Christmas Greetings from the Beauregard Area Ministerial Alliance!    The story of Mary and Joseph travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, the birth of the Christ-child in the stable, the shepherds with their sheep in the evening visited by the angels, the appearance of the wise men from the East are all dear to our understanding and celebrating Jesus’ birth.  I invite you to think about Christmas in a slightly different way this year.  John’s Gospel does not include the story of Jesus’ birth.  He begins by telling us who Jesus is as the Light that has come into our darkness.  With that in mind, please walk with me in this celebration of the birth of the Word made flesh.

Christmas Day is the shortest day of the year.  That is, it is the shortest day in terms of daylight.  

The interesting thing is we have several “shortest” days of the year.  This year there are ten days consisting of ten hours and nine minutes between sunrise and sunset in DeRidder (and anywhere on the 30 degree 51 minute parallel)!

However, back on December 9th, a remarkable event occurred:  our afternoons began to get longer!  It was imperceptible at first.  One minute the first day, and then four days later another minute, and then, after three more days, a third minute is gained.  Today, Christmas Eve, finds us seven minutes beyond the shortest afternoon.   (Now while our afternoons are currently getting longer, our mornings are still getting shorter!  Our mornings don’t begin to get longer January 16th!)  But the afternoons are lengthening, and I like that!

Why? It reminds me of what it says in the first chapter of the gospel of John:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”  (John 1:1-5 New Revised Standard Version)

This is the truth of Christmas: the darkness never overcomes the Light.

This is why the Christian Church has always celebrated the birth of Christ in December at this point of the month: to remind us that the Light always shines in the darkness—in our darkness. 

Just as the afternoons, and then the full day get longer, overcoming the darkness of the night, so Christ is overcoming our darkness.  No matter how deep the darkness may be, God’s great gift of his Son brings light to our lives that no darkness can overcome.

This Christmas as you celebrate Jesus’ birth, let the Light of the World enter into any darkness you may be experiencing.  Let him enter your heart. Let him enter your mind.  Let him enter your soul.  Your darkness will be overcome by the Light.  God has given us his Word on that.  Merry Christmas to you and yours.