From the Pulpit: God sends us light

By: 
Rev. Elizabeth Pagnotta

I think there are two kinds of people. People who, at the end of the Christmas season, pull the lights off the tree and stuff them in a box or people who artfully and carefully, roll the Christmas lights up and twisty tie the cords together so that they will seamlessly unwrap next year. 

Two weeks ago, I pulled the decorations from storage and sat on the floor untangling strand after strand of Christmas lights while impatient boys danced around me. Again, I resolved to be the kind of person that neatly puts the lights away at the end of the season. But as I untwisted and focused on light after light breaking free from the mess it gave me some time to pause and reflect on the tension of joy and sorrow that fills this season. 

This year, as the Longest Night draws near, joy feels tough to access sometimes. I am thinking about the heartache of many people that I care about. There is deep loss, grief, hardship, and sadness mixed in with the joy, excitement and hope of Christmas. And sometimes it’s hard to balance it all. But as I held in my hands the mess of Christmas lights, it reminded me of something author Brene Brown writes. 

She writes that Christmas lights are a perfect metaphor for joy. Joy is not a constant floodlight but instead it comes in moments. The lights flash on and off. A strand of lights includes both lights and space in between. A joyful life is made up of joyful moments strung together by faith and trust and gratitude and humility. 

The promise of God’s presence with us is a joy that honors the difficulties of life, too. 

God is with us, even and especially on the darkest days. Joy does not sweep the hardship under the rug. The writer of the Gospel of John proclaims that the “light has come into the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it” (John 1:5) That is the promise we hold on to and share with the world.

Wherever your heart is this season, God promises to be with you. God is here when your Christmas lights are untangled and beautifully shining and when they are a half burned out tangled up mess. Either way, God’s light promises to shine in the darkness.

 

Category:

The Brandon Valley Journal

 

The Brandon Valley Journal
1404 E. Cedar St.
Brandon, SD 57005
(605) 582-9999

Email Us

Facebook Twitter

Please Login for Premium Content