The Darkness of Life Can Never Overcome His Light

Can you believe how dark it is these days?
 

Once we set our clocks back in November, the darkness becomes tangible to me, like a heavy blanket. Walking outside in the afternoon or evening I feel encompassed by darkness, smothered in darkness.
 

By 4:30 p.m. I have an overwhelming urge to make some tea and go to bed. After all, the sun is long gone. We have no choice but to finish our day in darkness.
 

It’s not a coincidence that we celebrate Christmas during these dark days of December. We don’t know Jesus’ exact birthday; but based on the timing of the census and where the shepherds were grazing their flock, scholars believe it’s unlikely Jesus was born in wintertime. Nevertheless, for centuries we have celebrated His birth at the end of December because those are the darkest days.
 

And then, the light begins to overcome.
 

As December passes, each day gets shorter and each night longer. On December twenty-first, on the very darkest day, the earth turns a corner in its trip around the sun and the days begin to lengthen. Like God’s redemption, the light is already-but-not-yet. The cold, dark, winter days of January are still ahead, but the change that matters has already taken place and it cannot be undone. We won’t see the impact for weeks yet, but the light has come back into the world. The darkness has not overcome it.
 

What better time to celebrate Jesus’ birth?
 

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote:

The people walking in darkness

    have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

    a light has dawned.

For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

And He will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

   (Isaiah 9:2, 9:6)

 
Can you imagine being a first-century Jew, raised in the prophecies of Isaiah, and hearing Jesus say: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life? (John 8:12)

When John wrote his gospel, he declared that Jesus was the light; that His birth was the act of true light breaking into the darkness, the light that could never be overcome. John wrote:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

(John 1:1-5, 9)

In December, the whole world seems covered in darkness — and not just physical darkness. During Christmas, we talk and decorate and sing about joy and hope and peace, even though our lives are often full of pain. We can feel creation groaning, as Paul says. We have lost loved ones. We are fighting cancer and illness. Our relationships are tense and unraveling, our society filled with injustice and conflict. Even the happy moments like holidays and vacations are bombarded with trouble and turmoil. We declare joy, at the same time we are facing doubts and pain, waiting in so many unknowns.
 

We, too, are people walking in darkness, looking for light.
 

In ancient times, God’s people were waiting for the Messiah. Today, Jesus has come and is here. We are still waiting for God’s full redemption and it is a long time coming.
 

But like the sun’s return in late December, the change that matters has already taken place and it cannot be undone.
 

Tonight, when you walk into the blanket of unrelenting darkness, I want you to know for sure: the light is coming back. Each time this month, when you notice how early the darkness falls, let it remind you that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5b).
 

The light has come into the world, and while it may be just one flickering candle right now, the darkness will not overcome it. God is here. In the midst of your pain and doubt and suffering and trouble, God is present and He will be victorious.