Advent2025_Dec24

December 24th, 2025
by Pastor Kurt

The Light That Breaks In
John 1:1–14
Optional Family Reading: Luke 2:8–14

The true Light has come into our darkness to dwell with us and bring us life.

Tonight we gather in the quiet wonder of Christmas Eve, the night when heaven’s Light broke into our world. For weeks we have been watching the story unfold: God’s promise made, God’s Word spoken, God’s salvation fulfilled, God’s mission begun. And now, at last, we arrive at the moment the whole story has been leaning toward.

John tells it in a way only John can: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The darkness is real . . . we know it too well. The griefs we carry, the fears we feel, the brokenness we cannot fix—these are not imaginary shadows. And yet the Scripture insists with unshakeable confidence: the darkness does not win. The Light has come.

And this Light is not a force or an idea. He is a Person. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . ”

The One who spoke Creation into existence stepped into Creation Himself. The One who holds the galaxies took up residence in a manger. The One who fills heaven with glory came to fill our world with grace.

John says He “dwelt” among us . . . literally, He pitched His tent with His people. God did not shout His love from a distance. He came near; closer than we expected; closer than we dared hope.

Christmas Eve is our reminder that God’s rescue comes not through human effort but divine initiative. We did not climb our way to Him; He came down to us. We did not search our way into the light; the Light broke in upon us.

And when He came, He brought with Him everything we lack:

Grace for the guilty
Truth for the confused
Hope for the weary
Joy for the brokenhearted
Peace for the restless

So tonight, before the candles are lit and the carols are sung, we pause. We breathe in the wonder of it all. And we remember that the Child born in Bethlehem is the Light of the world; the Light that no darkness can overcome.

May Christ’s presence draw near to you this evening. May His light warm your home. May His grace steady your heart. And may the joy of His coming fill you with hope . . . tonight and always.

Christ has come. The Light has broken in.
___

For Young Ones: What makes Christmas Eve special to you? How does Jesus bring light into the world?

For Older Ones: Where do you most need the Light of Christ to shine in your life tonight?

Pray: Lord Jesus, Light of the world, shine into our homes and hearts tonight. Fill us with Your joy, Your peace, and Your hope.

Family Practice: Turn off the lights and light one candle. Read John 1:1–5 aloud. Sit together in the quiet and thank God for sending Jesus into our darkness.

Dig Deeper Text Note

The Glory That Breaks In

John’s Christmas story does not begin with a manger or a star. It begins before time. He opens not with shepherds in a field, but with the eternal Word who has life in Himself. And when John chooses his vocabulary to describe Christmas, every word is deliberate and theologically loaded.

Here are three key terms that help us feel the wonder of Christ’s coming:

1. The light shines in the darkness . . . (φαίνει - “phainei”)

John chooses the present tense: “shines,” not “shone.” The Greek verb φαίνει means “to shine continually,” “to give ongoing light.” It is not a one-time flash or temporary glow, but a continual, unstoppable shining. The darkness is real, but it is not ultimate.

John is saying: “The Light keeps shining, and the darkness never wins.” This is the heartbeat of Christmas Eve: Christ’s arrival is not merely an ancient story; it is a present reality.

2. The true Light . . . coming into the world (τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν - “tah phōs tah alāthinon”)

John calls Jesus the true (ἀληθινόν) Light, which is a word that means more than “real.” It means ultimate, genuine, full, the Light to which every earthly light points.

Candles flicker, stars fade, and lamps burn out, but Jesus is the Light behind all light,
the source, not the shadow. John wants us to understand that nothing about Christ’s arrival is accidental or symbolic. The world was waiting for a Light that could pierce spiritual darkness, and now He has come.

3. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (ἐσκήνωσεν - “eskēnōsen”)

This is perhaps the most stunning word in the entire passage.

The verb ἐσκήνωσεν literally means “to pitch a tent,” echoing the Old Testament tabernacle (σκηνή - “skānā”), where God’s glory dwelled among His people in the wilderness (Ex. 40:34–38).

John is saying: “In Jesus, God tabernacles again, but this time in flesh, not fabric.”

No veil. No sacrifices required to approach. No holy distance. The God who once dwelled behind curtains now steps into human history and walks among His people.

Christmas Eve celebrates this breathtaking truth: God has drawn near. He has come to stay.

4. We have seen His glory . . . (δόξα - “doxa”)

In the Old Testament, God’s “glory” was overwhelming: radiant, terrifying, unapproachably holy. But in Christ, the glory of God appears in a form we can behold without perishing. This is glory wrapped in humility, majesty laid in a manger.

The face Mary kissed was the face that spoke galaxies into being. In Jesus, the glory of God is not hidden, it is revealed.

In Summary: John’s language tells us that Christmas is not sentiment but revelation. The Light keeps shining (φαίνει). The true Light has come (ἀληθινόν). God has tabernacled with His people (ἐσκήνωσεν). His glory is now visible (δόξα).

Christmas Eve is the announcement that God Himself has stepped into the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome Him.

Posted in Christmas Devotional