ADVENT SHADOWS

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 1:3b-5 

A spiritual mentor recently told me that she loves Advent because it welcomes us to sit in the shadows for a while. While she doesn’t love the cold, short days of winter, Advent gives her permission to reclaim the long nights as times to wait, watch, remember, and hope. Too many times we try to hide from those long, deep, lonely times – Advent allows us to reclaim them for faith.  

While I talked recently with my pastoral colleagues, Pastor Brandon mentioned how he’s heard more about Advent from the perspective of those living in the southern hemisphere. For Christians there, Advent coincides with the onset of summer and its bright, warm sunshine. The light comes into the world and they go seeking shade. For them the metaphor shifts from shadows as something to be endured to being something that provides relief.   

I’m likewise reminded of truth-tellers in my life who call me to greater awareness of my language for the sake of justice. Too often we equate lightness or brightness with goodness; similarly, we make darkness a metaphor for evil or danger. We don’t have to go far to extend that division to people. We can defend the holiness and sacredness of the lives of people of color by paying attention to the implications of our language. The dark of night might be unwelcome in the northern hemisphere, after all, but for our siblings in the southern hemisphere, it is a blessed rest and relief.  

John’s gospel speaks powerfully to Jesus as the light breaking into the darkness of the world. In Jesus’ time, nothing could part the dark of night – no street lamps, no light pollution, no phones functioning as flashlights. Light would indeed mean life. Light kept you safe from predators, whether animal or human, as well as an accident of your own making. The light of Jesus shows people the way through a dangerous time.   

But this doesn’t mean dark is bad and light is good. After all, the season of Advent preparation recalls Mary’s pregnancy, where the baby Jesus grew in the darkness of her womb. His birth comes at night, in a stable, shrouded by the peaceful darkness. We claim the holiness of the dark as sacred to our faith as well.  

I invite you to consider the holy balance God has given to our lives: the goodness of light, which brings warmth and guidance, and the goodness of dark, which brings respite and peace. We praise our God who uses dark and light to point us to the truth of Jesus, to give us space to reflect and respond, and who shows us the inherent goodness of all people. 

Let us pray: 

God who is light, guide our way and warm our hearts. God who is darkness, show us peace and grant us rest. Whether our days or shadows lengthen, show us your holiness. Amen.