At last the darkness has passed...
Illustration
At last the darkness has passed: our shopping is over. The gifts are wrapped. The tree is lit. The dinner is on the table. We have a day off! What more can we ask?
But when we turn on our television we see much of the world in darkness. India was dark for quite a while and that is just physical darkness. There are also nations at war and people suffering from starvation and those who are affected by the Euro's problems or other financial difficulties.
There are even those in our country who have lost a home or a job and have no income or insurance if they get sick. There is darkness of that kind all around us. Even when things were great -- or greater -- here at home, there was still darkness in other lands! There has never been an end to it and there never will be on this earth. There will always be wars and rumors of wars to name just one problem that will never end.
Christmas reminds us that a great light is shining that nothing can put out! If Christ is lighting your life, then nothing can throw you back into darkness. You may have minor problems or even tragedies, but they can never overcome you. Even death has been conquered by our Lord. We should have no more fear.
After college I was looking for a job. I traveled to several states before I found even a temporary opportunity, but I was not worried because I knew my folks would look after me and not let me starve or sleep in the streets. It was a great comfort. My folks have gone to be with our Lord, but my heavenly Father has continued to watch over me and provide for me. I only had a couple moments of struggle, but the Lord had given me friends and family who I knew cared for me. The words in our lesson remind us that even if God has given us no one else to help us, he will never let us down. Even in times of pain we can have joy in knowing that our Lord is still watching over us. That is our greatest Christmas joy, which goes far beyond tinsel and choirs.
When I think of the people in Nepal who I served as missionary, they always had a smile on their faces and a song on their lips and in their hearts, though they might have been thrown out by their family because they denied their Hindu heritage. They might have had difficulty finding a job because of their faith -- even faced death -- but they now had a church full of brothers and sisters who cared, and more importantly a God who they knew would not let them down.
That should be our greatest Christmas joy also. The gifts and tinsel will pass, but the faithfulness of our Lord and God will be with us forever!
But when we turn on our television we see much of the world in darkness. India was dark for quite a while and that is just physical darkness. There are also nations at war and people suffering from starvation and those who are affected by the Euro's problems or other financial difficulties.
There are even those in our country who have lost a home or a job and have no income or insurance if they get sick. There is darkness of that kind all around us. Even when things were great -- or greater -- here at home, there was still darkness in other lands! There has never been an end to it and there never will be on this earth. There will always be wars and rumors of wars to name just one problem that will never end.
Christmas reminds us that a great light is shining that nothing can put out! If Christ is lighting your life, then nothing can throw you back into darkness. You may have minor problems or even tragedies, but they can never overcome you. Even death has been conquered by our Lord. We should have no more fear.
After college I was looking for a job. I traveled to several states before I found even a temporary opportunity, but I was not worried because I knew my folks would look after me and not let me starve or sleep in the streets. It was a great comfort. My folks have gone to be with our Lord, but my heavenly Father has continued to watch over me and provide for me. I only had a couple moments of struggle, but the Lord had given me friends and family who I knew cared for me. The words in our lesson remind us that even if God has given us no one else to help us, he will never let us down. Even in times of pain we can have joy in knowing that our Lord is still watching over us. That is our greatest Christmas joy, which goes far beyond tinsel and choirs.
When I think of the people in Nepal who I served as missionary, they always had a smile on their faces and a song on their lips and in their hearts, though they might have been thrown out by their family because they denied their Hindu heritage. They might have had difficulty finding a job because of their faith -- even faced death -- but they now had a church full of brothers and sisters who cared, and more importantly a God who they knew would not let them down.
That should be our greatest Christmas joy also. The gifts and tinsel will pass, but the faithfulness of our Lord and God will be with us forever!
