Andrew Gilbert — This week Andrew unpacks how when the Light of the world came, this was contrasted against the cultural backdrop of darkness. The different characters of the Biblical story were real people that the Light of the world impacted when He was born. We explore how they responded to the light coming, and how we can see their responses in our own lives too. God's invitation at Christmas is always to receive His Son as Saviour into our lives.

In the Christmas narrative we read that the wise men followed the star from the East, which led them to Bethlehem—the place of Jesus’ birth. The light in the sky led them to the Light of the World—God became flesh and dwelt amongst us. When Jesus proclaimed that he was the “light of the world,” he proclaimed that he was God—the source of all light and life. Jesus also proclaimed that we—His followers—have light, by following him and becoming like him in the world.

In whatever setting we find ourselves in, Jesus calls us as His followers to be the light in the world—ones who break the darkness, triumph over evil, orient toward His Kingdom and bring life.