The One Bulb that Ruins it All

Devotional

Day 1: The one bulb: the Word became flesh

So many parts of the season feel crucial—snow, perfect gatherings, the tree—but those are not the load-bearing bulb. Like old series-circuit lights, you can pull any of those and Christmas still shines. There is one bulb you cannot remove: the Word becoming flesh. If Jesus does not become human, the whole strand goes dark, and all we’re left with is sentiment. Center your heart on the simple, staggering truth that God wrapped himself in our skin for our rescue. Let that be the glow that powers every other good thing this week. [11:46]

John 1:14 — The eternal Word became truly human and lived among us; we saw the unique glory of the Father’s one-and-only Son, overflowing with grace and truth.

Reflection: Which tradition or expectation have you been treating like the “must-have bulb,” and what concrete practice will help you focus on Jesus taking on flesh this week?

Day 2: Jesus reveals God’s heart up close

God did not just send information; he came himself. In Jesus, grace and truth walked our streets, ate our food, and looked people in the eyes. He wasn’t a stunt double or an avatar; he was fully God and fully human, touchable and real. Without him in flesh, we’d only have facts about God, not the presence of God. Let Jesus correct your view of the Father by watching how he treats sinners, strugglers, and skeptics. [15:02]

John 14:9 — Jesus told his followers that seeing him is seeing the Father; to know Jesus is to know what God is truly like.

Reflection: Where has your picture of God grown harsh, vague, or distant, and which specific scene from the Gospels will you sit with this week to let Jesus show you the Father?

Day 3: Redeemed from the inside out

Our problem was not a small policy error; it was a sin nature embedded in human flesh. So God stepped into our condition—born of a virgin—so the rescue could happen from the inside. He carried real humanity without the inherited sin that comes through Adam’s line. On the cross he condemned sin in that very flesh, breaking its power where it claimed to reign. God didn’t save from afar; he moved into the mess and changed it from within. Invite him into the places that feel stuck, because he has already walked there with authority. [20:51]

Romans 8:3 — What the law could never pull off because our flesh was weak, God accomplished by sending his own Son in human likeness; in that human body he passed sentence on sin.

Reflection: What flesh-level pattern—anger, escape, comparison, or something else—do you sense Jesus wanting to enter this week, and what small, concrete invitation will you offer him today?

Day 4: Our Mediator and Ransom: the Man Christ Jesus

There is one God and one go-between who stands in the gap for us—the man Christ Jesus. This isn’t a cosmic duel with Satan; that defeat was settled at the cross. The real divide was between a holy God and us, and we were incapable of crossing it. Jesus paid the ransom with his own life and now represents us, fully God and fully human. So we come to God not with résumés or excuses but with empty hands. Rest in the Mediator who already did what you cannot do. [26:12]

1 Timothy 2:5–6 — There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and humanity—the human Christ Jesus. He gave himself as the price of freedom for all, and this was made known at the right time.

Reflection: When you picture approaching God today, what are you tempted to carry as proof you belong, and how will you set it down because your Mediator already paid your way?

Day 5: Light the world: communion and generous presence

Because the Word became flesh, the whole strand lights up—cross, resurrection, hope, mission. In his light, we become light, shining not by impressing but by abiding. Communion brings everyone to Jesus’ table empty-handed; it’s not a brag, it’s a confession of need. From that table we move into a generous life that points, like a humble tree topper, to the real main character. Let every tradition this week serve that one glow: God is with us and in us. Keep the bulb of the incarnation in place, and watch love brighten your home, your street, your city. [29:20]

Matthew 5:14–16 — You are the world’s light. A town set high cannot be hidden; put your lamp where it gives light to everyone. In the same way, let your life shine so people see the good you do and give praise to your Father in heaven.

Reflection: As you come to the table or share a meal this week, who is one person you can bless in a tangible way—time, a gift, an apology, or an invitation—that lets Jesus’ light be seen?

Sermon Summary

We celebrated generous hearts this morning and prayed that in the swirl of our own worlds—crazy, lonely, bright, or dark—we would see God clearly. I told a story about old-school Christmas lights wired in series: pull one bulb and the whole strand goes out. That launched a question we all feel this time of year: what’s the “one bulb” we act like Christmas can’t do without—snow on the 25th, perfect family gatherings, matching pajamas, or the tree as the star of the show? Fun as those things are, none of them is the load-bearing bulb.

There is one bulb you can’t remove without plunging the season—and our salvation—into darkness: the Word became flesh. The incarnation is uniquely Christian. Many religions affirm a god who is near, around, or diffused through creation; Scripture reveals something more stunning—God the Son put on our skin. He is not only with us; by his death and resurrection he dwells in us. That’s why this isn’t a seasonal sentiment; it’s the center of reality.

From John 1:14 we saw that Jesus took on flesh to reveal God. No longer only truths about God; in Jesus we see God himself. That’s why early distortions like docetism—“He only appeared human”—had to be rejected. If he didn’t truly suffer as a man, nothing about the cross is real.

From Romans 8 we saw that Jesus redeemed us from the inside. Humanity’s problem isn’t a handful of bad actors; it’s a universal sin nature. That’s why the virgin birth matters: God enters the human story without inheriting Adam’s guilt, so he can break sin’s power from within. We don’t need creative workarounds; we need a Savior who is truly one of us and truly without sin.

