light Himself is rejected.

Why? Because light exposes. It reveals what we would rather keep hidden. A world organized in rebellion against God often prefers darkness, not because the light is unclear, but because the light is uncomfortable.

It’s like flipping on the lights in a messy room. Some people immediately reach for the switch to turn them back off—not because they doubt the light exists, but because they don’t want to deal with what the light reveals.

Sometimes we don’t reject Jesus because we question who He is. Sometimes we reject Him because we fear what His light will expose and change in us.

The Promise of New Life

But John doesn’t end with rejection. He ends with hope.

“To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (v. 12). This new birth isn’t earned through effort, ancestry, or willpower. It is a gift—born of God, given by grace.

In the Old Testament, Israel was called God’s child as a nation. Now, through faith in Jesus, anyone—Jew or Gentile—can be personally adopted into God’s family. Receiving the Light means being made new from the inside out: new desires, new motives, new life.

Christianity, at its core, is not about trying harder to be good. It is about receiving Jesus and allowing Him to transform us.

What Will You Do with the Light?

The true Light has come into the world.

Jesus is the Light sent by God—revealing truth, exposing darkness, and giving new life. The question isn’t whether Jesus is the Light. John’s Gospel makes that clear.

The real question is: What will you do with Him?

You can ignore the Light and remain lost in darkness.

You can run from the Light to hide what you don’t want exposed.

Or you can step into the Light, receive Him, and become a child of God.

“Lord Jesus, You are the true Light that shines in our darkness. Thank You for coming for everyone, including me. Help me not just to know about You, but to receive You—to believe in Your name and walk as a child of God. Amen.”

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

The Word Brings Life

Text: John 1:1–5

Scientists recently discovered something fascinating about light. The way we interact with light throughout the day doesn’t just affect our eyes—it shapes our emotions, our sleep, our memory, and even our ability to concentrate. In a study of over 300 people, researchers found that our “light behaviors” matter far more than we realize.

Think of it this way: just as we’ve learned that what we eat affects our physical and mental health, we’re now learning that we also need a healthy diet of light.

Those of us in the upper Midwest don’t need much convincing. Every year, beginning in September, the days shorten and the nights stretch longer. Less sunlight, colder temperatures, and more time indoors combine to create that familiar sense of heaviness that lingers from November through March. We feel it in our bodies—and often in our souls.

The study revealed three important things. First, people who spent more time outside in natural sunlight reported better moods and healthier sleep rhythms. Their bodies knew when to wake and when to rest—they were living in harmony with the rhythms God built into creation. Second, those who scrolled on their phones late into the evening struggled with delayed sleep, poor rest, and foggy thinking. Artificial blue light was telling their bodies it was still daytime when God designed it to be night. Third, people who used bright, natural-spectrum light in the morning slept better at night and felt more alert during the day. They aligned their habits with the order God established—and they flourished.

Why does this matter? Because our bodies still remember God’s original design: light and darkness, day and night. When we honor that rhythm, we thrive. When we resist it, we struggle.

That brings us to Christmas—and to the opening words of John’s Gospel.

John doesn’t begin the Christmas story with shepherds or angels or Bethlehem. He goes back further. Much further. “In the beginning…” Before creation. Before light and darkness. Before anything existed at all. John wants us to understand that Christmas is not simply about a baby born in a manger—it is about Light entering darkness at the deepest possible level.

John calls Jesus “the Word.” To Greek readers, logos referred to the rational principle that ordered the universe. To Jewish readers, God’s Word was His powerful self-expression—the force behind creation, covenant, law, wisdom, and salvation. John brings these ideas together and makes a stunning claim: the Word is not an idea, a principle, or a philosophy. The Word is a Person. And His name is Jesus.

The Word Is Eternal

John deliberately echoes Genesis 1: “In the beginning…” Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem. He did not start in Mary’s womb. He is eternal. He was with God. He is God. This is why His light matters. Jesus is not merely a teacher or moral example—He is the eternal Creator stepping into His creation. Christmas celebrates the infinite taking on the finite so that our darkness might be illuminated.

The Word Gives Life

John continues, “In Him was life.” Not just biological life, but true life—spiritual life, eternal life, life as God intended it to be lived. Life is not merely something Jesus gives; life is who He is. Just as all creation draws its existence from Him, so does our hope, our renewal, and our salvation. And John makes this beautiful connection: “That life was the light of men.” The life Jesus gives becomes the light we need—revealing truth, exposing what is broken, and guiding us toward what is good. It awakens the soul the way morning sunlight awakens the body.

The Word Brings Light Darkness Cannot Overcome

“The light shines in the darkness,” John writes, “and yet the darkness did not overcome it.” Darkness is real—sin, fear, confusion, grief, and a world that often feels like it’s unraveling. But darkness is not equal to light. Light always wins. Walk into the darkest room and turn on the smallest flashlight—darkness flees. That’s Christmas. Jesus didn’t come to avoid darkness; He came to invade it. And darkness cannot stop Him.

So let’s return to those discoveries about light. When people aligned their habits with God’s created rhythms, they thrived. When they didn’t, they struggled. The parallel is striking. Just as we need physical light to flourish, we need God’s Light even more.

