When I was a kid in Bible school we used to sing a little chorus titled, “This Little Light of Mine.” We would hold our index fingers high up and proclaim that we were going to let our light shine in all the surrounding communities. We would drag the song out as long as possible, naming every surrounding community we could think of. It’s a childhood memory, but may have lasting implications.

One of the most beautiful passages in Christian scripture is the found in the Gospel According to John, chapter 1, verses 1-18. Known as the Prologue these verses address the pre-existence of Christ and the Incarnation of Gods’s Word into the world of humankind.

John 1:4b-5 declares: What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (Emphasis added).

Pause. Ponder what that affirmation means. We live in a nation and world propagated by hatred, political unrest, prejudice, and violent social upheaval. Not much different we might argue than the world that Christ entered.

Yet, in the Incarnation of Jesus the Christ there is the promise of life and light that cannot be extinguished. Perhaps like children in Bible school it is time to raise our hands and boldly proclaim, “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”

Suppose, the light is forced to shine on the abuses suffered by the poor, the disenfranchised, those of different color, or ethnicity. We recently traveled in a major US city. In the city parks and under the freeway overpasses were pitched many tents of the homeless. It is so commonplace that we often overlook the pain that confronts us. What does it mean to have the light of life in the midst of abject poverty?

We claim in this nation to be the greatest country on earth. That statement begs some questions. Why can’t we provide adequate housing, healthcare, and education for our citizens? The truth is we choose not to do so.

Those of us who claim to follow Jesus the Christ may be more at fault than our non-believing neighbors. If I possess the gift of unconquerable light, why am I living totally for myself? The light with which I have been gifted is meant to be shared. The light and life with which I have been blessed is meant to “bring good news to the poor…Proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

We are presently in the season of Advent. We prepare for the coming of the Lord in Bethlehem and also for the Second Coming. If we are serious about that preparation, and not merely going through the motions, things need to change. There is an unbelievable, undeniable, selfishness in all of us. We can provide housing, healthcare, and education. We simply choose not to do so out of fear of what it might cost me. After all, everything revolves around ME.

But, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. Sadly, we overcome the light by simply refusing to acknowledge it. Christmas decorations are lovely, the music is beautiful. People who would never think of entering a church during the year will pop in for a Christmas Eve service, feel good about themselves, and then forget what they heard.

But the light shines on. The message of peace and justice that Jesus lived cannot be conquered. Jesus was crucified, but the message of hope goes on. The resurrection affirms the power of God to change lives and circumstances.

We need the light of all who claim faith in Jesus the Christ to shine their light, not just at Christmas, but in a broken, violent world.

“This little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine.”

Will you?