Memory Monday: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (John 1:9)

I love the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everyone is in a season of anticipation -- waiting to celebrate Jesus' birth. Whether people acknowledge it or not, the only reason we celebrate Christmas is because Jesus came to earth.

In the next few weeks before Christmas, the Everyday Truth blog is going to help you anticipate Christmas. I'll be passing on some simple ways that you can keep your family's attention focused on Jesus during this busy time of the year.

Let's start with one of my favorite things about the Christmas season -- the lights. We put up our Christmas lights several weeks ago. My husband hates putting them up, so I try to pick a warm day in November for him to hang them. We leave them turned off until the night of Thanksgiving -- then we light up the sky.

I love seeing my kids' faces as we turn the lights on for the first time. It's as if they're seeing electricity work for the first time. Despite the fact that we see light all the time, there's just something about the Christmas lights that evoke a sense of wonder.

John 1:9 tells us that Jesus is like those Christmas lights. It says "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world." Jesus is light. He came into the world to shed light onto the darkness of our sins. We should view Him with the same sense of awe with which my girls view the Christmas lights.

Use Christmas lights as a springboard to talk with your kids about Jesus:

• Help your kids memorize John 1:9. Ask your kids what they think it means when it says that Jesus is a light. Talk about how Jesus brought light into a world darkened by sin. He's a beacon that we can follow.
• When you view Christmas lights, remind your kids that Jesus came to be the light of the world. Explain that in the darkest time of the year, we light up the darkness with Christmas lights to celebrate Jesus' birth. This can remind us that Jesus came to do the same thing. He is the light of the world.
• Talk with your kids about how they can be light in the world. As followers of Jesus, we are called to let His light shine through us. Talk about how your kids can let others see Jesus through their words and their actions.

As you see Christmas lights this week, may they fill you with a sense of wonder and let them be a reminder to you of Jesus -- the true light of the world.