Darkness Is Not the Final Answer

John the Baptist sits in prison. He waits for the one who is to come. No angel bursts his bonds. No heavenly blast levels the stones to release him. The holy prophet expects death, for he had dared to speak out, challenging those in power. There is anticipation outside the walls, but the excitement passes him by. He waits in darkness. 

The hubbub that surrounds Christmas may pass some of us by as well. We may be praying for healing. We may ache for reconciliation.  We may dwell in deep grief or loneliness or heartache. Christmas can be a particularly painful time for some of us. Like John the Baptist,  we may feel the darkness. 

But John the Baptist was not just a reed swaying in the wind. Jesus says of him that there has been none greater. From his Jewish roots,  he knew to hold fast to the Lord who loves the just, to the Most High who sets captives free, to the One who causes the desert to bloom again. And Jesus showed him an answer to fuel his faith: Look, the lame walk! Lepers are cleansed! The dead are raised! The darkness was not the final answer.

Advent is a contemplative time, a season for quiet hopefulness.  Isaiah says, “Be strong! Fear not!” We too are waiting for the one who is to come. We know the conclusion to the story of Advent: Baby  Jesus was born. Yet we are still waiting for the final dawning, to see the glory of God. Jesus shows us answers today as well, revealing himself sometimes in very small ways—in the sparkle of snow, in the tiny toenails of a newborn child, and in the smile of a loved one. The darkness is not our final answer either. 

Consider/Discuss 

• We have been looking at the edginess of Advent. We are looking for light.  Yet sometimes the darkness of the winter and the challenges of life can make us feel as if we are sitting with John the Baptist as he waits for one to come. Where in our lives could we use more of the Lord’s light? In what situations could we use courage? 
• What “small ways” have we seen that give us hope? 

Living and Praying with the Word 

Lord, as the winter season grows darker, sometimes we feel as though we are trying to manufacture light. All of the Christmas hubbub does not always feel real. Give us grace to sit quietly in your blessed darkness. We appreciate that you are our only Light, our only  Savior. Stir our will to surrender all of our Christmas preparations  to you. Let us do only what is for your glory and let the rest go, and  rest in your peace.