Advent Devotion – A Light Shines in the Darkness – Day 23

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:6-7

Inviting Jesus Into Our Mess

Christmas is just around the corner. Do you have everything put together? Are you put together?

I remember sitting under a terribly bright dentist’s lamp, forced to look at my own mouth on a screen where everything was illuminated and enlarged—every spot, every flaw. I couldn’t hide. It was so uncomfortable.

Today’s passage talks about walking in God’s light, and honestly, the light of God’s holiness makes the bright dentist’s lamp seem dim. When God’s perfect light shines on my life, I want to say, “Oh no, Lord, look away! Turn that light off!” His light reveals everything: my arrogant judgments, my gossip, my attempts to look better than I am. He sees not just my actions and words, but my thoughts. He hears my hypocritical prayer: “Thank you for not making me like her…”

“Oh God, save me from my inner Pharisee! Be merciful to me, a sinner!”

But here’s the beautiful truth: God didn’t look away. He didn’t turn off the light or leave me in my sin. He did something infinitely better—he made me clean. “The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.” There is no condemnation! God sent his Son to take our place under the law’s demanding light. Jesus fulfilled what we couldn’t and bore our punishment.

We can live in God’s light without fear or shame. When God looks at us in Christ, he sees his beloved children. In his light, there is warmth and acceptance.

As children of God, we’re not alone. When we walk in the light, “we have fellowship with one another.” How do we walk in the light? John says it has to do with living out the truth. In church, we confess together the truth that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. We hear another truth: “I forgive you.”

Still, we often carry around burdens. We struggle with specific sins. We are sinners and saints at the same time.

In this tension of the Christian life, God has given us brothers and sisters to walk with us. He wants us to be safe places for each other where we can unload our burdens and receive forgiveness and relief.

The devil wants us to walk in darkness, in lies: either not admitting our sins or believing they are too terrible to be forgiven. But the blood of Jesus has purified us from all sins.

I have a hard time inviting people over unless my house is tidy. Sometimes I treat Jesus the same way: “Okay, Jesus, I’m ready now. I’ve cleaned myself up. You can come.”

But who am I kidding? Jesus won’t be fooled—he knows my messes.

What does it take to be prepared for Christmas? Realize you’ll never clean yourself up on your own. Invite Jesus into your mess and let him fix it. And maybe, invite a trusted friend into it too.

When we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for making your light a safe place to be. Give me the humility and courage to confess my sins. Help me be such a safe place for others. Amen.

Written by Rakel Drechsler