advent

 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light

they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:

and the government shall be upon his shoulder:

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,

The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,

upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,

to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice

from henceforth even for ever.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9_2-7

Well, we have reached yet another Advent season. Will we have some snow on Christmas? I don't recall that many white Christmases since we moved here in 2021. Anyway, I sure hope we do get some. And then let it be gone until next Christmas! It probably doesn't work that way, though. 

What is advent really about? Is it not the story of Light breaking into the darkness? Of Jesus John writes:

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

The advent story is, of course, a part of the overall story of the Bible. It is a tragic story we know all too well. The first day, God says, "Let there be Light" and there was light. On the seventh day, God saw all that He had made, and said it was "very good". The garden in which our parents Adam and Eve were placed was a utopia that was perfect in every way. In the midst of the garden stood the Tree of Life, from which we were free to eat and live forever. However, perhaps long before Adam and Eve were formed, but after God had said, "Let there be Light", a darkness formed in Heaven. Some angel named Lucifer decided he would be God, and was cast out of heaven to the earth. There he sees the innocent couple in the garden and begins to challenge them. "Did God really say?", and invites them to forsake the tree of life and eat of the knowledge of good and evil. They did so, and the darkness was poured out on the earth. At least for a time, the people did indeed walk in darkness. All hope seemed lost. Has not Lucifer won again? 

Surprise, devil! God is not finished with man yet. The LORD prophesied that a Descendant of Eve would one day overcome the power of the evil one. Light indeed has come, and we have beheld His glory, "full of grace AND truth". Darkness, when exposed to light, ALWAYS runs away. The same Light that created the world in the first place is now shining again, illuminating the world, exposing our corruption. In Jesus was Life, and that Life was the Light of men. 

Brothers and sisters, let us always keep this in mind: The present darkness we experience, even at this festive season of Advent, is not forever. Paul writes to the Corinthian Church:

The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.

7We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. 8We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. 9In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. 1

Our witness is the Light that is in us. We do not interpret our current unpleasant situation as a discouragement. Rather, we can see that Light is indeed breaking out. No one will need to be confused: When we praise God out of the midst of the darkness of this world, they will know for sure that this power is of God, not of us. By revelation, we know that:

We (need) never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. 17These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. 18Things that are seen don't last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.