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Christmas Eve is a wonderful time of celebration and anticipation.

I can remember as a young girl my mother would let me open one special gift on Christmas Eve.  Once the tree was up and presents began to gather under the tree, I would go look to see which presents had my name on them.  I would try to guess what they were.  It was exciting.

As I think of Advent and ponder its meaning, I have that same excitement, but not for Santa and all his gifts, but as I wait for the return of my Savior.

On Christmas Eve some churches will light a white candle.  This fifth candle is an optional addition to the traditional Advent celebration and represents Christ. The white candle stands for purity, light, and victory. Christ followers know that Jesus is pure. He is without sin and because of his sacrifice he makes us white as snow.  He is the light and in Him is no darkness.  He is the victor over sin and death and our life is literally saved because of Him.

The Word tells us, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool (Isaiah 1:18).  We are reminded that without Jesus we are as filthy rags. We are not good in and of ourselves. 

People say I am a good person.  I do good things and I help my fellow man.  It is wonderful that people do strive to be good, but inherently people are not good.  We are born into a world that fosters wrong as right and right as wrong.  The world does not use the Word of God as a measuring stick for what is good. No one can escape that reality until they come to meet and follow the Savior of the world. 

“O Lord, how will we meet you?”

As followers of Christ, let us remember the kindness that God has shown us through his perfect gift- His Son, Jesus Christ. May we honor this gift by allowing God to use us to introduce Him to others.

“Now from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all the things that I have done.’  So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is the Savior of the world.’”

Yvette Perrin is a columnist for The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at theword2yvette@gmail.com.