I’ve just been into church and lit again the first Advent candle on our Advent ring. I sat for a while reflecting on the power of one little light working hard to make a statement in the darkness around it.
It’s been a gloomy old Monday today with the snow turning to rain. The skies have been grey all day and now it’s a horrible wet dark night. There are people tonight who live in darkness. It’s hard to see the way ahead. But that is exactly where Advent hope begins. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. The Lord is our light and our salvation. What are the first words God spoke into creation if we trust Genesis? Let there be light!
Wherever there is darkness, God would shine his light. One little candle shining in the gloom transforms that gloom immediately. Without a candle in church just now I would not have found the way out. We need a light to guide us on our journey. That’s why there are Christmas lights all around us.
In Advent, we look for light and we try to be light. I noticed while in Durham on Friday night the Christmas lights are in the shape of lanterns. I found that powerful. We carry the light for others when their darkness is too hard to bear. So on this gloomy night, go and light a candle. And let it shine and yourself shine. You never know one little bit of light from you tonight might make a real difference to someone. That’s how we share the hope of this season. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall never put it out.
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