25 Days of Christmas – Day 21

I’m counting down the days before Christmas with the idea to include the 25 days leading up to Christmas Day as part of the actual celebration of Christmas (which is 12 days – December 25 to January 5).

Day 21 falls on the first day of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet Earth (for those reading off-world).  This is the shortest “day” of the year and the longest “night” of the year. Where I live there is only 9 hours, 7 minutes, and 54 seconds of sunlight on this day.

With so much nighttime, it is a good time to light some candles and the cold outside makes a fire in the fireplace a welcomed event.

Christmas and candlelight go together like peas and carrots. Advent candles adorn our church sanctuary and scented candles of pine and apple-cinnamon enhance our home.

Candlelight on a dark winter night reminds me of John 1, which says, “The light (Jesus Christ) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

On the Winter’s Solstice it is as if the darkness tries to take over the world with its power. But even though it is the shortest day of the year, the days gradually get longer, adding sunlight each day.

The darkness of the devil and sin cannot overpower us because Jesus Christ  came into this world and atoned for our sins with His death on the cross. The Babe of Bethlehem grew up to be the Crucified and Risen Savior of the world. This is why Christians celebrate Christmas at this time of year. The days getting longer, the nights are lit up with candle and fire light, which point us to Jesus Christ for “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”