The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. -Isaiah 9:2Lights twinkle through the house. Fairy lights on trees and in windows. Candles lit as the grey gloom of early evening sets in.
The boys love the tree. At the foot of the tree, bathed in it's light, they play with their nativity scene and read their Christmas books. Often they will simply stand looking. There is wonder in their eyes. Jeremiah remarks that the tree is "magnificent!" After dinner we sit on the couch all snuggled together and gaze at the tree. Certain ornaments bring memories and stories.
At dinner time I light candles on the table. We dim the overhead light. The Jesse Tree sparkles in the corner, waiting each night for a new ornament to be placed, a new story pointing us to Jesus to be told.
My soul breathes. And wonders.
The light shines into the dark corners of my heart. The places where sin lurks and loneliness hides. Peace comes in the remembering of the Light.
Once upon a time the world was dark, and the land where the people lived was in deep darkness. It was as dark as the night in the daytime. It had been dark for so long that the people had forgotten what the light was like. ...
But God was in love with the world.
God looked down from heaven and saw that the earth was stuck, like a clock at midnight. "No," he said. "This isn't good. It's time to make time tick again. Time, time," said the mighty God, "to turn the earth from night to morning."
And God was in love with the people especially. ...
God watched the people move about like fireflies in the night, and he shook his head. "Poor people, pretending to be happy," he said. "Well, I want them to be happy. It's time," declared the Lord our God. "It's time to do a new thing!"
- from The Manger is Empty by Walter Wangerin, Jr
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