Finding Light in the Midst of Darkness John 1:1-18

Finding Light in the midst of Darkness
John 1:1-18 Selected Scripture Passages from the Lectionary Jeremiah 31:13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. Lighten Our Darkness Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all the perils and dangers of the night

Introduction On December 10 at sunset the Jews began the celebration of Hanukkah that lasted for eight days. There is a tradition mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud that when the Temple was rededicated 165 BCE after it had been profaned by the Hellenistic Emperor Antiochus IV there was just one day’s worth of pure oil left that was needed to keep the Temple menorah burning but a great miracle happened: It lasted for eight days. So, during Hanukkah Jews light candles in their hanukkiot (Hanukkah menorahs) to symbolize the miracle. On the first night of Hanukkah, one candle is placed in the menorah. On each successive night, another candle is added. By the last night of Hanukkah, eight candles are glowing brightly in celebration of this beautiful festival.

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield was asked in Beliefnet about the meaning of Hanukkah. He had this to say For Jews living under foreign domination, whether under the Romans or the Parthians, with limited resources and a variety of other spiritual, political, and communal challenges, it was a powerful affirmation of their sense that great things could still happen, that they were not cast out by God, and that they were still worthy of miracles, no matter how lousy life may have seemed to them. Of course there are as many explanations for the meaning of this practice as there are people willing to offer an interpretation, which is one of the reasons that the practice has lasted as long as it has…. …Actually, Hannukah is pretty simple: at the coldest, darkest, deadest, and often most hopeless time of the year, the Jewish people celebrate that light, heat, warmth and life are still possible. We celebrate that even from the smallest containers, the greatest miracles are born. If all this sounds strikingly like the message of the Christmas tree or the story of a little baby born in a manger, all the better. It’s a message we all need and all deserve.

Posted in Beliefnet by Rabbi Brad Hirschfield December 8, 2008

So, this celebration is often called the “miracle of light”. It is a time of rejoicing that God provided light in the midst of the darkness of that time. It is also a time to look for light in the midst of our own darkness. * This is important for all people for we all experience many kinds of darkness throughout our lives. According to a study that I read recently, in an average congregation on a Sunday morning about one fifth of the people will be feeling darkness because of bereavement; one third will be facing the darkness of divorce or marital difficulties, a half will be facing dark times of adjusting to school, home, job, or community. A number of people will be facing the darkness of guilt. Still others will be facing an addiction to alcohol and /or other drugs. Others will be feeling the darkness of an another kind of illness. I suspect that the same is true of any congregation at any time. I dare say that is would be true of this congregation. Everyone is in some kind of darkness right here, right now. At times like these it is easy to despair and wonder whether the light will ever come. I wrote a poem a few years ago about the loss of a love which was a dark time for me:

The Late Spring Storm

To say goodbye is like a late spring storm
which comes when growth has just begun
and life on the branch is lost for a season
and a love is gone never to return

Feelings unexpressed are like the wind
blowing within us in every direction
like the pounding of a base note
making its presence felt but covering the melody
The winter wind in spring is bitter
it numbs the face and slows the body
giving the feeling that the sun will never come
and that warm winds and soft falling rain are illusions But we wait
for seasons change
and the frost will go
and leafless trees will gain composure
the birds will find their nests
and we in time will find ourselves

(written by Alex Thomas in Red Deer Alberta 1975)

In reading John’s Gospel the coming of Christ was seen as the coming of light in the midst of a dark time. So we celebrate at this time of the year in the faith that as Rabbi Herschfield says “light, heat, warmth and life are still possible.” They come in unexpected ways. They often come through other people who bear witness to the light – people who care and love and support us in many ways through troublesome times. Sometimes we are the people who bear witness to the light for other people, for in their dark times they are able to see in us hope that things can change and most of all they can change. I know that when I have experienced some form of darkness in my life, the most important change came from within me. I was helped and encouraged by others, but the greatest change had to come from me. “I came to myself” so to speak. I saw things in a different way. I gained a new perception of myself, my relationships, and the world around me. Only then could there be dancing with joy and merriment for mourning turned into joy. It was a time to give thanks that in spite of everything there was life and I was still alive. So I gave thanks that there was that life rather that sink deeper into despair. I was being held up by the promised Spirit of God and comforted by the presence of God. Yes, even in the coldest, darkest, deadest, and often most hopeless times, the miracle of light, heat, warmth and life are still possible. However, the greatest miracle is within us rather than from the circumstances that we face outside of ours.

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