Thought For Today: “A Light Shines in the Darkness”
Looking at the Jewish calendar, I noticed that yesterday marked the end of Hanukkah, the festival of lights, which celebrates how God miraculously provided eight days’ worth of oil to keep the Menorah burning when there was only enough oil for one day.
That festival of lights made me think about what Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
I then considered the lyrics of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
What caught my attention was this last lyric, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
Since we don’t know precisely when Jesus was born, isn’t it ironic that we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ, on what is considered the darkest day of the year? This is probably why the third line in the song reads, “Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light.”
The Light of the World was born during the darkest time of the year. The deliverance from everything that troubles the human condition comes on one of the year’s darkest nights. This is exactly what the prophet Isaiah predicted about this child who would be the Messiah.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)
Therefore, let the Light of Jesus shine through you in these days of such sin-filled darkness.
