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…the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.
Matthew 4:16 (ESV)
Advent refers to the four weeks in the liturgical calendar that lead up to Christmas. It is a time of waiting and anticipation as Christians prepare themselves for the birth of Christ.
Not every tradition celebrates Advent, but attending Advent services with my family and lighting the candles on an Advent wreath is one of my favorite parts of the year. It is a time to slow down, step away from the hustle and bustle of the year, and focus our hearts and minds on the true reason that we celebrate.
The Advent candles and wreath seem especially poignant to me this year. The idea that we move from darkness to light is a powerful one, and one that we need to be reminded of over and over again.
As I write this, news of the Paris attacks still fill every headline. The death and destruction feels overwhelming. Times like this can fill children and adults with anxiety and fear. It is easy to allow our hearts and minds to be overcome with feelings of anger and fear.
We live in a world today where the darkness sometimes seems overwhelming. My experience with darkness tells me that sometimes the darkness gets worse before it gets better. Darkness can be completely overpowering. However, we know the antidote to darkness. We know what can completely overcome darkness. We know how powerful the light is. We also know, that if we are also working to be the light together, there would be no way the darkness could overcome us.
We are called not only to look towards God's kingdom in heaven, but to help bring about God's kingdom right here and now. That requires us to reflect and shine God's love and light into the world.
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 1:4-5 (NLT)
It isn't always easy. In fact, it can be the hardest thing we do. We always start with ourselves.
- Do our behaviors reflect God's love in the world?
- Does the way we talk about others reflect God's love in the world?
How do we help our children and grandchildren do this in tangible ways?
- Teach them to stand up for the child in their class who is being bullied
- Teach them to speak kind words to the children they know who are always excluded
- Teach them to reach out to others with acts of kindness.
What will you do to be a light in the darkness during this Advent season?
