Christmas Musings Day 12

Season of Light

Isaiah 9: 2 (ESV) ² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

               When I was a young soldier, I participated in an exercise at Fort Riley, Kansas. We were conducting a movement to contact in the middle of the night. The training area was far removed from any city lights and a heavy overcast blocked out the moon and stars. A deep darkness enveloped us. All I could see of the man in front of me were the two bits of luminescent tape sewn onto the elastic band which held the camouflage cover on his helmet. I kept my eyes on those two dim bits of green light as we moved across the prairie. Suddenly, the lights disappeared. Just as I wondered what had happened, the ground disappeared and I found myself falling through blackness, landing on the four or five men who walked off the edge of the precipice before me. Fortunately, the fall was not far, and our muffled cries stopped the formation before the soldier carrying the Hog (M-60 Machine Gun) fell on us. It was not the first time in my military career that night maneuvers did not work as planned, and it would not be the last. We live in such a world.

               Look around and you will see that we live in deep darkness. Countries invade one another. Those in power ignore the plight of the poor and destitute, often lining their pockets at the expense of the poor. One group excuses the hatred of another. In some cities, the homeless throng public spaces, seeking shelter. Even the planet seems to reel under the onslaught of various types of natural disasters. It seems as if sin prevails. Right is called wrong, darkness light, and the sad list goes on. The writer of Ecclesiastes counsels us to not look back, the old days were not better. Ecclesiastes 7:10. As a history major, I must agree. All creation groans as we stumble through the darkness. But Advent has come.

               Advent shines a bright light into the darkness. Advent brings hope to the hopeless. In John’s version of the Advent story, he reminds us that the light shines into the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 Though things are bad, we live in the joy and hope of Advent. The true light of the world has broken through the veil and light has dawned. This is why light plays such a pivotal role in our celebration of Christmas. We love to festoon our houses with lights of all kinds. Drive down the streets of Lubbock and you cannot miss the festival air all the lights create. The shining lights of Christmas remind us that the true light of the world shines on us, illuminating the way home. Christmas is truly the season of light.