Light the World by Sharing the Light of Christ
When serving our fellow beings, we are indirectly teaching others who Christ is—the Light and Life of the World.
Growing up, I thought meaningful service had to be something extravagant, something you could visibly see, hold, or eat. And during the Christmas season, a time when service seems to be given more, it is easy to get lost in the things that are more tangible, like large gifts or big activities.
When the Church launched the Light the World campaign, I downloaded the daily service calendar and was surprised to find that each day was filled with service ideas that were so simple and easy. And participants were encouraged to do each service activity in their own way.
As I went through the calendar, I discovered that meaningful service didn’t have to be grandiose. It could be anything from sharing a scripture to listening to a friend to being patient to even helping with dishes. And this realization reminded me of a few experiences I’d had with simple acts of service in my life.
Different Ways to Serve
Hanging on the wall in my family’s house while I was growing up was the scripture “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). In my family, we would participate in “family fun time” by doing a service activity together. Especially during the Christmas season, through simple acts of service, we would try to share the Light of Christ with those who might need it in their lives.
During the month of December, our family fun time was making secret “12 Days of Christmas” drop-offs to widows or single-parent families in our ward. We put together nativities and would “doorbell-ditch” the houses, leaving a small nativity figurine and a scripture for 12 days in a row. We would sometimes hide behind bushes to watch their reactions when they opened their doors. Nothing compared to seeing their eyes light up and huge smiles come to their faces!
Our family fun time also consisted of more simple things, like going around the neighborhood and singing Christmas carols to a few families. I used to think that singing was just a way to lift others’ spirits; it wasn’t until my mission that I realized that singing was also a way to testify of the Savior.
On my second Christmas in the field, as part of the Light the World initiative, my mission president gathered a group of musical missionaries and had us perform Christmas songs at a nearby mall. We also handed out pass-along cards and talked with people in the audience. A lot of members in the area came and brought their friends to watch the concert.
After each concert, people would come up and thank us for the inspiring songs. They said they felt something they had never felt before, which I believe was the Spirit, along with feelings of peace, love, and comfort. Through those small concerts, so many people wanted to know more about Jesus Christ.
Sharing His Light
As we continually turn outward and serve others as the Savior did, we are also indirectly teaching individuals who our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is—“the light and the life of the world” (3 Nephi 9:18). They will see His light in us as we serve with Christlike love for those around us.
It doesn’t matter what kind of service you give. What matters is that those you serve feel the Light of Christ and can find for themselves “peace on earth and good will toward men.”1
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited us to share Christ’s light by ministering to those around us: “As we approach Christmas, I wonder if we could become more like the angelic host by visiting modern shepherds to provide the good news of Christ, peace and comfort. And I wonder if we can become more like the shepherds by responding to the call to visit and minister … in our neighborhoods and communities to provide reassurance that God loves them and is watching and caring for them.”2
This Christmas, make service a part of your holiday celebrations. Meaningful service can come from small or simple acts of service, and the Church’s Light the World initiative is a great place to look for ideas. And by giving service, we can share the Light of Christ with everyone we meet.
In an interview with the Church magazines, young adults share their testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ.