The Father of Lights

 The Father of Lights

December 15, 2025

James 1:17-18 (NASB95) 

17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Fatherof lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (Literally: shadow of turning). 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

1 John 1:5-7 - God Is Light

5This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Christmas is a season of lights. We put lights on our Christmas trees, and lights on our houses and light candles on Christmas Eve. The magi were led to the baby Jesus by a star in the east (Matthew 2:2). And when the Angels appeared to the shepherds, the glory of the Lord shone around them (Luke 2:9). Indeed, Jesus said the He is the light of the world.

John 8:12 - Jesus Is the Light of the World

12Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

So what then do we make of the statement in James 1 that the Lord is the Father of lights? First of all, the Father created the universe, and set all the stars in place. But more importantly, on Christmas Day, He gave us the gift of Jesus, the incarnate Son, who is the light of the world. And from this light, He gives us every good and perfect gift. 

I once had a vision of this verse in James in which I saw a giant hand. And in the palm of His hand was a blue ball, which sparkled and swirled because it was a representation of the four dimensional universe. The universe shone and changed, but the hand of the Father was eternal and unchanging. It’s hard really to describe the vision, but it represented an image of this verse that depicts the Father of lights, who created all things, but is Himself immortal and unchanging. 

So in this season of lights, remember the giver of all good and perfect gifts as we give gifts to one another, and let us rejoice with the angels and shine the glory of God into this world,