Advent – Echoes of the Empty: Empty Lamp

Key Text: John 1:1–13 | Empty Lamp | Advent 2025 – Echoes of the Empty (Week 3)

This week’s advent is on the theme: Empty Lamp. This is loosely based on John 1:1-13. The world is void of light, living in darkness. The whole creation, fallen under sin, loves to live in darkness. Yet, Christ, who is the Light of Life, came to enlighten every man. 

Light and the Understanding of Man

John 1:1 opens up Christ as the Word of God, who is eternal, of the same substance, yet distinct from the Father, creator of all creation, who gives life to all man. Verse 4, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men,” makes draws two distinct statements: Because Christ is the source of life, all men, both temporal and eternal, have life. Additionally, all men are created distinct from animals, whom Christ “also set eternity in their heart” (Ecc. 3:11) so that their goal of ultimate pleasure in life is of eternity, giving glory to God and to enjoy Him forever. God has given them this sense through the intelligence that they might perceive and comprehend the Will of God through His Word. Yet, the world did not comprehend Him (Jn 1:5).

Light and the Judgment

Christ, as the Light of Life, gives grace to all who receive Him or reject Him. In this temporal stay on the earth, Christ gives them a moment for all men to joy what we call “Common Grace.” Yet, this is not meant to be lasting in eternity. Christ who came to shine His light on all men, have two choices. Either receive Him and believing in His name (Jn 1:12) or reject Him (Jn 1:11). Those who reject Christ will receive their due punishment when the time comes. This is particularly the case to those whom God has received people who are in the visible covenant. The Jews, who are the Abraham’s seed, held on to their bloodline as their special privilege. They confessed with their lips that they believed in God and awaited for a Messiah to liberate them. Yet, the very people who lived under God’s covenant did not comprehend Christ and did not receive Him as it says in Isaiah 1:3, “An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” God displayed his patience constantly, yet the people rejected God. “Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My honor (lit. fear)?” (Mal 1:6). So, when the will of God was enlightened on all men, God’s judgment was upon them. You either receive the Word or you reject it. On two occasions, prophet Isaiah’s passage was quoted by Jesus and Paul: 

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;

And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

For the heart of this people has become dull,

And with their ears they scarcely hear,

And they have closed their eyes;

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

And hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart and return,

And I would heal them.”’

The Jews who heard the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus either stayed or walked away. This is a somber teaching lesson for us Christians, who tend to easily look down on the Jews in the days of Jesus. We elevate ourselves higher because we did not reject Jesus as the Jews did. But we have to ask ourselves this very question: are we truly receiving Christ wholeheartedly? The Jews knew the Tanakh much better than we would as a modern day Christian. We who live under God’s new covenant, do we give God the honor and fear that he rightly deserves?

Light and the Hope

Yet, there is no fear and insecurity for those who truly receive Christ. John 1:12-13 says that anyone who receives Him, and to those who believe in His name will be given the right to become the children of God. Whether you were born of blood (certain ancestry and culture) or the will of flesh and man will not be the reason to earn the privilege of the adoption as God’s children. You, who confess Christ and believe in the name of Jesus Christ, are saved by God’s will alone. Romans 1 shows how all sinners’ will and mind are handed over to depravity. Ephesians 2:1 says that all sinners are dead in their sins. Yet, by mercy of God, He has given us the gift of salvation, not because of any of our abilities or birthright, to save us from God’s eternal wrath. 

God is not a god who wants people to search and look in the dry land desert. He doesn’t want you to build high temples to reach Him in the heavens, for that would be an impossible task for anyone. The heavenly Father sent His Son down to earth, so that the gift of salvation, freely offered, may be grasped and groped within our reach, as Paul says in Acts 17:13, “that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” Christ, who was promised ages ago, came down to dwell with us. Emmanuel, God with us.

Light and the Christians

As Christians who have received this light, are not to live in darkness anymore. Now, we are in the Light of the Lord, so we have to walk as children of Light (Eph 5:8). We have the duty to be the light in this world (Mat 5:14-16). In this passage of John 1, we see John the Baptist who is testifying to the True Light. He walked on earth, laying the way before the Lord. He preached repentance to all men of low and high status. He was truly a man of God, whom Jesus spoke of him, “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matt 11:11). Just as John testified about this great Light, we have the duty to testify the Light of Christ as well. As we have been reconciled to God through Christ, we have inherited the ministry of reconciliation and are sent to the world as ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor 5:17-21). Do not think yourselves as unworthy or be intimidated by this privileged task. While John the Baptist did great work, we are greater than John the Baptist! He did not see and witness the work of Christ until the end. He did not receive the promise of the Holy Spirit as we did. Moreover, Jesus says this to His disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (Jn 14:12) We, Christians today, stand on the shoulders of the apostles and prophets to do these great works. We have inherited the rich works the church fathers shed through blood and tears. Right after Jesus says that we will do greater works, he says this, “13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” He gives His strength and boldness to those who ask Him. The creator and the ruler of all creation is giving you His blessings. So, let us not be intimidated or be lazy. Walk as the children of Light. Hate what is evil, and love what is good.

Let us walk daily in the holiness of God, so that we, children, might be like our heavenly Father.