From 1 Timothy 2 we saw that Jesus is our mediator and ransom—not because Satan held us with equal power to God, but because God’s holiness demanded justice our efforts could never satisfy. Call it total inability: no stack of good intentions, rituals, or resolutions can bridge the gap. So Jesus stands where we cannot stand and pays what we cannot pay.

The incarnation is the bulb that powers the strand—cross, resurrection, hope, new life. Remove it, and Christmas collapses into sentiment. With it, the whole world lights up. That’s why we come to the communion table empty-handed—not boasting in our ability, but confessing our need and receiving his life.

Key Takeaways

1. Guard against counterfeit Christmas bulbs The season is crowded with good but secondary things that quietly demand center stage. When our joy hinges on weather, schedules, or perfectly curated moments, we’ve wired our souls in series to fragile bulbs. Let those be signals, not sources—reminders that point beyond themselves. Keep the non‑negotiable non‑negotiable: the Word became flesh. [06:13]
2. God made visible in Jesus In Jesus we don’t just learn about God; we see God’s heart embodied—grace and truth with a human face. Rejecting a merely “seeming” humanity protects the reality of his suffering and the credibility of his compassion. A God who bleeds is not far, foggy, or theoretical. He is knowable, near, and trustworthy. [15:02]
3. Redemption worked from the inside Humanity’s problem isn’t bad habits but a bent nature, which means information alone can’t save us. The virgin birth safeguards a sinless Savior who steps into our condition without sharing our guilt. Jesus carries our humanity all the way to the cross, breaks sin’s claim from within, and offers a new beginning, not a moral tune‑up. [20:51]
4. Jesus, our mediator and ransom Our deepest bondage wasn’t to Satan’s muscle but to God’s righteous justice we could not satisfy. Christ stands between a holy God and sinful people, not to negotiate a compromise but to offer himself. The cross is not divine theater—it’s payment and peace. Grace costs Jesus everything and gives us what we could never earn. [26:12]
5. Incarnation powers all Christian hope Take away the incarnation and the cross loses meaning, the resurrection empties out, and Christmas becomes nostalgia. Keep it, and the entire strand lights—salvation, presence, transformation, mission. Your life becomes a parallel circuit, each moment powered by Christ’s life in you. This is why we can be light in a dark world. [29:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:28] - Celebrating generosity and prayer
[01:15] - Untangled: the Christmas lights idea
[02:52] - Series vs. parallel: prank story
[05:30] - The one-bulb problem
[06:13] - False load-bearing Christmas bulbs
[08:42] - Tree traditions and priorities
[11:46] - Incarnation: a uniquely Christian claim
[15:02] - Why flesh matters: John 1:14
[17:39] - Rejecting docetism: fully God and man
[20:51] - Original sin and the virgin birth
[23:36] - Immaculate conception? Why it’s unnecessary
[26:12] - Mediator and ransom: not a duel with Satan
[29:20] - The bulb that powers everything
[30:30] - Communion and closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- **John 1:14**
- **Romans 8:3**
- **1 Timothy 2:5–6**

Observation questions

In John 1:14, what did the Word do, and what did people see because of it?
In Romans 8:3, what was the law powerless to do, and what did God do instead?
In 1 Timothy 2:5–6, who is the mediator, what is emphasized about him, and what did he give?
Name two or three “fake load‑bearing bulbs” that tend to steal center stage at Christmas (weather, family perfection, pajamas, the tree, etc.). Which ones were called out? [06:13]

Interpretation questions

“The Word became flesh” means God made himself visible and knowable in Jesus. How does that move someone beyond knowing truths about God to knowing God himself? [15:02]
If Jesus only seemed human (docetism), what breaks down about the cross, suffering, and our salvation? Why does a truly human Jesus matter? [17:39]
Why does a sinless Savior born of a virgin matter for real change? How does “inside job” redemption (breaking sin from within) answer the problem of a bent nature rather than just bad habits? [20:51]
“One mediator…who gave himself as a ransom.” What does that say about our inability to reach God on our own and about God’s justice being satisfied—rather than some duel with Satan? [26:12]

Application questions

What’s your “one bulb” this season—the thing you’ve quietly treated as non‑negotiable (snow, schedule control, the perfect gathering, the tree)? How could you let that be a signal, not a source, and keep “the Word became flesh” at the center? [06:13]
Where do you most need to see God’s heart with a human face—grief, fear, temptation, shame? What would it look like this week to look at Jesus there and trust that God is knowable, near, and trustworthy? [15:02]
Be honest: where are you trying a moral tune‑up—more information, more willpower—when what you need is new life? What is one concrete way you can receive (not perform) this week—prayer of surrender, sharing your need with a friend, fasting from self‑reliance? [20:51]
If Jesus is the mediator and ransom, where do you still act like you can “pay your own way” with good intentions or religious effort? What would repentance look like there—simple, specific, today? [26:12]
Think “parallel circuit” for your week: if one plan or moment fails, how can your joy stay powered by Christ’s life in you instead of going dark? Name one stressful moment you expect and how you’ll stay connected to him in it (breath prayer, Scripture, song). [02:52]
Communion brings everyone empty‑handed. Where do comparison or pride still sneak in (I’m doing better than…), and how can you practice arriving empty‑handed—confessing need and receiving grace—before you walk into church or your small group? [29:20]
If a neighbor asked you, “What makes Christmas uniquely Christian?” how would you explain the incarnation in one minute, in simple words? Try it now. What part still feels foggy to you, and how can the group help you make it clear? [11:46]

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