Into this dark world Jesus was born. He was only a babe, a single speck
in the vast mass of humanity, but this Babe was luminous and shone with
heavenly light. A star shed its radiance over his cradle--symbol and
prophecy of his mission. As he grew in years he grew in luminosity until
he lighted up Palestine and shot some rays across the borders of that
little land into the great world. Death could not quench his growing
light, but he rose to heaven, as the sun rises to its zenith, whence his
light now falls in increasing splendor over all the world.

This Light has been shining nineteen hundred years and it has made a
wide and deep impression on the darkness. Open the map of the world, and
its bright spaces correspond with and are largely caused by the shining
of this Light. The teachings and spirit and power and personality of
Jesus are illuminating the world. Political despotism and slavery cannot
live under the light of his gospel of brotherhood and are fleeing from
his presence. Intellectual light is flooding all Christian lands: has it
not been touched by his torch? Moral darkness is being penetrated and
dissipated by the purity and peace of Christ. Pessimism meets its match
and victor in his mighty jubilant optimism. He clears the world of the
muddle of its confusion and turns it into our Father's house. He lifts
life up and makes it worth while in its great and grand meaning.

As from the uplifted hand of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor
there shoots a sheaf of electric light that illuminates all the bay, so
from the pierced hand of Christ there shines a blaze of light that
penetrates and scatters the darkness of the world. We live in this
Light. This is the meaning and true blessing of Christmas time. This is
the real joy that breaks over the world on Christmas morning. All our
gifts derive their significance from this Gift; all our joys are
scintillations of this Light.