Our Christmas tree stands outside. After Thanksgiving, we decorate it with lights. During the Holiday, the tree will often have a dusting of snow on it. The significance of modest, lovely, comely light goes down through history. Here are verses Genesis 14-18 from 4 different Bible versions:

From the New International Version: “And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.”

From Jubilee Bible 2000: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for appointed times and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth and to rule over the day and over the night and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.”

From the Contemporary English Bible: “God said, “I command lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night and to show the time for seasons, special days, and years. I command them to shine on the earth.” And that’s what happened. God made two powerful lights, the brighter one to rule the day and the other to rule the night. He also made the stars. Then God put these lights in the sky to shine on the earth, to rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. God looked at what he had done, and it was good.”

From the Orthodox Jewish Bible: “And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the raki’a of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for otot (signs), and for mo’adim (seasons), and for yamim (days), and shanim (years); And let them be for lights in the raki’a of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; He made the kokhavim (stars) also. And Elohim set them in the raki’a of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and Elohim saw that it was tov.”