A Light in the Dark

Do you know what “spelunking” is? It’s not the sort of hobby that I would be

interested in. Spelunking is the hobby (or career) of exploring caves. Not just the

large, cavernous things with stalagmites and stalactites jutting out in all directions;

but spaces that you must crawl through – squeeze through – often with little streams

of water that could (if a flash flood suddenly occurred) turn into raging torrents.

When I think of exploring a cave, I always have this thought, “What if I get lost and

the batteries die in my one and only flashlight?” Or I picture Indiana Jones

surrounded by snakes with his torch going out. And if you combine claustrophobia

(the fear of small, closed or tight spaces) with herpetophobia (the fear of creepy,

crawly things) and lygophobia (the fear of dark places), spelunking probably isn’t for

you. Imagine what it would be like being lost in a cave, totally deprived of light, with

no sense of direction and little hope of escape, groping through the darkness.

Suddenly, far in the distance, you see a little pinprick of light; maybe even feel a

slight movement of air. What is the first thing that springs up? HOPE That is exactly

what Isaiah was seeing – amid great darkness, there was a point of light, and he cries

out, “For unto us a child is born!” I love this time of year. I love Christmas. I love

everything about it. love the “festive spirit” of the Christmas season. What’s not to

love? Christmas even has its own genre of music (some of you began listening to it in

October). It’s a season filled with lights, laughter, decorations, parties, you name it!

We, as believers, know that Christmas is much more than that, but it seems we have

created a Christmas Culture that doesn’t really need Jesus for folks to have a good

time. But, as one writer asked, “What if the meaning of Christmas is actually much

darker? What if Christmas isn’t to highlight the joys of life but to shine light on the

darkness of it?” The first Christmas heralded the coming of the Light into a dark and

dying world. Humanity was lost in the darkness of sin and death. Hopelessness

gripped the world. Then came Jesus declaring, “I am the Light of the world!” And like

a person lost in a cave, hope stirred within us, and we were offered a way out of the

darkness of sin that had gripped our souls. The Christmas message speaks of hope

for the one lost in the dark. “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Isaiah

declares, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in

the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” The Incarnation is all about light

coming into the dark places of our hearts – the “True Light” who gives light to

everyone, was coming into the world and His name is Jesus.