Bible Readings
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Thought
We have now passed the autumn equinox. This means that each day we experience more hours of darkness than we do of daylight and this will continue until the spring equinox next year. As we head towards the end of December we say that the days are getting shorter as the number of hours of daylight decreases and, on days when it is grey and overcast, it often seems as if there is very little light at all. We find ourselves having to turn electric lights on in the house during the day, the flowers in the garden are fading and the autumn leaves are beginning to fall. When the sun does shine it is so low in the sky that the shadows cast by buildings and trees are very long and obscure the light around us.
Reading or hearing the news reminds us that we do indeed live in a dark world where pain and suffering abound. But as Christians we are called to live as children of light, shining out within the darkness. We live with the knowledge that Christ is the light of the world and, however dark this world appears to be, the darkness cannot overcome God’s light.
There is a Taize chant which says “The Lord is my light, my light and salvation, in God I trust, in God I trust”. The phrase is simply repeated over and over again until you have it lodged in your head, a continual reminder that God is light and we have nothing to fear. However dark the days become we have the light of life within us as we follow Jesus.
Prayer
Father God, we remember today all those who feel they are walking in darkness. May the light of your love reach into their lives to give them hope.
Amen
Song: The Lord is my light – a Taize chant