Light
In Advent, Christians look forward to the coming of light into darkness.
And in Advent, Christians celebrate the fact that the true light has come, is coming and will come into the world.
The coming of true light is cause for hope even in the darkest days.
As I wrote in 'What is Hope?' in Advent last year, hope is not wishful thinking or a denial of reality. On the contrary:
"Hope, like faith and love, are gifts of God, so do come from outside of us. Hope come from God who is other than us. We may discover hope within and cultivate hope by our actions. The challenge in times of despair is to open our eyes to small green shoots of hope and nurture those wherever we find them. In doing so, it helps to remember that God, who is the source of hope, is not only outside of us, but also behind us, before us, beside us and within us."
Nancy Wallace in 'What is Hope?' a post on Seeker
John's Gospel begins with these words, often read at Christmas Carol Services and on Christmas Day:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world."
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Comments
Post a Comment