In the Darkness... Light

I love Christmas. The movies, the lights, the food, the time with friends and family—it all feels so warm and bright. But for many, this season is also heavy. Christmas has a way of exposing loss, disappointment, and the ache of “what used to be.”  

On top of that, the last few years have been exhausting. Pandemic, political chaos, racial tension, wars, outrage everywhere. It can feel like the lights have gone out—out there in the world, and in here in our own hearts.  

So how do we respond when it feels that dark?  

One option is to hide. Binge shows, scroll endlessly, stay in our little bubble with people who think and live just like us. Another option is to simply embrace the darkness—to give in to cynicism, to do what everyone else is doing, to slowly redefine good and evil so that we fit in. A third option is to scream at the darkness: rage online, attack people who disagree, and let bitterness become our identity.  

But there’s a better way.  

At Christmas, Christians celebrate that God didn’t hide from our darkness, He entered it. Jesus stepped into a broken world, lived a perfect life, loved the hurting and the outcast, and then took on the full weight of human evil at the cross. When He rose from the dead, it was like the lights came back on—hope, forgiveness, and a new kind of life became possible.  

The invitation of Christmas isn’t “try harder” or “clean yourself up.” It’s to admit that your way isn’t working, to bring your broken pieces to Jesus, and to let His light begin to invade your darkness.  

This season, instead of hiding from the dark, acting like the dark, or screaming at the dark, what if you asked Jesus to make you a light in it?

This article used generative AI via Pulpit AI to transform one of Chris' sermons into this article. The content is original to CDM, with some help from Pulpit AI adapting it into article form.