Today’s Reading: Isaiah 9:2 and John 1:1-5 NRSV
“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
To many of us we are living in a time of “darkness”. Our society has moved away from the classic moral values that guided us for decades. Where once we were taught by both the church and school to be honest, truthful, and to treat all people with respect, even those who believed different from ourselves; where once we were taught that violence is never a solution to settling differences, and to be fair in our dealings with others and never demean anyone, today these values seem to have been replaced by their very opposite.
In the recent campaign we witnessed crowds of people accept lying as a perfectly acceptable act. We witnessed people cheering when an opponent was called all manner of derogatory names. And our society seems to think that if you can get away with it, cheating is perfectly acceptable. We are, indeed, living in “a time of darkness”.
Yet at this very moment we enter that special season called Advent, during which we celebrate the coming of the Christ child into the world. And as the gospel writer reminds us “…in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” John 1:4-5 Never has it been more important to remember this declaration of God’s true action in a world of darkness. While darkness can seem overpowering at times, the light God gives to humanity ultimately overcomes it. In that reality is our hope during this time. Let us come to this season with its special meanings with faith in that light which will always ultimately overcome the darkness.
Reflections 