The joy of seeing

by Dr. Don Kuehle, United Methodist, Retired, Jackson, Mo.

There is so much to see! This world is full of sights to see: some of the things we see cause us to laugh and fill us with joy; other things we see fill us with sadness and sorrow. The gift of sight is a wondrous thing; too often we take our sight for granted. As we journey toward Christmas, let’s open our eyes and behold all the glorious things God has for us!

“The people who in darkness sat a glorious light have seen; The light has shined on them who long in shades of death have been.” Hymn-writer John Morison reflecting on the prophecy of Isaiah.

Darkness! It was so dark that it was like trying to find a black cat in a dark room at midnight. Darkness! No light. No sight. Stumbling and fumbling around, unable to see anything. Living in the darkness can be frightening, frustrating, dangerous. Without light, one feels helpless and hopeless.

God alone is the creator and source of all light! When God is absent from life, there is total darkness. The people-of-God had turned their back on God, the Source-Of-Light; they were stumbling around in the darkness.

The people-of-God had sunk to an all-time low: crime and corruption were the norm; idolatry and immorality ruled; nothing was sacred, not even life.

The people-of-God had become slaves to Sin; they allowed the Devil to control their lives. In their misery and despair, their suffering and pain, the people cried out to God for help; God heard their pleas, and promised them Light.

“Break forth, O Living Light of God, upon the world’s dark hour; Show us the way the Master trod and reveal His saving power!” So wrote Frank Christierson in the early 1900s.

In a small backwater town, in a feeding trough, in the form of a baby, the Light-Of-God arrived on earth. This Light would grow up, live among us for 33 years, live the perfect life, be crucified on a cross, buried in a grave, and rise from death to be the world’s Eternal Light!

Even though the Light shone brightly, some people still could not “see.”

The owner of the Bethlehem Inn “saw” only a homeless couple seeking shelter; they were definitely not paying customers. “Sorry, I have no room for you.”

King Herod could only “see” the Babe as a threat to his power and authority.

Many in Bethlehem refused to “see” the Light; they preferred the darkness because it concealed their dark thoughts and deeds.

On the outskirts of Bethlehem, shepherds sat around a campfire, keeping watch over their flocks of sheep. Suddenly! The night became like day; a dazzling light shone all around them; an Angel Choir made a startling announcement: “Today, the Light-Of-God has been born in Bethlehem; and the Light will save you from all your sins!” Then, the Angel Choir was gone; and the only light came from the campfire. The shepherds looked at one another in amazement. “Wow! Unbelievable! Let’s go to Bethlehem and “see” for ourselves!” They went. They found the Babe in the manger. They “saw” God-in-the-flesh. They believed that the Babe was the promised One, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. They returned to their work, praising God and telling everyone they met what they had “seen”.

The Light is here! Christmas is the celebration of His coming! Some people still look at the Christ, and do not “see” or refuse to “see” God.

Let us be like those shepherds; let us go and “see” for ourselves that God is among us! Let us go through life praising God, telling others about God’s wondrous love, and rejoicing in the LIGHT that conquers the darkness!

The LIGHT still shines and the darkness has never been able to put it out!

Praise be to God for His Light!