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Discovering the Christ light at Christmas
Originally published in The Christian Science Monitor’s Christian Science Perspective column December 20, 2023.
On Christmas Eve I usually attend a midnight Christmas service at a cathedral in the West of England. As we enter, everyone in the congregation is given a candle and candle holder. During the service all other lights are dimmed and the glow of hundreds of candles illuminates the darkness. A period of quiet prayer and reflection follows before the service continues.
The Christmas season celebrates the birth and life of Christ Jesus, who, as stated in the Gospels, brought spiritual light and healing to multitudes during his three-year ministry. The Christ, Jesus’ spiritual and eternal nature, is forever active and present, continuously illuming human consciousness with its uplifting message. In the New Testament, the author of the letter to the Hebrews writes, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition). The redemptive power and efficacy of the Christ is undimmed and immutable.
The Gospel of Mark records that Jesus once entered the home of two of his disciples, Simon and Andrew, when Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Jesus took her by the hand and raised her up; she was immediately healed (see 1:29-31). Jesus perceived the true identity of the individuals he encountered as the reflection of God—whole, and completely free from sickness—and the light of this spiritual understanding brought healing.
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