Hi there my friends,
One hundred and ninety-four thousand, six hundred and seventy-two.
That’s a pretty big number.
It’s the Guinness World Record for the greatest number of lights on a Christmas Tree.
It was achieved in Malmedy, Belgium, on December 10th, 2010. Three hundred and fifty garlands measuring three metres long and fitted with five hundred and seventy-six lights were hung on a huge outdoor tree. Using voltage calculations, witnesses were able to ascertain exactly how many lights were successfully lit throughout the required 5 minutes.
I remember being in Washington State around Christmas and taking our kids out to see the Christmas lights. There were areas where the houses used tens of thousands of lights in extraordinary displays. One whole cul-de-sac must have had over a million lights hung; we could almost feel the warmth of the lights from within our vehicle. The whole street was lit up like a super nova.
It makes me think of the statement Jesus made in Matthew 5:
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand so that it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
We are the light of the world! What a remarkable statement.
Paul agrees with this when he says in Ephesians,
For you were once darkness. Now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
I imagine all the Christ-followers in Sylvan Lake shining the light of Jesus like that cul-de-sac shone their Christmas lights. What a beautiful picture: Christ’s disciples lighting up Sylvan Lake like the decorated trees light up the pier.
Are we living as children of light? What does that even mean?
Paul goes on to say,
For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth. And find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
We need to be filled with the light of Jesus. We need to walk in obedience and holiness. We need to say no to sin and yes to God. We need to surrender all that we are to Him so that He can shine His life and light through us.
So, let’s turn away from sin. Let’s renounce anything that stands oppose to Jesus. And let’s truly be the light of the world.
This weekend, Pastor Jim will be teaching our third installment in our series When Heaven Speaks. I hope you can join us as we sing carols, worship the Lord, and go to His Word together.
On Sunday night, there will be a baptism service at the church at 6pm. It will be a powerful time of personal testimony and public declarations. Please join us.
I hope you have a great weekend. I love being your pastor.
Pastor Tim