What if spiritual burnout, discouragement, or numbness has less to do with our circumstances and more to do with our spiritual light diet?

Morning sunlight wakes the body—morning time with Jesus wakes the heart. Natural light elevates mood—time in God’s presence fills us with joy. Late-night screen time disrupts rest—constant noise and anxiety disrupt our peace. Darkness restores the body—Sabbath rest restores the soul.

Christmas reminds us of this simple truth: the Light of the world has come. Jesus, the eternal Word, stepped into the darkness to bring us life and light. So make intentional space in your daily rhythms for His light—through prayer, Scripture, worship, fellowship, gratitude, and service. Your soul needs it.

From the beginning, God established a rhythm: light and darkness. Our bodies still feel it. Our hearts still long for it. And at Christmas, God didn’t just create light—He became light. His light still shines, and nothing can extinguish it.

The Light has come.

Are we walking in Him?

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Living in Light, Love, and Truth: Hospitality and Mission

Text: 3 John

The Apostle John, the last remaining eyewitness of Jesus, wrote three short letters near the end of his life. They’re not grand theological papers. They’re personal and pastoral—filled with concern for people. As we’ve journeyed through these letters, we’ve seen how deeply John cared about truth (holding to the real teaching about Jesus), love (living out that truth in relationship), and light (representing King Jesus in the world by the way we live).

When we open John’s third letter, we discover that his concern wasn’t just abstract theology—it was hospitality, relationships, and how Christians treat one another. In other words, truth, love, and light always show up in real-life ways.

A Church with a Hospitality Problem

If 2 John warns believers not to show hospitality to false teachers, 3 John flips the issue on its head: John encourages believers to show hospitality to the right people—those faithfully doing the work of spreading the Gospel.

The letter involves three people:

• Gaius, the recipient, who is faithfully caring for traveling missionaries.
• Diotrephes, a prideful leader refusing to welcome these workers and even speaking against John.
• Demetrius, a traveling minister John commends to the church.

Gaius didn’t try to become a famous preacher or correct every problem in the church. He simply welcomed and supported those who carried the message of Jesus. By showing hospitality, he became a partner in their ministry.

John calls this “joining in their work.” Gaius didn’t travel. He didn’t preach. But he participated in the mission because he supported those who did.

What Was the Real Issue?

Diotrephes had one main issue: pride. He wanted to control the church, shut people out, and elevate himself. He refused hospitality—not because of doctrine, but because he wanted power.

John doesn’t ask Gaius to fight him. He doesn’t tell him to argue, confront, or defend John’s reputation. Instead, John says, in essence:

Keep doing the right thing. Be faithful. I’ll deal with Diotrephes when I come in person.

John understands something that many of us like to ignore: most conflicts should be addressed face to face. Not with a text. Not over email. Not through rumors or social media. Love shows up. Love is personal.

What Does This Mean for Us?

This short letter shows that faithfulness isn’t complicated. It reveals itself in three simple but powerful ways:

1. Hospitality: Joining the Work of the Gospel

Hospitality is more than inviting someone over for dinner (though that matters too). It’s making room in your life to bless someone else. Today, this might look like:

• Supporting missionaries and ministries that do Kingdom work . 
• Serving with a local ministry. 
• Inviting someone lonely to your house for supper. 
• Offering help, time, and care to someone God has placed in your path.

Hospitality is participation in God’s mission.

2. Humility Over Pride

Diotrephes reminds us how easy it is to make church about control, influence, opinions, or position. Gaius reminds us that faithfulness is simply doing our part.

You don’t have to do everything. You don’t have to fix everyone. You just need to be faithful to what God has given you to do.

Sometimes that means speaking up. Other times—like Gaius—it means letting someone else handle it.

3. Presence: Love Shows Up

John traveled to deal with conflict personally. Why? Because real love doesn’t shout from a distance. It sits with people. It listens. It acts.

Maybe someone in your life doesn’t need advice right now. Maybe they just need you to show up:

• To sit with them in grief.
• To celebrate with them in joy. 
• To volunteer when help is needed.
• To listen instead of lecture.

Presence is love in the flesh—just like Jesus.

Faithfulness Isn’t Complicated

John’s little letter teaches us this beautifully simple truth:

Faithfulness to Jesus is not abstract theology—it is a life of loyalty that shows up in love, humility, and hospitality.

In a world full of Diotrephes—voices trying to dominate, control, and win—be a Gaius.Make Jesus first, not yourself. Don’t underestimate what God can do through small acts of faithfulness.

A Christmas Challenge

This season, practice hospitality in the name of Jesus: 

• Invite someone into your home. 
• Visit someone who is lonely. 
• Support a missionary, a ministry, or a cause that shares God’s love. 
• Show up where there is hurt. 
• Offer your presence where there is need.

You may not be a traveling preacher like Demetrius, but your faithfulness—like Gaius—can advance the Gospel.

The Kingdom grows not through power, but through faithful love that shows up.

May we be that kind of people. May Bethlehem Church be that kind of family. May Jesus be honored through our simple, faithful hospitality. Amen.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.