HOPE OF ALL THE EARTH
Light Shines in the Darkness
December 3, 2025
SCRIPTURE
JOHN 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
JOHN 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
In C. S. Lewis's story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the enchanted realm of Narnia is ruled by the White Witch, a tyrant whose magic keeps the land trapped in a perpetual winter. When a young English girl named Lucy finds herself in a snow-covered Narnian forest, she meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus. As he shares the stories of his world with her, he speaks quietly of the White Witch: "It is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It's she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!"
In the UK, Christmas falls at the coldest, darkest time of the year, within days of the winter solstice the shortest day of the year. Many people leave for work in the dark and return home in the dark. We might see brief patches of light and life, but creation itself seems to be sleeping. The leaves have fallen, the grass won't grow, and so many animals have vanished. We can very easily feel like Mr. Tumnus--that it's always winter and never Christmas.
We are certainly not the first to feel this way. The history of ancient Israel often felt like relentless winter. They suffered as slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. They were exiled in Babylon for decades. By the time of Christ, they were yet again suffering under the oppression of foreign rule; they lived in their own home yet were still exiles. Through it all, they had been waiting for a Saviour, a Messiah, one who would set it all right again. It surely felt like it was always winter, always dark, without any hope of light.
But John assures us that, even in the midst of the long, cold darkness, the light shines and has not been overcome; it will not be overcome; it cannot be overcome. And that light is so bright and warm and strong that it's worth waiting for through the long, cold winters of our soul-whatever form those take and whatever disguises they wear. Our circumstances and situations cannot overcome the light of Christ.
However challenging and difficult they may be, however painful and unbearable they may feel, even however undeserving we may be, our Light shines in the darkness, and he cannot be overcome by loneliness or fear or anxiety, by loss or grief or unemployment.
Chris's light shines in the deepest darkness. It may be winter, but Christmas is coming.
In the UK, Christmas falls at the coldest, darkest time of the year, within days of the winter solstice the shortest day of the year. Many people leave for work in the dark and return home in the dark. We might see brief patches of light and life, but creation itself seems to be sleeping. The leaves have fallen, the grass won't grow, and so many animals have vanished. We can very easily feel like Mr. Tumnus--that it's always winter and never Christmas.
We are certainly not the first to feel this way. The history of ancient Israel often felt like relentless winter. They suffered as slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. They were exiled in Babylon for decades. By the time of Christ, they were yet again suffering under the oppression of foreign rule; they lived in their own home yet were still exiles. Through it all, they had been waiting for a Saviour, a Messiah, one who would set it all right again. It surely felt like it was always winter, always dark, without any hope of light.
But John assures us that, even in the midst of the long, cold darkness, the light shines and has not been overcome; it will not be overcome; it cannot be overcome. And that light is so bright and warm and strong that it's worth waiting for through the long, cold winters of our soul-whatever form those take and whatever disguises they wear. Our circumstances and situations cannot overcome the light of Christ.
However challenging and difficult they may be, however painful and unbearable they may feel, even however undeserving we may be, our Light shines in the darkness, and he cannot be overcome by loneliness or fear or anxiety, by loss or grief or unemployment.
Chris's light shines in the deepest darkness. It may be winter, but Christmas is coming.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION
What does it mean to believe that the light cannot be overcome by the darkness?
What does the phrasing "always winter and never Christmas" signify?
When have you seen light in a dark place? What were the circumstances? How did the light and the darkness interact with each other? How did seeing the light make you feel?
What does it mean to believe that the light cannot be overcome by the darkness?
What does the phrasing "always winter and never Christmas" signify?
When have you seen light in a dark place? What were the circumstances? How did the light and the darkness interact with each other? How did seeing the light make you feel?
PRAYER
Write a prayer about the ability of light not to be overcome by darkness.
Write a prayer about the ability of light not to be overcome by darkness.