“Darkness Has a Light of Its Own”
On this shortest day of the year, when darkness envelopes the earth, we celebrate the coming light and affirm that within the womb of darkness, light emerges, and growth occurs, often when we least expect it.
In the darkness the eye begins to see, so wrote American poet Theodore Roethke. At first, when darkness descends, we feel lost, as if walking through the woods a on moonless night. But, then we discover little lights in the dark woods – a star on the horizon, our eyes adjusting to the dark, and glimmers of something in the distance. In the darkness, we discover light enough to find our way home.
As a grandparent of two young boys, I am gaining insights into my own childhood and my own son, as a small boy. When I was a small boy, I was afraid of the dark. Shadows loomed large and threatening, and in the darkness, I felt alone and when my imagination got the best of me, I ran to my parents’ room seeking comfort under their covers. So it was with my own son and grandchildren.
Like my parents, I’ve learned to provide night lights around the house. Night lights don’t always take away the loneliness or the need for a reassuring touch, but they help us orient ourselves and find our way.
We may discover that darkness has a light of its own, and isn’t always negative. In dark soil, seeds germinate and push toward the light. In the darkness of the womb, a baby grows, and on the darkest night, the eye begins to see.
On the darkest and longest night of the year, Jesus’ birth is celebrated. We don’t know exactly when Jesus was born, but early Christians identified the birth of Jesus with earth-based, pagan holidays, celebrating the victorious sun. In the ancient world, people feared the winter nights: they worried that darkness would swallow the light, and the sun would be no more. What joy they felt when the days grew longer!
In the darkness of winter – in the darkness of our lives – we too need the reassurance that light will come – that we will find a way through our grief, our doubt, our confusion….At Christmas, we affirm that the light we need is already here, that a light shines within a lowly stable, and it changes everything: our fears of darkness are cast out and we can with the shepherds find our way to places of birth and beauty.
A star guides the magi from the East, and this year we need to let God’s light guide us as well: we need to rise up, ready for adventure, for God’s light has come; despite our anxieties, we are ultimately safe and we can rejoice; and a child is born to us and in us inviting us to affirm – On the longest night, the light of the world shines in us.
In the midst of confusion, the light of the world guides our path.
In uncertainty , the light of the world gives us direction and bring us joy.
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Bruce Epperly is Pastor of South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Centerville, MA and a member of the doctoral faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary. He is the author of over 40 books, including “The Mystic in You: Discovering a God-filled World” (Upper Room Books), “Becoming Fire: Spiritual Practices for Global Christians” and “The Work of Christmas: The Twelve Days of Christmas with Howard Thurman” (Anamchara Books), “Process Theology: Embracing Adventure with God” (Energion Publications), and “The Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh” (Noesis/Davies Books)
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