4:45 p.m. and it’s turning to dark outside. Within minutes, the sun will set in Overland Park, Kansas. Soon, the shortest day of the year will appear — and disappear ever so quickly: December 21, winter solstice.
But four days later — in the depths of North American darkness — we celebrate the light:
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
– John 1:1-5
What a promise!
I don’t know about you, but I prefer light to dark. Even though I am a lifelong night owl. Even though I seldom observe a sunrise!
I like longer days, where light lingers until 9 or 10 or later — as when I lived a summer in Moscow, Russia.
I like light. And God promises light that will never stop shining.
We live in darkness. We live in a world where Satan misleads by his dark lies, turning people from God and against one another. We feel the darkness of our earthly habitat every day. We groan. At least I do. I totally relate to these verses:
“For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.”
– Romans 8:22-23a
Many of you face Christmas having lost a loved one, as my girls and I do. Or you face financial, emotional, physical, or relational troubles. Maybe you are just plain too busy and overwhelmed by all the holiday goings-on.
Most of us experience that strange combination of joy and despair during those weeks that start right before Thanksgiving and end right after New Year’s. We feel the darkness, but we know about the light. And the light may be all that keeps us going.
The prophet Isaiah promised that “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2)
And we had our first glimpse of that light more than 2,000 years ago by a stable in Bethlehem:
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ ”
– Luke 2: 8-12,ESV
No matter how dark it gets on a winter evening; no matter how dark our lives feel; no matter how dark this sin-filled world appears — the Light has come.
The Light that is Life and Truth and Salvation entered this world in a stable, left this world on a cross, and returned to heaven where He rules forever.
The Light has come and no matter how bleak and lonely and scary and sad our circumstances, the Light cannot be extinguished. The Light prevails.
The Light will one day banish all darkness when the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem, descends from heaven:
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
“…the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
– Revelation 21:3b-4, 23 (ESV)
Jesus — the Lamb of God, the Light of the World, our Savior, the Word, our eternal Bridegroom — came to shine His eternal life into our souls.
During the light festive days and the dark, difficult days to come, let’s remember that Jesus is the Light that shines the way into God’s arms for now and forever.
(Note: emphasis in Scripture verses is ours)
Lorraine Potter Zechmann
Former President and CEO