Sermon Series Blog: Hope For the World Pt.3

The Witness: Making Room for the Light

Christmas is a season filled with light, but it’s also a season filled with questions. Who is Jesus really? Why does He matter? And what does my life have to do with Him?
The Gospel of John doesn’t shy away from those questions—it runs straight at them.

John opens his Gospel not by telling us what Jesus did, but by telling us who Jesus is. He calls Him the Word—the Logos. The logic. The reason. The One through whom everything makes sense. If Jesus is left out of the equation, life never quite adds up. But when He’s at the center, even chaos has clarity.

A Man Sent From God

After introducing Jesus as the eternal Word, John pivots to another figure:

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” (John 1:6)

That sentence alone is astonishing. Sent from God.
Humanity had rejected God again and again, yet God still reached out. He didn’t withdraw—He sent a witness.

John the Baptist steps onto the scene as the long-awaited, Elijah-like prophet, the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah. After 400 years of silence, God speaks again. That’s grace. Undeserved, unearned, overwhelming grace.

Christianity begins not with humanity reaching for God, but with God reaching for humanity.

Not the Light, But a Witness

John the Baptist was bold, influential, and wildly popular. People followed him. Some even wondered if he was the Messiah. But John never let the spotlight linger on himself.

“He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.” (John 1:8)

John described himself with striking humility: “I am just a voice.”
Not the message. Not the miracle. Just the siren pointing to the real thing.

This is a needed reminder in a world obsessed with celebrity Christianity. Pastors, teachers, and leaders can be helpful—but they are not the foundation. Jesus is. When faith is built on people, it collapses. When it’s built on Christ, it stands.

Humility That Stays on Mission

John’s humility didn’t lead him to passivity. He famously said,

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

Yet Jesus called him the greatest man who had ever lived.

True humility doesn’t shrink back—it stays on mission. John knew his role, embraced it fully, and faithfully completed it. He wasn’t trying to be impressive. He was trying to be faithful.

And that mission wasn’t complicated: bear witness.

You Are a Witness Too

Jesus said it plainly:

“You will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)

Paul echoed it:

“We are ambassadors for Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Not you might be. Not you should be. You are.

Being a witness doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means telling the truth about what you’ve seen, heard, and experienced. Like John. Like Mike—the construction worker who quietly lived out his faith until, years later, his coworkers were ready to listen.

The question isn’t whether you’re representing Jesus.
The question is what kind of Jesus people see through you.

This Christmas, may our lives point clearly—not to ourselves—but to the Light of the world.

Featuring: Pastor Gary Wilson