Christmas Light

December 25, 2017

Greetings from our brilliance,

Just beyond my windows the world is covered in white, though at this hour you have to look closely.  It occurs to me that a white Christmas is more than a romantic complement to the day.  It changes the world, just enough, so that even in the dark, you can sense the light. 

We have been waiting, with varying degrees of impatience, for this morning.  It is not an ordinary Monday but a tremendous day of celebration.  There are all the trappings of this season, including gifts and decorations and traditions, and those things are important accents.  But above all this Monday is a day that, as a Christian, we sense most strongly the Light we are waiting for.

No matter what your beliefs are, or what spot on the spectrum of faith you claim, you will know what I mean.

The world in its tangled chaos offers a large share of tragedy and heartache.  None of us escapes entirely.  If we are not touched directly by it, we witness it, feel it in our lives.   Friends will die, family will betray, war will tear at humanity, sickness will strike the innocent.  Our sense of justice, our belief in the goodness of others, our expectation for humanity on this blue dot, can easily be eroded by any of life’s challenges.

So where is the hope?  Where is the light?

My faith says that there is purpose in our existence, that we have been created by a loving God who will be in our lives.  We can wait for Him to appear, and on this day we mark a time when he has, and while we wait we are given some basic direction.  Love God.  Love others.

Amid all of the brokenness and suffering there is light.  The light comes to us, carried by emissaries in our lives.  In every day, no matter what else the world throws at us, there are other people who step in to remind us that there is hope.

Every other person you connect with comes with gifts, some they don’t even know are for you.  They will offer you a smile when you’re frazzled, a ride when your car stops, hold the door when you’re late.  They will listen, they will give money, time, skills, to make your life, this world, a little lighter.

And there are days you wonder where the light is because you forgot that it is in you, shining on others.  If you look you will see the shadows behind them, where they are leaving the darkness because of you. 

This doesn’t require doctrines or membership to understand or be a part of.  You already know as human beings what I am talking about. 

The story told today is of the Light coming to the world in ordinary circumstances on an ordinary day to be with ordinary people.  It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that on this Monday.  If we follow that example, there is no end to the brilliance we can foster among everyone we meet.  We have met the light and it is us.

We don’t have to wait for a special day or a better understanding of the Bible or the Torah or the Quran.  The light doesn’t come to us because we deserve it.  The light is already in us.  It is there for us to steel ourselves against pain and hardship, against hate and anger, against injustice. 

The light is to inspire us to find our gifts and make the most of them, for our own joy and to share with the world.  It is there to inspire us to be the person we were created to be.

And above all else it is there for us to shine for others to see there is hope.  On every ordinary Monday, or any day, for as long as we draw a breath. 

Merry Christmas my friends.

Hope this finds you illuminating,

David