The Light Shines in Darkness

I love the season of Advent because it is the first season of the Christian calendar year and a time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas. The passage that opened The Advent Conspiracy devotions this past week is among my favorite: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-5).

This passage contains deep and abiding truth about who Jesus is: the living, eternal Word, who is God in the flesh. He is the source of all life and the light of world.  Light is what is needed in our lives because we live in a sinful and broken world that is sometimes characterized by darkness. Suffering is a part of it. We hear about it every day in the news as well as in our circles of family and friends.

I’m grateful that John begins his Gospel by naming the reality of our human experience. Luke begins his Gospel with a real life example of how that darkness played out in the life of a barren woman and her husband. There was a lot of shame associated with being childless in Jesus’ day, not to mention the grief of not having a deep longing fulfilled. I experienced this for seven years in my 30’s as my husband and I pursued infertility treatment to no effect.

But barrenness is not only about being unable to conceive a child. It comes in many forms. And it really was a metaphor for Israel’s experience in the period before Jesus’ birth. God’s people had not received a word, a prophecy, from the Lord for 400 years. They were living under the brutal occupation of the Roman Empire. The people of God were beginning to lose hope that the Messiah would come.

In the context of the darkness of their lives, Zechariah and Elizabeth receive good news. Zechariah was going about his business fulfilling his duties as a priest at the temple chosen to fulfill a special role in the worship of God’s people. Suddenly, an angel appeared saying, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord” (Luke 1:13-15).

Having waited so long and been disappointed so many times, Zechariah wonders, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.”  Because he did not believe the angel sent from God, Zechariah is made mute until the baby arrives.

God broke through in unexpected and amazing ways. Not only did Elizabeth become pregnant, but their son was to be a great prophet who would prepare the way of the Lord. God saw their pain, heard their prayers, and intervened to do what only he could do. God’s life and light broke through in their lives. But it wasn’t just for them and their family. Their son John the Baptist played a pivotal role in preparing the way for the coming of Israel’s Messiah, Jesus our Lord.

I love this passage because it is a great way for us to begin the season of Advent. All of us have unfulfilled longings and hopes and questions that have no good answers. We all face circumstances that we can’t control that bring us grief and sometimes even anguish.

Advent is a time to name our place on the journey. To name the darkness that is real. To understand that God has always seen this darkness and has been working out a plan to bring about the redemption of the world.

We can have courage to face the darkness as we remember Jesus’ words, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” This does not mean we escape suffering but that Jesus’ light never ceases to shine. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. He is always with us and will never leave us (‎Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 4:16; 13:4).

Every year during Advent I take time to reflect on my life and name the place I find myself in my journey with God. Over the years, I have experienced the reality of both the light and the darkness. I have found myself experiencing grief, infertility, illness, and transition. But I have also enjoyed Advent seasons of great joy with new beginnings. One year I had just moved to Berkeley as a campus minister, then on to Moscow, Russia, to start a campus ministry at Moscow State. I remember well the first Advent and Christmas of my marriage as well as the first of each of our children and then serving two different churches.

Advent 2022 will be one I will remember as it is the last month I will be a pastor of VPC. In one way, it is a season of darkness with accompanying grief of leaving this beloved church that has been home to me and a place to live out my calling as a pastor and servant of the Lord.

But far greater than the darkness of grief is the light, life, and love of Jesus that I have experienced here for sixteen years. As I have said before, I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for his goodness in allowing me to serve here for so long.

Now I begin to look forward to what is next, which is still an unknown. There is still a lot of uncertainty ahead with my job search, husband’s health, and children’s future education and vocations to discern. But we are trusting Jesus, the light of the world, to show us the way and guide and direct our steps.

The truth is, that is our life. That is what each of us is called to do all the time, and Advent is a great time to begin or renew our commitment to follow Jesus as we discern what that might look like in this season of our lives and the coming year. The Advent Conspiracy challenge this week is to make worship a priority each day. It strikes me that Zechariah had an amazing encounter with an angel. That is not likely to be our experience, but let’s believe God does want and will meet us in amazing ways as we seek him.

I am reading Seeking God: Finding Another Kind of Life with St. Ignatius and Dallas Willard.  The author Trevor Hudson corresponded with Willard for over 25 years. In one letter, he expressed his longing for a deeper experience of a living, present, and personal God. Willard responded with this advice: “I encourage you to seek the face of the Lord constantly, with the knowledge that experiences will come along. You should experience God. I would be nothing and have no faith apart from various experiences of God that have come to me. You should expect experiences and make yourself available to them. To seek them is just misguided, not wrong. We have no idea of what ours will be like, and they certainly will be unlike anyone else’s.”

Along with reading the quote above this week, I have had conversations with several people who have shared their experiences of God at a critical time in their journey that changed the trajectory of their lives. While not all experiences are so dramatic or life changing, they can open us to the reality that God is always near, always working in ways we don’t always recognize. The light of Christ’s presence is always shining. As we seek God intentionally and worship him fully, we are sure to encounter God in amazing ways.

Along with looking for the light that is always shining, we have also been invited to look for those opportunities to shine the light of Christ in what we say and do. Again, in a world of darkness, there is so much need for love, encouragement, support, and help. We can’t meet all the needs, but we can be awake and alert to God’s leading to do what we can to share his love and shine his light. God is bringing light to the darkness, healing to the broken, and help to those in need. And he wants to use us as the vessels through whom he pours out his love. Let us remember and heed Jesus words:  “You are the light of the world….  Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16)