The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Next month we will be celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We all have grown up hearing the same phrases that half of this scripture is telling us. God has given us his Son, and Christ will have reign over all the earth. His kingdom will live forever. We know this is fact, but what does his birth do to us? Due to his birth, we no longer have to walk in the darkness. Jesus was and continues to be the light of this world. His light will shine upon us for as long as we live.
Since Jesus did this for us, how should we repay him in this season? Throughout my life, I’ve seen the Christmas season go from Christ to capitalistic greed. I don’t believe society can reverse this shift, but we personally can. For the past few years, instead of thriving off of receiving, I’ve tried to become the best giver I could be. Whether it was volunteering my time, or giving my loved ones meaningful gifts, I felt better by doing that than getting/giving flashy gifts. And that’s how I’m giving back to Christ this season. I get the most meaning from Christmas when I truly feel Jesus’ presence. This is why I love participating in events like Shop With a Longhorn at my school or Santa’s Caravan here. I am spreading the true meaning of Christmas to others.
Be kind this season. Be loving. Go out of your way to do good deeds. Help spread the light. We need to give glory to God’s kingdom and spread the light of our Savior.
Written by Nikki Martin, who currently serves as a Youth Elder.
“What am I passionate about at Heritage? I am passionate about the mission and music at Heritage Presbyterian.”
