Advent: a time for Light
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone." - Isaiah 9:2, ESV
When I as a child I had to have a nightlight in my room. I could not sleep in the total darkness. As I got older, I moved away from a nightlight, but find that I still need to have just a bit of light in a room so I can see my way around. Over the last 40 or so years as I have lived in multiple residences, I have added accent lights that aren't meant to light up a room, but light up a dark corner, or under a cabinet. These lights are not just for practical purposes, but are also to create a mood - a feeling. The feeling that even in the darkness, there is still light.
This morning, as I switched on our Christmas tree lights, and the living room became touched by the warm lights of the tree, I realized that my preference for small yet important sources of light is an echo of not only what Isaiah wrote, but even what John wrote in his Gospel:
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:5, ESV
Notice that John doesn't say that the light overcomes the darkness, but that the darkness cannot overcome the light. Perhaps that's why I love these small sources of light (especially the Christmas tree). Maybe, deep down inside of me, I feel that they echo what both Isaiah and John wrote about: light in the darkness. They are, for me, reminders of the promise from Isaiah, and the assurance from John's Gospel.
Advent and Christmas are times for light. A time for us to light the lights our our hearts and spread that light to others. May the lights of hope, peace, joy and love, illuminate your lives during this Advent and Christmas season.
Soli Deo Gloria
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