Advent Week 3: "Light"

Image by: R. Sawan White

The early church leaders, when deciding to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, were wise to select late December – near the winter solstice. The pagan religions of the time (and many indigenous faith practices still today) consider the winter solstice a sacred day and honor it with celebration.

In the Northern Hemisphere, where the early churches were located, the months and weeks leading to this time of year gradually grow darker. Similarly, for the Jewish people, the time before the birth of Jesus was a time of growing darkness. After generations of unrest, the Roman Empire had swooped in to occupy the land AND, likely more unsettling, the voice of God had grown silent. We can imagine that the people felt ill-at-ease and unsettled, yearning for the peace, joy, and hope promised by God.

Advent allows us to participate in this growing darkness and in unsettled longing, but we have seen the script and know that the birth of Jesus is coming to break through the silence and darkness – this is the Joy of Christmas. Lighting the third candle of Advent, the flickering flame represents joy by bringing warmth and illumination to our physical space, but it can also be fleeting and easily snuffed out. Like the flame of the advent candle, joy must be shared to bring the warmth and light into our darkest moments and to prevent it from being doused by the difficult circumstances of our lives. 

The birth of Jesus is the point of God breaking through our darkness. God breaks through the darkness of evil, of pain, the darkness in our thoughts and in our hearts by sending Jesus into our world. That is the reason for joy and celebration! God is breaking into our darkness with the light and joy of Emmanuel - God with us. 

“For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalms 30:5