The great feast of Christmas brings the dawning of the light we so desperately need, especially in the darkness that fell upon Sandy Hook Elementary School last week that now lies over our land.
The last week of Advent is usually marked with joyful anticipation of the Savior’s coming, but instead, it has become a difficult, dark and cold time. Holiday cheer has been replaced with mourning and grief, sadness and doubt. In the tragic killings of so many, especially the young children in Newtown, Conn., last Friday, we as a nation possess an even deeper yearning for light and warmth that comes with the birth of our Messiah.
Without the hope and promise of Christmas, many might still wonder if there would ever be a time of abundant joy and great rejoicing again. There are widows and orphans because of this and other recent tragedies. For far too many from Newtown to Damascus, the world's pain seems nearly unbearable as they await God's promise of abundant healing and great comfort. This is the promise fulfilled in Jesus: God made Man, sent among us as a light to the nations.
As Americans we have again witnessed tragic death and destruction as the safety and security of a children’s classroom became a shooting gallery. Since last Friday, all Americans have watched as the sadness settled upon the families of Newtown. But we take comfort in the child born for us in Bethlehem, and rejoice that God became man and is truly with us, even amidst the darkness of evil.
As the familiar hymn of Advent calls for Emmanuel to come once again, people of faith know he has been with us all along. Wherever someone reaches out to help those who suffer, Jesus is reborn. Emmanuel comes again in so many places and so many different faces. This Christmas as we celebrate the birthday of our Savior, we must do so with a renewed sense of hope and a deeper faith in the presence of God. The hope that tells us that as long as we love one another, as long as we serve one another, Jesus is alive, and no evil can diminish his hope and no darkness dampen his light. Yes Christ the Light of the nations shines forth even in the darkness of tragic suffering and profound loss experienced by so many. We pray that the words of the prophet Isaiah may ring true this Christmas. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”
