he light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:5

Today is the darkest day of the year. Where I am, the sun will set at 5:02 PM, giving us just 10 hours of daylight. It feels appropriate then, that the Light of the World is about to make his entrance.

The shorter days affect so many of us. Seasonal Affective Disorder is when our emotional state cycles with the sun, meaning so many of our friends, neighbors, even ourselves feel more depressed this time of year. Pair that with the sense of loss when the holidays crash upon us in the midst of our grief, and the recipe for despair is ready.

Its here, in the darkness, that the Christ Child is born. A symbol of light, hope, and joy. A deliverance, delivered into this world in blood and squalor and unpredictability. Hope, living in reality. A promise, not gilded and separate, but right here in our every day shabby lives. So often, our “holy” selves feel separate from our real selves. Dressed up in church clothes, censoring our language, our doubts and our frustrations. Yet Jesus was born into the world. He lived among us, seven days a week. Not closeted in a temple, surrounded by gold and worship. He lived with construction workers. Among barnyard animals. In a house with real people in a real marriage, surrounded by siblings and burned dinners and family dynamics.

Into our darkness came the light. Into our despair came the hope. Into our ordinariness came a human baby, carrying the Promise. Into our need came Grace. This is the story of Advent. This is what we are waiting to be reminded of. This is the hope that we have. Rejoice.