The Most Wonderful Time
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” says one popular Christmas song sung by 1960s singer Andy Williams. The song says it’s “the most wonderful time” because of the “holiday greetings,” “parties for hosting,” “caroling out in the snow,” and “loved ones near.”
The Christmas season is one of the most magical times of the year, especially in predominantly Christian countries. There is a spirit of giving and happiness, despite whatever hardships have happened during the year. But the real reason that it’s the most wonderful time is because it celebrates the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Born in the Meridian of Time
This year, calendars around the world proudly proclaim the year as 2019. 2,019 years since the birth of Jesus Christ, to be precise. This system of reckoning time has been in use for thousands of years, and places the birth of Jesus Christ at the center of time. More recently, the abbreviations BC and AD have been replaced with BCE and CE (Before the Common Era and Common Era). However, the concept remains the same. The years 2019 CE and 2019 AD mean the same thing: 2,019 years since Christ was born. His birth is the central event in time, and in all of history.
The Light of the World
Jesus is the light of the world. In John chapter 8, Jesus told His disciples, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Throughout the Bible, many verses reaffirm this truth.
The new lights in the heavens are symbolic of Jesus Christ as the light of the world. He brought the light of truth to the world and overcame the darkness of sin and death through His Atonement. Jesus Christ is the light that shines through the darkness of the world, showing us the right way to go and how to overcome the darkness of temptation and sin.
Christmas is made even more wonderful when we remember that Jesus Christ’s birth is the reason we celebrate Christmas. He is the Light of the world, and when we celebrate His birth we celebrate His great gift to us of overcoming death and sin. He is the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, and the Light of the world whose birth we commemorate and celebrate always, but especially at the most wonderful time of the year.