Throughout history commentators
have observed the dark side of human experience. About 500 B.C. the Chinese
philosopher Confucius remarked, "There is in the world now really no moral
social order at all." Elsewhere he deplored teenage behavior. A hundred years
before Christ the Roman orator Cicero began an address with the words "O, what
a time, what a state of things!" About seventeen centuries later Shakespeare
commented, "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets
his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an
idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing."
Examine the front pages of our
newspapers; notice radio and television newscasts! If you were from another
planet, you might conclude rather quickly that darkness is the inevitable human
condition! In this vein, sixteen years ago a narrator concluded a television
documentary by saying, "Disasters are the events by which we remember and
measure all events!" In the Bible itself there are many references to people
walking in darkness, amidst oppression, burdens and sorrows.
On an individual basis, you and
I know well that most of us occasionally receive undeserved troubles and
injustices. Moreover, we know that now and then some of us create, perhaps
unknowingly, needless predicaments for ourselves and others. During the past
six thousand years of civilization, darkness, despair, and gloom have engulfed
many persons. As a result, we have developed a habit of general negativity.
Many of us have been conditioned to perceive life darkly and cynically in our
relationships at home, in our jobs, and just about everywhere else.
To remedy this darkness, some
forms of religion simply pretend there are no shadows. Ever-smiling preachers
imply that if we'll only follow Jesus and pray enough, life will become a bed
of roses. They insensitively ignore the real shadows of pain, sorrow, and
injustice. Some spiritual quackeries and quick-fix therapies promise absolute
happiness. How can we expect total happiness? Given the state of human
relationships, even God is not completely happy!
Our Christmas Season
acknowledges the darkness; it is there! However, even the prophet
Jeremiah (known for his message of doom, destruction, and exile) includes a
word of hope; the scattered people of Israel will be restored by God - like a
shepherd who gathers his flock. Even more joyfully, we declare with Isaiah,
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in
a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." Each year you and I
celebrate the anniversary of Jesus' birth. Receiving the wonderful folk tales
surrounding his birth and life, we confess him to be the Creator's Light for
humanity. We Christians are persuaded that Jesus' life and teachings disclose
God's own Word, God's very purposes enlightening all who will truly listen. He
is the very Word of God within the words of Scripture. You and I gather here,
because in Him we have been granted the vision of what can be; and it is
the power of that vision, that dream, that calls us forward.
No smiling preacher this Jesus!
No bed of roses for him! He experienced human darkness from birth to death.
Rushed as an infant from Herod's death threat, Jesus faced danger even in
Bethlehem. Later, Joseph apparently died at a young age, leaving Mary as a
single parent to raise Jesus along with his brothers and sisters; he knew grief
and struggle as a youngster. He apparently had very few friends, was eventually
denied by one (Peter) and betrayed fatally by another (Judas); Jesus knew
personal hurt as an adult. Furthermore, he experienced occasional loneliness,
drew on God for strength and courage, and reached out for human companionship;
Jesus knew that prayer unaccompanied by human fellowship was not enough. He was
persecuted and ridiculed, but grew in inner strength and peace. He was
economically poor, but yet so very rich. He was humiliated and executed for his
preaching, and even overcame that! While experiencing darkness, Jesus' life and
ministry revealed Light.
Perhaps more fitting for us
today than Confucius, Cicero, or Shakespeare, were Charles Dickens' words, "It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it
was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of
incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was
the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us,
we had nothing before us, we were all going to heaven, we were all going direct
the other way." Darkness and despair, yes, but also Light and hope. To those
who will welcome Christ, there is Light amidst the shadows and gloomy
realities. Each day becomes a new beginning, instead of a day nearer one's
demise. Our lives' hills and valleys generate modest and sometimes exceptional
occasions to grow in wisdom and to share in affection. You and I can choose to
walk in that Light, or we can choose to surrender to hopeless darkness.
Disasters are NOT the events by
which Christians remember and measure all events. For us life is perceived in
the event of Jesus Christ, God's Light in darkness. A poet has summed up God's
Light in Christ beautifully in these words I have quoted before:
God hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest
for the labor,
Light for the way,
Grace for trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.
---Annie Johnson Flint
As we begin this New Year, I
pray that this Light, enkindled within our hearts and minds, may shine forth in
our lives; I pray that God's Holy Spirit will comfort you, give you strength to
cope, and nurture you with the healing power of love, through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.