Christmas in the Darkness?

Christmas in the Darkness?

It was a showdown of epic proportions.  Two neighboring houses in my town went head-to-head every December in pursuit of one objective:  

Who could create the most dazzling and extravagant outdoor Christmas display?  

It was amaaaazing.  Clark Griswold’s tour de force paled in comparison.  Cars would line up every evening—tiny tots with their eyes all aglow in the rear windows—to catch a glimpse of the shimmering array of lights, animated figures, and glittering pageantry.  Kaleidoscopic illuminations spread out through the treetops and over the street, forming a sparkling tunnel of holiday magic.  

Taking my kids to see this spectacle was a family highlight each year.  But strangely, the festive exhibition came to a screeching halt immediately after passing those two homes.  The rest of the street was dark… unusually dark. Not a single neighbor had any outdoor decorations.  No twinkling lights, no nativity scenes, no plastic Santas or inflatable snowmen.  There weren’t even any streetlights to brighten the rural lane.  

‘Twas a dark and depressing departure from the holiday extravaganza in the rearview mirror.  But when you think about it, the actual occasion that we celebrate at Christmas more closely resembled the darker section of road.  I think of the words from a classic carol:

Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the Everlasting Light.
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

The dazzling decorations of today’s Christmas are magical for us, but there were no glittering lights or tinsel garlands in Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Christ.  No sparkling trees, red bows, reindeer, or even any sentimental carols.  The outward “magic” of modern-day Christmas was nonexistent.  But in those dark streets, the Everlasting Light was born in a stable, and lay humbly in a manger.  

That Light born in Bethlehem still shines brightly into our lives every day.  The words of a more modern worship song put it this way: “Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness.  My God, that is who You are.”

John 1:4-5 tells us, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”  The darkness of this world may attempt to overtake us, but our God will always prevail.  He continues to shine.  In Him we have hope.  To Him we give our fears.  On that dark and lonely night many years ago, the Eternal Light was born.  Our Savior.  Jesus. 

- Ron Reid