Drawn to the Light

Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the LORD will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.    

Isaiah 60:1-3

This passage from Isaiah seems perfect for Christmas Eve. People are indeed drawn to the light of this dawn. (The word translated "nations" in verse 3 is goyim, a word that has come to mean "non-Jews," but in Isaiah's time also referred to humanity, other nations and peoples, etc.) At Christmas, people who don't normally have much connection to church or faith come, drawn in by the light, the hope of this day.

It is easy to get caught up in the darkness of the world, and as we enter winter in this hemisphere, that darkness can seem amplified by short and dreary days. The lights of Christmas, both those in churches and those in secular decorations, provide a pleasant contrast, the promise of light and hope and warmth in the mist of coldness, darkness, and, all too often, despair.

That is not to say that any light will do. The bright lights in my neighborhood are lovely and do brighten things up a bit. It is enjoyable to look at them as I go home from the church each evening. But when they are soon gone (granted, some will remain through much of winter), they will not have changed anything. They will have been little more than a pleasant diversion.

Christmas can be little more than such a diversion. That happens when Jesus' call for us to follow him as his disciples gets lost in the seasonal cheer. If the celebration of a Savior's birth does not draw us toward the one who calls us to new life, then Christmas at church isn't much different than the decorations in my neighborhood. 

But when this strange story of God entering fully into the messiness of human existence helps open our eyes to the ways of God, ways that are so different from ours, when it pulls us toward God's power made perfect in weakness, then there is hope and light and warmth that remains when all the decorations and crowds are gone.

The light has come into the world. Sing and rejoice. And also, walk in that light. Let the light guide you in the ways of life, or true and full humanity that Jesus embodies and calls us to share as his sisters and brothers.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come. May God's love be born in you and lead you toward the life God created you to live.

Click to learn more about the lectionary.