Go, Tell it! - Part Two

Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12

Transcript of the video: Merry Christmas! Our Christmas Carol advent series began last time with the traditional gospel favorite, “Go, Tell it on the Mountain.” For the next few episodes we’re going to take a closer look at the verses of this great Christmas Carol and how other songs affirm its amazing message. Most of the time we’re just going to focus on one additional carol, but this episode is a little different. Hang on ‘til the end and I’ll introduce you to a variety of fantastic Christmas songs about Jesus being the light of the world. I guarantee you will find a “new to you” Christmas song this week.

The first verse of “Go, Tell it” begins with the shepherd’s introduction to the angels who came to announce the birth of Jesus. Here is how the story is told in the song.

While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night, behold throughout the heavens, there shone a holy light.

The Luke account confirms that the light the shepherds saw was indeed a holy light. Luke 2:9 puts it this way, “And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.” This wasn’t an ordinary light, this was the glory of God! Of course the shepherds were terrified.

The angels had come with the light of God’s glory to announce the Light of the world. When Jesus was ministering to people, when He was living on the earth, He reaffirmed this message. He also tells us that His Light is good for us – He is for us. In John 8:12, Jesus is speaking to the people and says, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

It seems to me like the darkness has tried to invade our lives this year. But there is no such thing as darkness. Darkness is merely the absence of light. The shepherds saw a light, and they responded. Jesus says that He is the light, and that light brings life.

“God, I praise You that You are not afraid of dark places. You are the light. In You I can find real life. Like a plant stretches out and reaches for the sun, You want me to reach out to You, to be refreshed, warmed, and to grow. Thank you that Jesus is the Light of the World and came to bring light to our dark places.”

My top five list this week is all songs about the Light that came at Christmas. Three of them are called, “Light of the World,” but they are all different songs with the same title. Probably the most popular one is Lauren Daigle’s version of “Light of the World.” I’ve been a big fan of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir for decades, and they also have a song that shares the same title. It feels warm, and brings life. Another great version to check out is the dulcet tones of Michael Card. He’s a theologian and a folk singer. I’d suggest listening to his version with a single candle lit, or maybe just the light from your Christmas tree. This year I was also introduced to a group called Future of Forestry. Their majestic song “Light has Come” is great way to put yourself in the shepherds’ shoes. There are so many more I could mention, but I’ll close the list with TobyMac’s “Light of Christmas.” It is fun and full of life.

I’m always looking for more great music. If you’ve got a Christmas song about light that you love, please let me know in your comments. Before we close, I want to remind you that Jesus didn’t just call Himself the Light of the World. In His most famous message He said, “You are the light of the world, a city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.” Let your light shine bright wherever you go today.