Christmas: "A Light For Dark Days”

Christmas: “A Light for Dark Days”

One of my favorite activities during this season is driving around to look at all the Christmas lights. Although the day after Thanksgiving is the official start for these lights to go up, somehow the shopping malls and stores never got the message — or they discarded it because they don’t want to miss out on selling you something before anyone else does.

When I owned my retail stores, there was an unspoken rule that you couldn’t put up your Christmas lights and displays until after Thanksgiving. Now, it seems like Christmas begins right after Halloween.

But the lights of Christmas are more than just decorations. They symbolize a much greater light, one that dispels darkness. We could say that “It’s a light for our dark days.”

It’s interesting that today, December 21st, is the longest night of the year. Therefore, Christmas occurs during the darkest time, and in a way, Christmas breaks through the darkness with its light. Christmas dispels the darkness.

If we go back to the very first Christmas, it too was invaded by light. As the shepherds were out watching their flocks by night, the angels appeared and displayed a dazzling light show, as it says the glory of the Lord shone around them, announcing that Jesus, the light of the world, had been born. It was a light display that shook the shepherds’ world.

In fact, light is mentioned throughout the Bible. It was into darkness that God called light to shine, saying, “Let there be light,” (Genesis 1:3). We’re also told that “God is light, in Him there is no darkness,” (1 John 1:5). And Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” (John 8:12).

Jesus went on to say, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46 NKJV)

And why this is important is that we all have dark days. We all know them; it’s when we don’t want to get out of bed. It’s when we don’t want to face the world because of everything going on in our lives or because we think it’s not worth the effort.

Today, I want to explore what the light of Christmas —Jesus Christ —can do for our dark days. There are four specific areas of darkness I want to address. They are what I call my dreaded “D” collection: the dark days of disappointment, distress, doubt, and depression. (And Dennis isn’t one of them!)

And then I’d like to look at how Jesus, the light of Christmas, guides us through these dark days and helps us during these times.

Dark Days of Disappointment

When I think of days like these, Job comes to mind.

Job said, “When I looked for good, evil came to me; and when I waited for light, then came darkness.” (Job 30:26 NKJV)

Many of us have felt the same way. It’s when we hope for one thing, but when it doesn’t happen, we feel disappointed.

It’s when we hope for health for ourselves and our loved ones, only to be hit with sickness and disease. It’s when we hope for a raise, only to face a reduction in hours. It’s when we hope nothing bad happens, only to discover our car needs major repairs.

When we think about it, life is full of disappointments. Things don’t always turn out the way we expect. The presents we receive for Christmas aren’t always what we imagined. One boy saw a round package and thought he was getting a basketball, only to open it on Christmas Day and find a globe.

Mary likely also felt some disappointment. She's told she would deliver the Messiah, God’s Son, but then learns she must travel 70 miles over rough terrain and give birth in a stable filled with animals and their smells.

And so, we all go through dark days of disappointment.

Dark Days of Distress

This is when we feel overwhelmed, stressed out, stretched to the limit, and frustrated beyond measure. It’s when we have too much to do and not enough time or energy to get it all done.

Mary also felt a little distressed. She’s nine months pregnant and had to ride a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. That’s stressful, and then she has the baby alone in a stable. Yes, Joseph was with her, but, as most women readily admit, when their husbands are in the delivery room, they seem to add to the stress.

The prophet Jeremiah, also called the weeping prophet, describes Jerusalem's suffering.

“Lord, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs, for I have rebelled against you. In the streets the sword kills, and at home there is only death.” (Lamentations 1:20 NLT)

Many of you are going through these dark days of distress.