The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
The warm sanctuary was quieter than normal. The dimly lit church was peppered with candles flickering. The only noise was that of the violin and the taxi cabs honking on the Manhattan streets. Unfamiliar faces wandered in as they decided to make our house of worship part of their Christmas festivities.
My colleague and I lead the congregation by reading Biblical reflections on the Christmas story. We bounced between the Gospels and robust hymns. The final reading was mine, it was John 1. I’ve read this familiar passage many times. This particular night I paused at verse five before continuing with the rest of the passage.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a collective sigh after I read this. All of us knew this spoke to our lives at this particular moment in history. From natural disaster to human disaster, we have known darkness. And it may not be a direct darkness but a felt darkness from indirect connections. One does not need to be directly connected to darkness to feel the weight of it.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
As we concluded our worship, candles in hand, and the glow of the giant Christmas tree illuminating our sanctuary, I realized the truth of this passage more fully. Darkness will never overcome the light. Even if there is but one candle of light flickering, there is hope. When there is hope there is the potential for the beloved community to be restored. One does not need to be directly connected to light in order to feel the light shining.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
Let there be light.
