This evening we’re coming close to the longest night of the year when darkness comes early and lasts
longer. It seems a little ironic to hold one of our largest celebrations of the
year at this time, yet it does symbolize part of why Jesus came into the world;
to drive the darkness away. We’re here this evening because of Jesus’ birth, yet
it can be really hard to celebrate when our heart and souls are heavy and feel
dark. Our reasons for finding it difficult to celebrate and feel joy can be so
diverse: from the loss of a loved one recently or even a long time ago, loss of
a job or relationship, the stress of the times, and the brokenness and hurt
around us. Darkness of the soul has a way of finding its way in.
We can relate to the writer of Lamentations, “I am a person who has seen
affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me
walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.” The writer feels as if the darkness
comes from the Lord and it can feel overwhelming at times. There’s fear in
these words, a lack of hope, even a feeling of despair. As followers of Jesus,
it becomes even harder when we feel as if the darkness inside comes from what
we’ve done wrong, that maybe we’re responsible for our darkness and the Lord is
punishing us. Guilt can add to the weight of the darkness. Our cries go out
into the darkness, “Why?”
But the writer of Lamentations doesn’t leave us in darkness or despair. The writer looks back to his
time of darkness and sees hope, “I remember my
affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have
hope; because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions
never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to
myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is
good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to
wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”
Even in our darkness, there’s hope as we look back and remember who the Lord is. We can see that he’s
full of compassion. This is part of the reason that Jesus came to earth; he
came to live and experience life as we live it; filled with both joy and
sorrow, plenty and loss. Jesus went to weddings and made wine, he encountered a
mother on the way to bury her son, he lost his earthly father to death, as well
as a dear friend. Jesus walked both the easy paths in life and the hard
difficult paths of life. This is why we’re able to come to Jesus in our own
times of darkness and sorrow because he understands what the weight of darkness
on our souls feels like, how hard it can be. We can trust that Jesus understands,
we can trust his compassion, his presence in the middle of everything we’re
experiencing and going through.
Jesus taught us that his kingdom is an upside-down
kingdom, a kingdom that teaches us trust and offers us hope. He
describes his kingdom in Matthew 5, a kingdom where those
who mourn will be comforted, those who are poor in spirit will find themselves
in the kingdom of heaven, a place in Revelation that his described as a
place where there will be no more tears, suffering, or death. The merciful will receive mercy while the meek will inherit
the earth and the pure in heart will see God, while those who are persecuted
will be called God’s children and those who are seeking righteousness will find
it. This is a kingdom of hope where the sick find healing, where the
broken are made whole again, where grace is the way of the kingdom. This is a
kingdom where we are promised the presence of God and his mercy and goodness.
Until Jesus returns to fully establish this kingdom here, Jesus sends us his
Spirit to comfort us, to give us strength to make it through the darkness,
leading us to the light of Jesus. Jesus gives us the church, a place where we can
mourn and walk alongside those who mourn, while looking forward with hope to
when Jesus is coming back to establish his kingdom.
My prayer is that you will experience Jesus’ presence and peace as we remember Jesus’ birth, when he became
just like us to experience the joys and sorrows of life in order to bring us
comfort and hope in our times of sorrow. May the Lord be with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment