The Longest Night (part 2)

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; 
        those who lived in a land of deep darkness – 

        on them light has shined." 

(Isaiah 9:2)

 

Can you spot the conjunction?

I want to pick up where I left off yesterday. Darkness is real, and we would do well to acknowledge the heavy toll that darkness takes on the human soul.

 

But darkness, real and agonizing though it is, is not the reality that defines us. Darkness is not God’s ultimate intent for us. You don’t have to go any farther than the third verse in the Bible to know that darkness is not what God intends for us, for the very first words God speaks in all creation is “Let there be light.” So while we acknowledge the darkness that is common to all human experience, we also affirm that God breaks the darkness with the light of his glory and love.

 

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2) The words of the prophet Isaiah are affirmed and underscored by the apostle John when he speaks of Jesus in this way: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5) The Good News that we proclaim in the darkest season of the year – and in every season, for that matter – is that in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God answers the darkness with light. 

 

Light, which dispels the darkness. 

Light, which guides us through the darkness. 

 

And darkness did not, has not, cannot, nor ever will conquer the light. Not ever.

Yesterday was the winter solstice, the longest night. Last night was also the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the convergence of Saturn and Jupiter. So, of course I had to go and take pictures. As the sun set, the two planets began to appear side by side on the southwest horizon. And as the night became darker, the two planets appeared even brighter.

 

In the darkness, light was shining.

 

An interesting tidbit that I learned from this weather guy I follow on Facebook: Jupiter is 550 MILLION miles from earth, and Saturn is one BILLION miles from earth. Think about that for a second. The light we see from Jupiter and Saturn travels through hundreds of millions of miles of darkness to get to us.

 

The light shines, and the darkness did not, has not, cannot, nor ever will conquer the light. Not ever.

 

Light is the answer to darkness. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world – and the Light of the world – is God’s answer to our sorrow, our suffering, our broken hearts, our misery, our pain.

 

Not even the longest night can keep the light from coming to us.

It never has, and it never will.

The Longest Night (part 1)

“For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples…” (Isaiah 60:2a)

This morning was a cloudy, wet, gray, dreary morning. So I did what any normal person would do; I got up and said to myself, “It’s a perfect day for pictures.” (To be honest, gray days don’t usually make for the best photography; however, when you want a moody photo, it’s hard to beat a foggy morning) I went to the cemetery down the street from the manse, and snapped a few shots. 

 

Happy Monday, right?

 

Actually, I thought the gray moodiness of the morning was appropriate for today, the winter solstice – our longest night of the year. And for many people, 2020 has been a series of “longest nights”: a worldwide pandemic that hits us in waves; extended isolation from family and friends; national turmoil on the social, racial, and political fronts; economic uncertainty… I’m sure you can add your own reasons why this year seems to be one prolonged “longest night.”

 

As people of faith, it’s important to recognize the stark reality of the darkness in which we find ourselves. A quick reading of Scripture – especially the psalms – will reveal that it is perfectly normal for us to lament the darkness that enshrouds us. I say this because this time of year we need to remember that not everybody is merry and bright. For many, this will be the first Christmas without loved ones. For others, this will be the first Christmas since their family was fractured by divorce. For still others, this season adds salt to the wounds of their soul because, already struggling just to keep a roof over their heads, they cannot afford to buy gifts for their children. And for many, life itself is simply a struggle they face every day.

 

So, while a good number of us are finding ways to inject happiness into the strange and challenging year that 2020 has been, please be mindful that there are many others for whom the nights are always long. Find ways to reach out to them, and let them know they are not alone. Send them a note, call them, text them, take a small gift to them -- anything to let them know that someone is with them in the darkness.

 

Normally, I try to end on a high note. After all, that’s what we’re told to do, right – be upbeat, be optimistic? But today, I think I’m just going to be mindful of the darkness, because it is important that we not deny the reality of the darkness that enshrouds our world. Darkness isn’t all bad; if nothing else, darkness convinces us that we need a Savior, someone who can dispel the darkness with Light.

 

And on that note, I’m simply going to end by saying, “to be continued…”

Advent Waiting

“My heart says of You, ‘Seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, I will seek.” (Psalm 27:8)

As a pastor, I always feel a tension with the world around me when it comes to observing Advent. Everyone is in such a rush to get to Christmas – as soon as Halloween was over (even before), stores were changing their decorations to reflect Christmas. And the Hallmark Channels have had non-stop Christmas movies since the middle of October.

“But what about Advent?”, I protest.

Christmas is about remembering – remembering that God assumed human flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, to save us from our sin.

But Advent is about waiting:

• Waiting for Jesus to come again and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven once and for all.
• Waiting for the new heaven and the new earth foretold by the biblical writers, and promised by God.
• Waiting for that time to come when we will no longer see dimly, as a poor reflection in a mirror, but will see God face to face – and experience his grace and glory in all their fulness.

Advent waiting is not a tapping-our-feet kind of impatient waiting. Nor is it a looking-at-our-watch kind of waiting. No, Advent waiting is informed by a deep longing in our hearts, much like the kind of longing we encounter in the Psalms:

“My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God.When will I come and see God’s face?” (Psalm 42:2)

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,and in his word I put my hope.My soul waits for the Lordmore than watchmen wait for the morning,more than watchmen wait for the morning.” (Psalm 130:5-6)

“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’Your face, Lord, I will seek.” (Psalm 27:8)

How would you describe your Advent waiting? How deep is the longing in your heart?

Our cat (actually our daughter’s cat that we’re fostering while she’s in graduate school) loves to be with us. Only, he’s not content to be by our side or on our lap; he has to be in our face, literally. It gives a whole new meaning to “seek his face!”. Really, the way Ray persists in getting in our face is endearing – and it shows me something of the kind of persistence I should have in my heart as I seek God.

Advent waiting is active. It is living today as if the promised new heaven and new earth is already a done deal; and, in fact, we should assume that it is a done deal, because it is God’s promise to us. And God is faithful. Always.

So live today as if the tomorrow for which we hope has already come. Live, as the apostle Peter urges, “holy and godly lives as you wait eagerly for the day of God to come.” (2 Peter 3:11-12)

You see, the beauty of our waiting is this: as we await the day when we will see God face to face, God gives us glimpses of his grace and glory today.

“Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Look for the Lord. You will find him.

Wait for the Lord. He will come.