Posted 8:36 am Saturday, December 22, 2012
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Christmas lends light to a period of darkness
Darkness so thick we can barely see each other. So thick, even God is hard to see.
In an interview about the Samaritan Counseling Center, one of the Shine Your Light recipients this year, executive director Fonda Latham explained why grief is so much harder during the holidays.
"We think of the holidays as a time of happiness and joy that will turn the heat up on feelings of loss," she said. "The contrast of the joy of the season against their pain is greater."
The unspeakable tragedy that occurred Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn., brings fresh meaning to those words.
How can we celebrate Christmas in a world where such things are possible?
Some have claimed that events like this shooting are the result of removing mandatory prayer and the Ten Commandments from public schools.
If that's the case, God has abandoned us. The God who said, "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age," decided to change His mind. Even the very name given to the Christ-child at Christmas, Immanuel, "God with us," rings untrue if a bitter God would leave us in our hour of need.
Tragedy is a result of living in a complicated world. But here's the good news: God has not left us. Even in the midst of horror, God is there.
The heavyheartedness that has consumed the nation brings a special meaning to a verse in John 1 this Advent season.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
That is why Christmas is so breathtaking.
Christmas is God saying "I will never, ever, ever, ever give up on you."
The darkness makes God feel so far away, indifferent, cold. But if Christmas shows us anything, it is that our heartbreak breaks God's heart. So much so, that He felt compelled to do something about it.
It will be a somber Christmas this year, and we should not paint on plastic smiles. Peace on Earth hasn't happened yet, and that should grieve us.
But Christmas comes with the knowledge that "peace on Earth and goodwill to men" will be ours someday.
Like the old Christmas carol says, "God is not dead, nor does He sleep."
So as we gather around the lights on our trees and the candles in our churches, let the Spirit of God whisper His promises to our hearts.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
