Darkness, by Phil Erlander: Advent Day 19

Posted on December 19, 2019 | Posted by Mary Stoneback

“A light shines in the darkness.” John 1:5

This verse reminds me of how we celebrated Christmas when I was a child in Moline Illinois. We followed the Swedish tradition of celebrating on Christmas Eve with a Swedish meal including lutefisk. We went to worship in the dark and then we opened our gifts that night.

Thinking about celebration in darkness I began to think how much of the Biblical story takes place in darkness. We are very familiar with the shepherds watching their flocks by night when they receive the good news that a Savior is born in the city of David and the go to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus.

The biblical story of creation in Genesis begins in total darkness.
Abraham is asked to count the stars and receives a promise of
descendants as many as the stars. Jacob wrestles with a “man” all
night before returning home to meet his brother Esau and receives
a blessing and a new name, Israel. God delivers Moses and the
Israelites at dawn when the Egyptians worshipped the sun god.
David who wrote many of the Psalms, cries out “at night the
steadfast love is with me.” At the last supper Judas leaves to betray
Jesus and it was night. When Jesus was crucified there was
darkness at noon for three hours. On Easter morning the women
went to find the tomb while it was still dark.

The biblical story ends in Revelation where we are told that the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven has no need of sun or moon for the glory of God is its light. Knowing how the story gives us hope in a world that is filled with much darkness.

Dear Lord, we give you thanks for being present in the midst of
darkness. Continue to bring hope into our world and into our lives.
Amen.
~Phil Erlander