October Blog: A Light Shining in the Darkness
“The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”John 1:5
As October arrives, we notice the darkness. The evenings draw in, the mornings are darker, and before long the warmth and brightness of summer can seem a distant memory.
Darkness is something we all experience in different ways. Sometimes it is simply the darkness of a winter evening. But there are also seasons in life when everything seems dark — when we face uncertainty, disappointment, bereavement, illness, loneliness or fear about what the future may hold.
The Bible does not pretend that darkness isn’t real.
From the very beginning, Scripture explains that God’s good creation has been affected by sin. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world, bringing separation from God, suffering and ultimately death. The darkness we experience in this world is not how God originally intended things to be. Yet the wonderful message of the Bible is that God has not left us in the darkness. Psalm 23 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”
David doesn’t say that God’s people will never walk through dark valleys. He says that when they do, God is with them. Then the Bible gives us an even greater demonstration of God’s presence. God Himself came into our darkness.
John tells us that Jesus Christ is the true Light. He entered our world, lived among us and experienced the reality of human suffering. He knew rejection, sorrow, loneliness and pain. Ultimately, He went to the cross, where He bore the punishment for our sin.
The darkness did not have the final word. Jesus rose again from the grave! Christian hope is more than simply trying to remain positive when life is difficult. Our hope rests upon a risen Saviour who has defeated sin and death.
There may be times when we cannot comprehend all that God is doing. There may be prayers that seem unanswered and circumstances that seem too much for us. It’s at such times that we can trust God who has promised never to leave His people. The Bible points us beyond the darkness of this present world to a day when darkness will be gone forever. Revelation 21:23 tells us that in the new creation, “the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
October reminds us that the nights draw in. However, for the Christian, darkness is never the end of the story. The Light has come. The Light still shines. And one day, there will be no more darkness at all.
Much love in Christ, Pastor John
