Light in the Darkness

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

John 1:1-5

There was a sweet, young, talented, and faithful young woman, a teenager who was a member of my former church. She and her family drifted in and out of church life, sometimes leaving for stretches of time, sometimes coming back for others. We would let them family know that we were missing them, ask them to let us know if there was anything we could do. During one of those stretches when her family was gone, someone let me know she was struggling, had spent some time in the hospital for depression. I called and asked if we could have lunch, and she seemed delighted at the invitation. She told me that she had been depressed, struggling with her classwork, been turned down for the high school cheerleading team, had been the subject of some pretty vicious rumors that had turned into bullying at her school. Feeling helpless, she had taken some pills, not enough to end her life, but enough to get the attention and garner the help that she so clearly needed. I listened to her, asked her questions, prayed with her. She asked me where I thought God was in all of this, whether God had heard her prayers, whether people at the church would judge her, asked whether God was angry with her for taking the pills. She expressed a lot of doubt; told me she had the impression that people of faith were always happy because they loved Jesus enough, that maybe God was blessing them because of their faith and cursing her because of her doubt.

I told her that, without a doubt, I knew that God loved her because God created her, that God I really believed God was sad, but not angry, when she took the pills. I told her that I truly believed God was walking with her because of Isaiah’s words to us of God walking through the rivers and fires with us. I told her that people at the church, especially a Southern one, might appear happy, might always say that they’re fine when asked, but that every single person in the congregation had struggled at some point. I told her that some of them might be doing well at any certain moment, not feeling like they were in a world of darkness—but that we had all experienced darkness at one point in our lives, if not many points. I told her that, when Southern folks—especially at church--say, “I’m fine, thank you,” when asked how they are, it might be nice, but it’s also a disservice. I told her it’s fine to say, “I’m just alright,” or “I’m making it minute by minute,” or “you know, today is really a hard day.” If the church isn’t a place where you can share the darkness of your pain, after all, where can you?

Folks, that’s the reality of the situation. We live in a world where there is lots of light, in a world where there is lots of darkness. For every child who is well fed and sheltered, there is another child who doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from or where they will lay their head that night. For everyone who is surrounded by loved ones, there is someone who feels like there is no one there to love them. For every couple who seems so happy together, there is another couple whose differences simply cannot be overcome. For every person who has more than they could ever need, there is someone else who wonders if they will ever earn another paycheck. For every Christian who seems happy and never seems to express a doubt in the world, there is another one who is sad and expresses every doubt there is to express. Lots of light and lots of darkness.

I think that teenager expressed something fascinating to our lives as Christians today—the kind of “theology lite” out there—the belief that if you just love Jesus enough, trust him enough, if you just take him into your heart, that you will never go through pain again, be threatened again, experience brokenness and sin again. I think that kind of theology is pervasive in the South, especially, pervasive in some of the growing churches of our world. If I am just faithful enough, we trick ourselves into believing, then everything will be happy and fine and perfect. Everything will be all light and no darkness.

But that’s not reality. We live in a world that can oftentimes be dark, oftentimes experience the pain of brokenness, a world that always experiences the result of sin. Some of the most faithful people I know, folks who are some of the strongest believers in Christ, are people who are struggling mightily with darkness right now. One of my dear friends lost her mom to Alzheimer’s in February and her niece to an awful accident in June. Another dear friend is dealing with a scary medical situation that no woman should ever have to deal with, especially at her young age. One of my friends is hurting because he fell deeply for someone, allowed himself to think that there might be a future after much loneliness in the past, only to discover that the person he fell in love with is too scared and scarred to open herself up to the possibility of love. Two of my tailgating friends lost three members of their family suddenly last week in a car crash. That is a lot of darkness for these friends of faith, friends who believe wholeheartedly that Jesus Christ has been born for them, faithful folks who proclaim Jesus Christ as their Savior, and, yes, friends who currently have lots of questions about doubt and faith for him. Even to the most faithful among us, the world can oftentimes seem like a very dark place.

But in the midst of that darkness, there is great news to share, to tell, to believe--a child has been born for us. Did you hear that??? A CHILD HAS BEEN BORN FOR ALL OF US. Do you believe it? A savior has been given to us, a baby has been born to bring light to us. And part of that great news is that it was even dark for him—he was born in a smelly, gross barn with no sturdy shelter over his head, threatened by a king who was scared to death of this little baby, born to a mom who was warned by a prophet that a sword would pierce her soul. But, even in the midst of that darkness, that little baby was born to bring light.

And that is why we celebrate this day—Jesus has come into the world for every single one of us, for those of who are happy and those who are sad, for those who don’t have a care in the world and those who struggle with the world every minute. Jesus is born to bring light into the darkness of the world. I love how Ann Weems puts it:

Not celebrate? Your burden is too great to bear? Your loneliness is intensified during this Christmas season? Not celebrate? You should lead the celebration . . . For it is you above all others who know the joy of Advent. It is unto you that a Savior is born this day, one who comes to lift the burden from your shoulders, one who comes to wipe the tears from your eyes. You are not alone, for he is born this day to you.

Jesus Christ is born into our world once again, born to bring light to those who struggle in darkness. Isaiah foretells the story for us: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on the light has shined…for a child has been born unto us, a Savior given to us…and he shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

It is indeed time for us to celebrate the Christ child who has been born for us, for those who are living in darkness, for those of us who are living in light. It is time for us to celebrate, and how can we not? A Savior is born, born to lift our burdens, born to wipe away the tears from our eyes, born to bear our dark sorrows, born to forgive and save. A Savior is born, born to bring light, as John reminds us: “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being, in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it; the darkness has not and will not overcome it. Our Savior has come into our world to shed light, to overcome the darkness, to bring peace. Thanks be to God.