When you think about
it, darkness is a gift.
In the beginning, God
said, Let there be light! And light sprang forth.
Some of us believe
that the creation account in Genesis isn't an account of creation at all, but,
rather, an account of God liberating an already captive creation; of God
releasing life and giving everything purpose.
God, who gave purpose
to the day, also gave purpose to the night. Time for us to rest. Space, for
nocturnal creatures to venture out into the world. And within the darkness,
lights: the moon and the stars. Lights to mark seasons, as well as days. Lights
by which people might navigate, long before sat nav.
The days have become
shorter and the nights longer; and in this creeping way we have drawn closer
and closer to Christmas; the magic, and our childlike awareness of the magic,
growing throughout: until we come to this night. The midnight service,
beginning on Christmas Eve and reaching its completion on Christmas Day. For
me, as, I suspect, for many of you, the most magical night of the year.
Yes, the darkness is
a gift, a good gift given by a good God.
And yet, as with
every good gift that God gives, we have shown ourselves to have an incredible
capacity to misuse the gift.
Under the cover of
darkness - given equally to all - envious schemers plot to take for themselves
what someone else currently holds.
Under the cover of
darkness - given to
those who seek meaning - a web of lies is spun to ensnare the innocent.
Under the cover of
darkness - given freely
- thieves break in and steal, and householders protect their possessions with
increasingly elaborate security.
Under the cover of
darkness - given to
romantics - lovers betray lovers.
Under the cover of
darkness - given to affirm
and renew life - lives are cut short with violence.
Under cover of
darkness - given to
God's children - the elderly are ignored by those charged with their care.
Under cover of
darkness - given to
the weary - underpaid shift workers are forced to work for factory owners at
ease in their beds.
Under the cover of
darkness - given to those
who wander - men and women curse God with bravado.
Under the cover of
darkness - given to those
who wonder - we worship the gods of pornography, of substance misuse, of
eternal youth.
And under the cover
of darkness - given equally
to all - the God who refuses to leave us to our own
devices, speaks to our hearts.
Speaks a word of
peace, a word of joy, a word of reconciliation.
Speaks out to set his
creation free once more, from all that has ensnared us.
Speaks, in the cry of
a helpless baby.
A light, shining in
the darkness. Not to end the darkness, but to do what light shining in the
darkness has always done: to restore rightful purpose to the darkness.
To bless us with deep
contentment.
To bless us with the perspective of the heavens.
To bless us with solidarity with the stranger.
To bless us with faithful constancy.
To bless us with camaraderie around the fire.
To bless us with dreams that will outlive us, and fuel
the vision of the generation coming after.
To bless us with rest.
To bless us with a
sense of direction.
To bless us with a sense of wonder.
To bless us with
'shalom,' with life-affirming relationship with God and neighbour.
And so tonight God
invites us, once again, to come home.
No comments:
Post a Comment