Lights in the dark

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Saviour,
And life more abundant and free.
(Turn your eyes upon Jesus - Hymn, 1918)

With the darkness creeping up ever earlier and evenings getting colder, Winter is certainly beginning to establish itself. I feel for those who are beset yearly with the dreaded SADs; some friends of mine have gone so far as to invest in sun lamps to keep the gloom at bay! The sun itself fabricated in a lamp, what a wonder. It makes me think of how much more of a threat the winter months were to our ancestors in this country, and much of continental Europe, without the blessings of modern technology. When the days began to darken and leaves nearly finished falling, they would have been busy storing up what they’d harvested, hoping they’d prepared well enough to endure the short days and long months to come. It seems fitting then, that since nearly 596 AD we have celebrated the birth of Christ, the light of the world, with traditions of feasting, giving and abundance, in the middle of the barren winter.
 
The song I referenced at the beginning of this blog was merely what I happened to listen to while preparing to write. The reference to light seemed fitting enough and it’s such a soothing hymn, full of peace and confidence in who Jesus is and who we become in Him. Helen Howarth Lemmel was inspired to pen the Hymn having read ‘Focused’, a booklet by the missionary Lilias Trotter. She wrote of the challenge we face maintaining focus on Christ while living in a world of distraction. Urging the Church to fix their eyes on Jesus she wrote “Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen harmless worlds at once - art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the good hiding the best.”
 
If this was true in 1918, how much truer is it now! What’s more, if this is true of our everyday lives, how much truer can it be of Christmas! In recent years Christmas has become yet another retail festival, where a well-oiled machine of manufacturing and marketing invites us into a whirlwind of partying and purchasing. Martin Lewis puts out his annual plea for people not to risk going into debt pursuing a magazine-style Christmas, while local councils prepare their winter pressures strategy ready for the weary and troubled whose burdens often increase at this time of year.
 
It’s easy to grow complacent to the awesome reality of the Christmas story in the shadow of our cultural celebrations, just as it’s easy to grow complacent to what God has done for us in the shadow of our busy lives. This reflection, however, is not for condemnation but a joyful reminder at the beginning of this season. The perfect gift has been given to us. Even in the darkest months of the year there will always be enough light for a look at the saviour. Each of us is a lamp, lit by the Holy Spirit of God to be placed in families, communities, professions, friendships and all other circumstances, in order that we may bring the good news of the gospel into every shadowy place. Whether it’s the literal winter that shortens our days or a sense of spiritual winter when we survey the state of the world, let’s remind ourselves and each other to turn our eyes on Jesus that we may be filled and overflow. Let’s look ahead to these darker months with confidence in our purpose and that we’ve been prepared for such a time and place as this - because a shining light is never more needed and useful than in the dark!