Good news of great joy ... and sadness

Yesterday, two events occurred: I strung up the Christmas lights on my front porch, and I received the sad news that my friend’s dad had passed away. I am so sorry for my friend’s loss. Once again the spectre of death haunts the children of men. My friend’s life will never be the same. A piece of her life is gone forever.

When I was a kid, life seemed like an eternity. I could not practically conceive of an end to life. Now, as family and friends pass away, I’m continually reminded that death will touch us all. It is inescapable.

It is this bleak, cold darkness that prepares my heart for Christmas.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. – Gospel of John 1.5

On the first Christmas Eve, over two millennia ago, darkness ruled the world, but the Light of the World came to earth and began to undo the darkness. Angels heralded his coming as good news of great joy. Shepherds gawked. Wise men worshipped. Tyrants trembled. And though the darkness assaulted the Light with the full force of its fury, it could not overcome it. Crucifixion and death gave way to resurrection and ascension.

Jesus wept. – Gospel of John 11.35

When Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, passed away, Jesus could not contain his grief. He wept openly. Death stings and a hundred thousand years of human evolution has not insulated us from its agony. Before his tears, Jesus had declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live” (John 11.25). We, like Jesus, live in the tension between the present pain of death and the ever-closing hope of resurrection and eternal life. For now, we cannot escape this tension. But someday soon, death will be no more. Mourning and crying and pain will finally end.

On these long, dark winter nights, the Christmas lights on my front porch will burn all night, every night. They are my declaration of faith – my avowal that death and darkness will not last forever and that someday life and light will reign supreme.

May your light burn brightly this Advent and Christmas season. In your light, others find courage and cheer. In your light, others are reminded that the Light has come.

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. – Gospel of Matthew 5.16

If you'd like a unique experience of light and darkness this Christmas season, please join me for a Christmas Eve candlelight service on December 24th at 6:30 p.m. Central Baptist Church: 1061 Ellice Avenue.

Also, check out Mindy Smith's new album My Holiday on iTunes. It's the best Christmas album of 2007 and maybe the best one of the past decade. Mindy's voice perfectly captures the mixture of joy and sadness that we experience in our lives, even at Christmas time. My favorite tracks are My Holiday, I Know the Reason, and Follow the Shepherd Home. Mindy includes some wonderful cover versions of traditional Christmas songs as well.